Plano Water Bill šš½
Posted by HolyCamera@reddit | plano | View on Reddit | 58 comments
My wife and I just moved to Plano from Nebraska. We were hit with our first water bill for a one bedroom apartment. When the bill was $110 I was SHOCKED. I thought our apartment was scamming us it was so outrageous. My boss in Frisco has a giant house and a pool and he said it was more expensive than his water bill.
So, I did some digging. Did yāall know Plano was charging almost three times the average CPG of the neighboring cities??
Does anyone have any explanation for this? I am wondering how the city board pulled this off.
arPie47@reddit
If you have a separate meter, try changing some habits to see if your bill improves. A bath in 4 or even 6 inches of water uses much less than a shower. You can test this by timing a shower vs filling a tub. Chances are there is water running down the drain while you're waiting for it to warm up, right? That doesn't happen with a bath. Dishes can be wiped off into the trash with your dinner napkin. Then into the dishwasher they go with no rinsing involved. (My DH drives me nuts by washing them so thoroughly that I can't tell if the load has been run or not.) Make sure the dishwasher is full before you run it, ditto the washing machine. Water is high here, but we have long periods of drought and the population is growing in this region. It's probably a good thing to have some incentive to use less water.
Hola_amigo@reddit
If youāre in an apartment youāre being billed back a prorata share of common area water too arenāt you?
sfa1500@reddit
This is the key point here. Usually in apartments you don't get metered directly from the City. You are submetered by your apartment complex and pay a portion of the overall building's bill.
arPie47@reddit
Some apartment complexes maintain a lot more landscaping than others. It's hard to compare.
AnxietyDepressedFun@reddit
It depends on how the community is metered.
buzzlegummed@reddit
My water bill was $24 last month in Plano. There is something wrong with
Constant-Engineer-53@reddit
Got links on the cost per gallon comment? I donāt see how you could get a difference that significant unless youāre using less than 1000 gallons a month (not likely for a 2+ person household).
HolyCamera@reddit (OP)
Cost per gallon of .009438 š
Or 9.44 cents per 1,000 gallons
This is both water and sewer
iPodAddict181@reddit
Ours was 1.2 cents per gallon, something isn't adding up here. There may be one time charges added for new service, or maybe you're including sewage and refuse in your calculation.
Constant-Engineer-53@reddit
Something seems off with that. My total cost per gallon for water + sewer this month was less than 1 cent per gallon for about 26,000 gallons.
wgardenhire@reddit
IIRC, the city charges new customers a city wide average for the first 3 months regardless of actual usage and regardless of past history for that particular residence. In addition, it is interesting to note that, in the early 2000s, Plano aggressively touted water conservation measures then, in response to less water being used, increased the cost of water in order to maintain the amount of cash received by the city.
lordb4@reddit
That has to do with the stupid Take or Pay system by the NTMWD. It's the water district's fault not Plano.
HelloFollyWeThereYet@reddit
That toilet that keeps running all day and night. Fix it.
dash_sv@reddit
I live in a 1 bed apartment and my bill is around $45.
$100 seems a bit too high, does your apartment bill for water every 45 days ?
HolyCamera@reddit (OP)
It is monthly, the actual amount was $130 for 40 days but I cut that down so that everyone would have a monthly comparison.
dash_sv@reddit
Yikes, that really seems suspect. $130 for two people over 40 days is quite a bit high for an apartment.
I hope thereās no leak or something thatās being billed to you folks.
YungSeoul@reddit
Iām surprised this comment isnāt higher up
Mysterious_Spread304@reddit
Lmao
mymoonyourstars@reddit
We have a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house. We keep our washer running throughout the week & we water our house. I pay no more than $150.
Talk to the apartment complex.
SeventyFix@reddit
"My boss in Frisco has a giant house and a pool and he said it was more expensive than his water bill."
I'm calling BS on that statement, unless the pool is empty and your boss does absolutely zero lawn & landscaping irrigation, leaving their foundation up to whims of soil changes. For a large home in this area, with a pool and reasonable irrigation, $200 - $400 / month is not unheard of.
That said, your water bill for a small apartment seems high. I would check for running toilets, leaking faucets, etc.
rootwraith1@reddit
Was wondering if you can help, I have a tiny house and getting 280-ish is that normal? I have sprinklers and soaker hoses and so a little bit of drip irrigation on like 10 bushes. I didn't think too much of it until this post.
JesseCantSkate@reddit
Based on your sprinkler system, probably about 6-8 zones, assuming running optimally @ 1ā of water /week, you could expect to use 10-15k gallons of water a month from the sprinklers (assuming 12gpm, 1 hr per cycle, 4 cycles per week, 4 weeks per month. This is very generalized but it should at least give you an idea)
So assuming the low end, 10k/month, with OPās rate of $9/1000g, your sprinklers are running you at least $90/month during the summer.
rootwraith1@reddit
Hmm... That seems concerning.
JesseCantSkate@reddit
Thatās the cost of luxury. Sprinklers arenāt a necessity. Water is a finite resource.
thelloydrage@reddit
I have a pool and water my lawn throughout the warm/hot months and my largest water bill so far while living in Plano was around $190. Now way Frisco boss is in the low $100s.
You might want to check with your complex and see if your water usage is individually metered or shared with the rest of the building. I lived in a couple complexes in the past that the water usage was shared by the entire building not by individual units.
HolyCamera@reddit (OP)
I am sure that could have been an exaggeration by my boss. However, I first called my parents about their water bill in Nebraska (4 Bedroom, 4 Indiduals, and sprinklers) to ask their advice and they told me that was more than their monthly and to look into it. Not trying to stir the pot, just geniunely feel ripped off š
a_polite_redditor@reddit
I have 4BR home in Plano, with a pool. My Utility bill was $165 last month. With your bill, it probably means public space watering is included, or you have a leak.
clone557639@reddit
Moved out here from Cali and all my bills are more than they were out there. Hell, my property taxes are outrageous too. Itās ridiculous.
DueSavings45@reddit
We live in a 2000 sq ft home without a pool. Our water bill runs about $150 during months we are watering the lawn (March through October "ish") and less than $75 in the winter months.
Lulu11-11@reddit
Alot of the apartments do allocated water bills. Mine bills me for just my use but itās like 5 different categories and just as expensive it seems.
thetruckboy@reddit
I'm willing to bet there are one-time fees on your first bill.
Also, your boss doesn't have a smaller water bill.
skreemer01@reddit
People's water bills out here are all over the place. I've never paid over 78$ for a 1600 square foot house. Doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, washing my truck/motorcycle and watering the foundation in a set schedule.
I'd take a look at the itemized bill and also check to make sure there isn't a leak somewhere.
Imaginary-Loss903@reddit
I used to live in Plano. Not long after closing my account and paying my last bill I noticed a $60ish charge on my bank statement from Plano Water. I thought we were square so I called them. They couldn't figure it out right away either. I had zero clue what they were looking in to so I was patient and waited for their call. A week later someone from the water department called and told me my banking account number and another customer's banking account were one number different and there had been an error. I'd been paying mine and someone else's water bill for AWHILE! They mailed me a check for over $4000.
If you really believe the usage is off when compared to others, I would kindly ask if there's any chance of a data entry error. If the math works out, that sucks and I'm sorry.
I do know I would have never known had they not done the right thing when they discovered the mistake.
ImpossibleBarber9723@reddit
Try Bridgewater in Princeton, TX. I have a 2 bed 3 bath house and itās only me and my GF. Water bill is usually right around $250.
Dufusbroth@reddit
Youāre getting hit for more than one meter or additional sewage.
How many gallons does it say you used?
PomeloPepper@reddit
The last apartment complex I lived in didn't have separate water meters.
We got a prorated bill based on the size of the apartment. So a single person living in the same amount of space as a family paid the same amount for water.
heavycivil@reddit
Are you getting a bill directly from Plano or is your complex master metered and billed pro rata?
HolyCamera@reddit (OP)
Trying to figure that out because itās not listed on our lease.
heavycivil@reddit
Whatās your bill show?
Foundrynut@reddit
Use very little to no water from November to March. Your bill will reset.
ethanoleater@reddit
Check how your apartment is metered, I never paid more than $60 for my family of three when we lived in Plano
Oblio36@reddit
It is very difficult to compare water rates across cities. Its even harder when comparing across regions. For example, Plano uses surface water which must be extensively treated first. Many cities in Nebraska pump directly from the Ogallala aquifer and only treat with chlorine, which is orders of magnitude cheaper. When I lived there 20 years ago, it was so cheap, the city only billed quarterly.
Different cities can have widely varying treatment needs due to chemical composition of the water source. The location of the water source is also an issue. If you have to pump it from 100 miles away and pump it uphill, it's going to cost much more .
Although Plano and Frisco get their water from the same place, much of Plano's system is 50+ years old, while Frisco's is much newer. Accordingly, maintenance and repair costs are likely higher as are capital costs for line replacement.
The city's financial policies can also impact rates. Some cities are amortizing their depreciation, some are not. Some build their system debt into their rate. Some pay some or all of their debt out of general revenues.
You cannot look at rates alone and make any kind of judgement about system management or governance.
thisonelife83@reddit
Do you get a bill directly from Plano or your Apt Complex?
Does it include trash removal as well?
Delani_Murphy@reddit
Sounds like you might be living in my complex. Mine is almost always 125+
Most_Hair_1027@reddit
Whereās that
aashaant@reddit
HoltzPro@reddit
if it was your first ever bill they add $100 to open the account
Rory_B_Bellows@reddit
I have a 2k soft house with a garden that gets watered daily, 3 fish tanks that get weekly water changes on top of regular usage and my monthly bill has never been higher than $110/month. You're likely being billed for an even split of water usage for your building or entire complex.
HolyCamera@reddit (OP)
Hahaha, they pinned me with everybodies water bill! š
WesternBar5922@reddit
yeah i was gonna say your complex might split the water between everyone in your building. our complex does that and we hate it.
r0ck-e@reddit
Check and make sure the utility company didn't place a deposit on your first bill. Plano may not do that, but Allen does.
I just got my first bill here in Allen, but it was "$100 more than expected" since they put a deposit of that amount on your account.
Mister-Schwifty@reddit
Plano does that
MeteuWuliechsin@reddit
So that's a bit odd. My husband and I have a ~3500 sq ft house in n East Plano. Our LAST bill was ~$125, but that's because it's summer and we're eating the costs for watering right now. During fall to spring or bill is usually about $80 ($25 for sewage, $25 for trash, $35ish for water). If you're getting $110 in an apartment, that feels way high.
angelicrainboes@reddit
What complex?
Confusedsoul2292@reddit
I donāt think my think my water bill was ever that high.
But I did find out yesterday that an apartment in west Plano has been doubling charging residents utilities after move out š I just disputed mine.
Be careful out there, folks. These apartments are crooks!
olddaad@reddit
I also live in a one bedroom apartment in Plano. My total utility bill was $56.69 and that includes Trash, Sewer, Pest Control, and Water. The water alone was only $18.10. So, yep, it appears your bill is much too high compared to others living in similar circumstances.
basylica@reddit
Yeah, its been 20+ years since i lived in an apartment but i have 3bdrm house, WFH, and have 2 teenage boys and my water/trash bill is ~100/mth
OSUBonanza@reddit
It is what it is, can't do much about it. They also include trash and recycling pickup on the water bill but if you're in am apartment I don't know if you pay for those or not.