Non-Usage Water CHARGE - Are you kidding me?!

The rule of law has been slipping for some time in the US and here you see the ugly buzzards that have come home to roost as once-sacrosanct concepts of private property go all fuzzy round the edges. I suppose it should be no surprise in the age of no-doc mortgages and robo-signing that who owns what is getting to be an inexact science. But now the rot has spread beyond such dubious phenomena, as we can see from this thread. Its the government coming to "own" you in an escalating series of tax attacks. The cash-strapped municipalities are starving for revenue and drowning in debt. Did you do everything right? Avoid debts, secure a viable survival space, dig your own well? Congratulations, they are coming for you.

Tyranny of the majority. Tragic, tragic.

reply to post by summer5


They have no business to charge you if you do not use their slimy water. Inform a lawyer if you have to. But then again, the law will probably be against you...

I have an opinion of it for sure, I quote family guy again. that makes about as much sense as beowulf having sex with robert fulton at the first battle of antietam.

if the powers that be would kindly die slowly of aids that would be swell for the rest of us, bye now.

(i'd say im angry, shocked, and puzzled but im not, im past that.)

reply to post by summer5


Yes. I live in Adelaide. The South Aussie Government are building a desalinization plant and under the contract IF we dont use the water from the desal plant due to, say, to a wet winter we have to pay a non-usage fee.

I think the original post might be a little misleading.
Did you sign a contract after the water company offered to put in a tap for your house in advance at a "reduced rate"?
That's what happenned here. They just omitted the fact that we'd be be paying for 3000 gallons a month for 36 months if we didn't actually run the lines to the house. Started out at $24 per month, but they kept raising it every few months, by the end of 3 years it was up to $38. But... my mom had signed a contract to have the tap installed, so we were forced to pay. Water company sued little old ladies all over the county who couldn't afford to pay.
We never did have the lines installed to the house, but the contract was binding... we had to pay the monthly fee.
If you didn't sign the contract, they can't make you pay.
AliWV

Op that charge is stupid man. Im going to keep an eye out for that sh**.

I just had to reply to this one. Back about ten years ago I recieved my phone bill. As I read through it I noticed there was a $18.00 charge for long distance. I had not made any long distance calls. So I called the company and got the suprise of my life. They told me that they were going to charge me 18 bucks a month for not using long distance. I told them to Kiss my # and changed to a phone company that would not charge me for non usage. Last month a friend of mine who is retired on disabillity. Used 0 cubic feet of natural gas the gas company charged him 36 bucks for non usage of gas. He told me about it and I didn't believe him...... so he showed me the bill and low and behold it was true.


I can't begin to imagine what they will charge us for not using next. Oh dear I didn't drive my car cause I can't afford the artificially inflated price of gas........"Well sir that will be 100 dollars for non usage of the roads".

You will need to look at the minutes of the meeting of whatever council or board that allowed them to run lines...somewhere in there is the clause that they can charge anyone who doesnt hook up...its in there..my town decicided to install meters,a group said they would dig wells...the town passed an ordinance that you had to pay for a meter,but no requirement that you use the water....meter fee?..50.00 a month

I have a well I live deep in the Texas desert. My address is from the bigger town 26 miles east of where I live but my electric and home phone line come from the small town 12miles to the west. There is a large lake between me and the bigger town plus the 30families in the200 acres where I live are spread out enough we can't hear or see each other. I'm not seeing how they can force city water on us, but then again they could lay pipe through the lake with 300 feet levels I guess its possible ?

Originally posted by summer5
I live in the country. I have owned my home for the past 10 years. I have well water. The town decided to pipe in their water to my surrounding area. They came out, dug up the roads to put in their pipes. I received a letter informing me that I had to either sign up for the town water, or decline it. No problem, I do not want it.

I received another letter today stating since I chose not to hook up to the town water, if I decide to in the future it will be an $1,800.00 hook up charge. Also, once the town water is turned on in my area, I will be getting a monthly bill of $34.00 for NON-USAGE CHARGE.

Let me get this correct. You, the town, offered your fluoridated water to me, I declined it - chose to stay connected to my spring well water. Now you inform me I have to pay you MONTHLY for NOT using your water! You can't be serious!!

What are they going to do if I don't pay it? Disconnect my well? I am so damn mad right now

Any other ATS members encounter this kind of crap?

reply to post by cottonmouth332


They will be putting meters on your wellhead soon so you will pay the man one way or the other. sorry to here about this # but they will do what they do best rip us off!

I want to thank all of you who took the time to respond. Thank you for the kind words, encouragement, sharing in my anger, and sharing your stories with me of similar circumstances.

I was outraged at what I had shared in my OP with you. I am now more outraged after reading some of your stories of similar situations. It just makes me more angry. Lonegurkha shared that the phone company was charging for not using long distance, and that a friend was charged for not using gas. JibbyJedi has to pay "minimum usage charge" when not even using all the allowed water. LighAssassin in Aussie is going through the same with water. gandamack is paying a meter fee for water that isn't being used.

WE, the people, have a situation far and widespread! It's coming to a town or company near you.

What really gets me is it's WATER! Water is a natural resource....yet we are PAYING for it! If we use it through our municipalities - we are paying for it. If we don't use it through the municipalities - we will still pay for it. If the water you are hooked up to is filled with the damn chemicals and you buy bottled water for drinking - you are still paying for it. Forget oil! Water is the business to get into.



I will update as I get more information. I am planning on heading to city hall tomorrow. I will let you all know how it goes. Thank you again for all your input. A lot of you gave me more good questions I would like to get further information on.

reply to post by summer5


summer5 we will see meters here in texas they started putting meters on businesses that use a lot of well water it is only a matter of time before they start charging us for rain water we have in our ponds.Or stop us from trying to store rain water.