Carl Battishill of Plymouth waters his flowers twice a day. "It would be nice if there were new water and sewer systems that weren't so expensive, but that's not going to happen anytime soon," he says.Suburban water fees keep getting higher
Water bills reflect increase by Detroit, local communities' costs that are added on to that rate.
Anthony Lee of Detroit, a service adviser at Jax Car Wash in Southfield, waits for cars to drive in for a wash.
Precious resource?
Do you make an effort to conserve water?
Error processing SSI file
Comment on this story
Homeowners across Metro Detroit are feeling the impact of aging water and sewer pipes in their wallets and their lawns, and there may be more to come in the future.
Several communities have just set rate increases, some as high as 15 percent, because of adjustments in the cost of water from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, as well as extra costs imposed by each municipality. The department raised its wholesale water prices to the 126 communities it serves by an average of 4 percent.
But rates are rising by far more than that in some communities.
Moreover, water prices have been spiraling in many communities over the past three years -- in Wixom residents have faced 63 percent in increases since 2002, and in Plymouth rates have climbed by 35 percent since then.
"I guess you could say that I pray for rain a lot," said Canton Garden Club member Jane Davis, reflecting on water rates.
The hikes come at a time when regional planners estimate the tab for sewer maintenance could top $50 billion over the next 30 years.
That figure doesn't include the anticipated improvements needed to the water supply system, which haven't been accurately tallied yet on a regional basis.
One official warns that more expensive water and sewer bills loom in the future.
"The year of the low (rate) increase is kind of an anomaly," said Chuck Hersey, manager of environmental programs for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments of the prices across Metro Detroit. "But the solution can't just be to put more money in the system. It has to be some combination of both (higher rates and reduced peak demand)."
Plymouth resident Carl Battishill, 53, still waters his flowers twice a day, despite the higher prices.
"It would be nice if there were new water and sewer systems that weren't so expensive, but that's not going to happen anytime soon," he said. "Apparently we all just have to live with what we got."
Davis of Canton said higher rates don't bother her too much.
"I'm conservative and know the importance of our resources. Plus, I know these rates are nothing compared to other areas," she said.
Davis only runs the dishwasher when it's full, uses a local car wash and waters the lawn only in extremely dry conditions.
Some communities are pressing residents to limit lawn watering during summer's hottest days to reduce demand, which limits peak usage, a key factor in setting water rates.
In addition to the water hikes, Detroit raised sewer rates an average of 2.4 percent for the 77 communities it serves. But those numbers tell only part of the story for most homeowners because of the local portion of the bill.
In Plymouth's case, water and sewer bills are 35 percent more now than they were in 2002, including a 4 percent increase that took effect July 1. City finance director Mark Christiansen estimates this year's increase will cost a typical homeowner an additional $26 a year. Those increases come despite an almost 5 percent wholesale water rate reduction and about a 1 percent sewer water rate from Detroit this year.
"It probably will be only a one-year phenomenon," Christiansen said of the Detroit decrease. Plymouth's portion of the increase was needed to fix the local parts of the system and to pay off debt on previous improvements, Christiansen said.
Southfield residents started paying 15 percent more on July 1, an increase that will cost a typical homeowner an additional $124 annually, city officials said.
In Dearborn, residents are paying 9 percent more this year to help cover more than $13 million in improvements to water and sewer pipes and facilities this year, said Sam Smalley, Dearborn's water and sewerage manager.
Macomb Township rates have increased 23 percent over the past three years, mostly to cover increases in the wholesale rate from Detroit, said David Koss, superintendent of the water and sewer department.
Wixom joined the Detroit water system about four years ago, and rates have risen 63 percent since 2002. Michael Howell, Wixom director of public works, said the increases were the result of increased wholesale rates from Detroit and local projects, including improving fire hydrants and conducting a new water study.
Canton Township officials are studying rates in light of the community's growing demand for water. They haven't raised rates since 2003 but expect an increase Jan. 1 once the analysis is complete, said John Spencer, budget and water billing manager.
Spencer says money received from residents to pay water and sewer bills isn't much more than the wholesale rate it pays to Detroit.
Detroit officials said their portions of the increases are needed to help pay for $2.4 billion in capital improvements to the water and sewer systems over the next four years. They also note that this year's increase was the smallest in the past 12 years on a system where some water mains and pipes are a century old.
Increased use, fueled by growth, also taxes the system and leads to higher rates. Detroit uses a community's peaking factor -- the maximum amount of water it needs at once -- as a key part in determining its rates.
Some communities have built reservoirs that can be filled during off hours and drained during high-demand times.
Other communities, including Sterling Heights, Washington Township, Northville, Van Buren Township, Novi and Troy, have asked their residents to voluntarily restrict outdoor water use to an odd/even schedule that matches house numbers to the date of the month. That reduces peak demand and helps stave off some future rate increases.
Officials say conservation would help relieve stress on the old -- but growing -- system.
"We have to look at low-cost ways to reduce demand on the systems," Hersey said.
In Sterling Heights, the average resident will pay $25.65 more for water and sewer services this year, said Public Works Director Guy Kebbe.
"If all residents followed an odd/even schedule, you wouldn't have everyone water on the hottest day, which in turn leads to high costs," Kebbe said. "Spreading out usage is key, since the system has to be sized to meet the greatest demand."
You can reach Eric Lacy at (734) 462-2674 or elacy@detnews.com.
Martin Hawthorne, service manager for Jax Car Wash in Southfield, uses a power washer to clean the dirt and grime left over from cars.
Copyright © 2005
The Detroit News.
Use of this site indicates your agreement to the Terms of Service (updated 12/19/2002).