Letter: GWP should revise billing practices

From time to time I have read in this paper that Glendale Water & Power has increased rates during the drought to discourage wasting water. However, when I did the math I found that it costs me less than a nickel to waste a bathtub full of water. On my latest water bill I am paying about $50 per month, but of this only about $13 is based on my meter readings. The other $37 is called “Water Customer Charge” which I must pay even if I do not use a single drop (my electric bill is quite the opposite where 88% is based on my meter reading).

If my wife and I were to take Draconian measures and reduce our water usage by 50% we would save a mere $6.50 per month, enough for a couple of Starbucks caffe lattes. This is hardly an adequate financial incentive to conserve. There are some of us who are conserving simply because it is the right thing to do, but there are others who will require a stronger financial incentive to cut back their usage. Glendale Water & Power should revise their billing practices to create such an incentive.

Steve Mills
Glendale