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You can very reasonably turn e.g. a damn or a water treatment plant into a usage charge. Say you want to pay it off in thirty years. Divide the cost by thirty &

by ip26 7y ago

You can very reasonably turn e.g. a damn or a water treatment plant into a usage charge. Say you want to pay it off in thirty years. Divide the cost by thirty & project the annual quantity of water it will provide. Set the rate to match. The true(st) fixed costs are things like the last mile to your house, that only you benefit from.

smileysteve 7y ago
If you had done that 30 years ago, you'd likely be a little short though, as consumer demand for water has in many cases shifted to bottle water. Though, i suppose showering habits have changed. Oh, but toilet flush and low flow stuff has happened to everything.
- crazypyro 7y ago
  https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/trends-water-use-united-states-1950-2015?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/scie... Public supply usage hasn't changed meaningfully for a few decades.
  - armenarmen 7y ago
    That’s really surprising! Population more than doubled in that timeline and usage went up by way less, and per person water use is even more dramatically down in the past few decades
    - fingerlocks 7y ago
      I would guess that technology played a major role in lowering water consumption. Most of household water use comes from washing clothes, dishes, bathing, and of course watering the lawn and garden. Automatic clothes and dishwashers are far more common now, and today’s models are more efficient than than manually performing the same task by hand. Simple automated drip irrigation systems can be had from any local hardware store, customizable to deliver the exact amount of water needed to plants at the most optimal time to minimize wasted water from evaporation. And low pressure shower heads are everywhere now; the ridiculous hurricane bathroom shower of the 70s and 80s is only fond childhood memory.
- ip26 7y ago
  Depending on the utility, rates are often adjusted on an annual basis, explicitly to track towards profit neutral or slightly above.

by ip26 7y ago

smileysteve 7y ago

If you had done that 30 years ago, you'd likely be a little short though, as consumer demand for water has in many cases shifted to bottle water. Though, i suppose showering habits have changed. Oh, but toilet flush and low flow stuff has happened to everything.

crazypyro 7y ago
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/trends-water-use-united-states-1950-2015?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/scie... Public supply usage hasn't changed meaningfully for a few decades.
- armenarmen 7y ago
  That’s really surprising! Population more than doubled in that timeline and usage went up by way less, and per person water use is even more dramatically down in the past few decades
  - fingerlocks 7y ago
    I would guess that technology played a major role in lowering water consumption. Most of household water use comes from washing clothes, dishes, bathing, and of course watering the lawn and garden. Automatic clothes and dishwashers are far more common now, and today’s models are more efficient than than manually performing the same task by hand. Simple automated drip irrigation systems can be had from any local hardware store, customizable to deliver the exact amount of water needed to plants at the most optimal time to minimize wasted water from evaporation. And low pressure shower heads are everywhere now; the ridiculous hurricane bathroom shower of the 70s and 80s is only fond childhood memory.
ip26 7y ago
Depending on the utility, rates are often adjusted on an annual basis, explicitly to track towards profit neutral or slightly above.