14% jump in DC Water Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, surprised some posters think the jump is no big deal. The $$ amount is not the issue, though annoying as raises my CRIAC charge by about $25/mo. The issue is why this specific item is jumping so much, while none of the other charges on our monthly bill are going up nearly as much, and this item actually declined from 24 to 25.

Where is the explanation and the accountability? Are we all just do used to DC randomly screwing residents with fees and taxes that we just blame the people asking questions, rather than the politicians who are spending more and more of our money?

this ppt of DC water proposed budget https://www.dcwater.com/sites/default/files/finance/rates/BudgetReviewDocs/Proposed%20FY%202025%20Budget.pdf has no explanation of the rationale for the increase

+1 I'm very lefty/environmentalist/communitarian as a rule, but these various fees are skyrocketing and the projects they're funding don't have any measurable goals or oversight as far as I can tell. My water bill jumped so much this year that I stopped gardening, and it didn't even move the needle because the size of the bill is almost completely divorced from water consumption at this point.

Yep. Even if we’re very economical in our water usage, the bill is still outrageously high.

Part of the problem is that while DCW has (moderately) tiered rates for water, the sewer charges (which are identical to usage) are assessed at a flat rate of $12/ccf (vs. $3/ccf at the lowest intake tier).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A "massive" increase of $2.37 per month.

I simply can't imagine how anyone will possibly manage to come up with the extra 7.9 cents per day this will cost them. I fear many people will have to resort to selling their bodies to come up with that kind of cash, and those lucky enough to somehow scrimp and save the nickel and three pennies will be forced into the cruelest fate of all - choosing between paying the water bill or buying a single individually wrapped Werther's Original at the five and dime.

This was my reaction too, but from the upperNW neighborhood liserservs, you would think this is enough to drive hordes of bluehairs out of the District once and for all.

That’s not what upper NW folks are upset about.

They are upset about the multiplier of the $24 charge. It used to just be $24/month and now many people will have a 3.8 multiplier, so it’s $91/month.

That's our increase too, and the letter tried to make it seem like it was because our impervious area had increased last year, when actually it has decreased a lot, plus we have two rain gardens, three redirection and retention drains and two rain barrels. We spent so much money to hold water on our property that it's quite a shock to find that none of it matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A "massive" increase of $2.37 per month.

I simply can't imagine how anyone will possibly manage to come up with the extra 7.9 cents per day this will cost them. I fear many people will have to resort to selling their bodies to come up with that kind of cash, and those lucky enough to somehow scrimp and save the nickel and three pennies will be forced into the cruelest fate of all - choosing between paying the water bill or buying a single individually wrapped Werther's Original at the five and dime.

This was my reaction too, but from the upperNW neighborhood liserservs, you would think this is enough to drive hordes of bluehairs out of the District once and for all.

That’s not what upper NW folks are upset about.

They are upset about the multiplier of the $24 charge. It used to just be $24/month and now many people will have a 3.8 multiplier, so it’s $91/month.

An ERU is roughly 900 square feet of impervious surface so if you have a 3.8 multiplier you have a house whose footprint is almost 3,500 square feet, and since I don't know of many 3,500sf ranch style homes in DC that really means your house is at least 7,000 square feet. I don't care where you live in DC, if you have a house that gargantuan you can afford to chip in $67 a month extra to keep our rivers clean.

And if you don't have a house that gargantuan, if for some inexplicable reason you have a reasonably sized house and thousands of square feet of pavement, good news! DC will pay you to remove that pavement and heavily subsidize a permeable replacement that will no longer count towards ERUs so there's literally no excuse to be upset over this charge.

DP: The point is, we don't have a house that big. They are just saying we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"they "reassessed" our property and quintupled their estimate if our impervious surfaces."

two posters so far say this has happened to them. this sounds like a scandal. too bad there are no good local dc news outlets anymore; dc water needs some more public scrutiny

Count us as a 3rd -- and we actually decreased ours!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, surprised some posters think the jump is no big deal. The $$ amount is not the issue, though annoying as raises my CRIAC charge by about $25/mo. The issue is why this specific item is jumping so much, while none of the other charges on our monthly bill are going up nearly as much, and this item actually declined from 24 to 25.

Where is the explanation and the accountability? Are we all just do used to DC randomly screwing residents with fees and taxes that we just blame the people asking questions, rather than the politicians who are spending more and more of our money?

this ppt of DC water proposed budget https://www.dcwater.com/sites/default/files/finance/rates/BudgetReviewDocs/Proposed%20FY%202025%20Budget.pdf has no explanation of the rationale for the increase

+1 I'm very lefty/environmentalist/communitarian as a rule, but these various fees are skyrocketing and the projects they're funding don't have any measurable goals or oversight as far as I can tell. My water bill jumped so much this year that I stopped gardening, and it didn't even move the needle because the size of the bill is almost completely divorced from water consumption at this point.

Yep. Even if we’re very economical in our water usage, the bill is still outrageously high.

Part of the problem is that while DCW has (moderately) tiered rates for water, the sewer charges (which are identical to usage) are assessed at a flat rate of $12/ccf (vs. $3/ccf at the lowest intake tier).

Same. We became empty nesters, who are rarely at home, and our water bill doubled. Explain that? We actually paid for a plumber to check for leaks becuae it makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A "massive" increase of $2.37 per month.

I simply can't imagine how anyone will possibly manage to come up with the extra 7.9 cents per day this will cost them. I fear many people will have to resort to selling their bodies to come up with that kind of cash, and those lucky enough to somehow scrimp and save the nickel and three pennies will be forced into the cruelest fate of all - choosing between paying the water bill or buying a single individually wrapped Werther's Original at the five and dime.

This was my reaction too, but from the upperNW neighborhood liserservs, you would think this is enough to drive hordes of bluehairs out of the District once and for all.

That’s not what upper NW folks are upset about.

They are upset about the multiplier of the $24 charge. It used to just be $24/month and now many people will have a 3.8 multiplier, so it’s $91/month.

An ERU is roughly 900 square feet of impervious surface so if you have a 3.8 multiplier you have a house whose footprint is almost 3,500 square feet, and since I don't know of many 3,500sf ranch style homes in DC that really means your house is at least 7,000 square feet. I don't care where you live in DC, if you have a house that gargantuan you can afford to chip in $67 a month extra to keep our rivers clean.

And if you don't have a house that gargantuan, if for some inexplicable reason you have a reasonably sized house and thousands of square feet of pavement, good news! DC will pay you to remove that pavement and heavily subsidize a permeable replacement that will no longer count towards ERUs so there's literally no excuse to be upset over this charge.

Why are you assuming the assessments have any bearing to reality?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, surprised some posters think the jump is no big deal. The $$ amount is not the issue, though annoying as raises my CRIAC charge by about $25/mo. The issue is why this specific item is jumping so much, while none of the other charges on our monthly bill are going up nearly as much, and this item actually declined from 24 to 25.

Where is the explanation and the accountability? Are we all just do used to DC randomly screwing residents with fees and taxes that we just blame the people asking questions, rather than the politicians who are spending more and more of our money?

this ppt of DC water proposed budget https://www.dcwater.com/sites/default/files/finance/rates/BudgetReviewDocs/Proposed%20FY%202025%20Budget.pdf has no explanation of the rationale for the increase

The explanation comes via the Board and the accountability comes via the Council and the DC Office of People's Counsel.

so no accountability then...

Is DC Water and its employees subject to DC law? Yes? They are, you say? Ok, well, then DC Water isn't an independent body. The city council and the mayor could subject them to 99 percent income tax rates until they agree to reduce water rates. Complain to your elected representatives. They could change this if they wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"they "reassessed" our property and quintupled their estimate if our impervious surfaces."

two posters so far say this has happened to them. this sounds like a scandal. too bad there are no good local dc news outlets anymore; dc water needs some more public scrutiny

Maybe, just maybe:

1. You shouldn't have voted for extreme leftists like Nadeau and JLG who'd rather die than be caught criticizing government spending.

2. You shouldn't have canceled your subscription to the Washington Post because you were so mad at Bezos. Now they don't have any metro reporters to cover the things you care about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A "massive" increase of $2.37 per month.

I simply can't imagine how anyone will possibly manage to come up with the extra 7.9 cents per day this will cost them. I fear many people will have to resort to selling their bodies to come up with that kind of cash, and those lucky enough to somehow scrimp and save the nickel and three pennies will be forced into the cruelest fate of all - choosing between paying the water bill or buying a single individually wrapped Werther's Original at the five and dime.

This was my reaction too, but from the upperNW neighborhood liserservs, you would think this is enough to drive hordes of bluehairs out of the District once and for all.

That’s not what upper NW folks are upset about.

They are upset about the multiplier of the $24 charge. It used to just be $24/month and now many people will have a 3.8 multiplier, so it’s $91/month.

An ERU is roughly 900 square feet of impervious surface so if you have a 3.8 multiplier you have a house whose footprint is almost 3,500 square feet, and since I don't know of many 3,500sf ranch style homes in DC that really means your house is at least 7,000 square feet. I don't care where you live in DC, if you have a house that gargantuan you can afford to chip in $67 a month extra to keep our rivers clean.

And if you don't have a house that gargantuan, if for some inexplicable reason you have a reasonably sized house and thousands of square feet of pavement, good news! DC will pay you to remove that pavement and heavily subsidize a permeable replacement that will no longer count towards ERUs so there's literally no excuse to be upset over this charge.

Why are you assuming the assessments have any bearing to reality?

They have no bearing to reality or to how much water people use or to the cost of the water that people use. The city tries to hide that fact that making the pricing incredibly complicated. They are using complicated formulas and jargon and acronyms to hide the ball.

[Anonymous]

Let’s see Democrats in charge everywhere in DC. How do we extract more money from the masses in a way that will not arouse too much angst? Increase costs of basic utilities they can’t live without such as water and electricity.

You get the government and quasi government services you choose via elections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A "massive" increase of $2.37 per month.

I simply can't imagine how anyone will possibly manage to come up with the extra 7.9 cents per day this will cost them. I fear many people will have to resort to selling their bodies to come up with that kind of cash, and those lucky enough to somehow scrimp and save the nickel and three pennies will be forced into the cruelest fate of all - choosing between paying the water bill or buying a single individually wrapped Werther's Original at the five and dime.

This was my reaction too, but from the upperNW neighborhood liserservs, you would think this is enough to drive hordes of bluehairs out of the District once and for all.

That’s not what upper NW folks are upset about.

They are upset about the multiplier of the $24 charge. It used to just be $24/month and now many people will have a 3.8 multiplier, so it’s $91/month.

An ERU is roughly 900 square feet of impervious surface so if you have a 3.8 multiplier you have a house whose footprint is almost 3,500 square feet, and since I don't know of many 3,500sf ranch style homes in DC that really means your house is at least 7,000 square feet. I don't care where you live in DC, if you have a house that gargantuan you can afford to chip in $67 a month extra to keep our rivers clean.

And if you don't have a house that gargantuan, if for some inexplicable reason you have a reasonably sized house and thousands of square feet of pavement, good news! DC will pay you to remove that pavement and heavily subsidize a permeable replacement that will no longer count towards ERUs so there's literally no excuse to be upset over this charge.

Wrong. The ERU includes sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches, detached sheds, detached, garages walkways.

So you can have say a 2200 square-foot home like I do but still be dinged due to impervious surfaces, including the sidewalk in front of my house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s see Democrats in charge everywhere in DC. How do we extract more money from the masses in a way that will not arouse too much angst? Increase costs of basic utilities they can’t live without such as water and electricity.

You get the government and quasi government services you choose via elections.

Just wait for Comrade JLG to be installed.

[Anonymous]

DC Water no longer loads previous billing statements. I can only load the current billing statement.

Something is really fishy with this agency.

When did you all get the letter with the impervious surfaces change?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s see Democrats in charge everywhere in DC. How do we extract more money from the masses in a way that will not arouse too much angst? Increase costs of basic utilities they can’t live without such as water and electricity.

You get the government and quasi government services you choose via elections.

The DC government preys on the fact that everyone is extremely liberal and assumes that every dollar the government spends is precious and only troglodytes complain about their taxes. It's how we get sky high tax rates and an astoundingly wasteful government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s see Democrats in charge everywhere in DC. How do we extract more money from the masses in a way that will not arouse too much angst? Increase costs of basic utilities they can’t live without such as water and electricity.

You get the government and quasi government services you choose via elections.

I’m sorry, but this is just ignorant. DC Water is an independent agency with an appointed board that includes reps of neighboring counties. Trying to blame everything on a political party is kinda pathetic.