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Water meters

2014-02-10 15:16:08.536266+00 by Dan Lyke 4 comments

San Jose Mercury News: California Drought: Database shows big difference between water guzzlers and sippers draws on a state database that they don't have a direct link to, but that has per-capita water consumption numbers for various areas. Some interesting stuff there, and one serious WTF:

One factor that has kept urban water use high around Sacramento and much of the Central Valley is that many of the homes didn't have water meters until recently. They now are gradually being installed after former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a 2004 law mandating meters statewide by 2025.

Seriously? It took until 2004 to mandate this in California? WTF, politics?

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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2014-02-10 23:02:58.433672+00 by: meuon

You don't want to know how much muni water systems typically leak either.

#Comment Re: made: 2014-02-10 23:12:07.514747+00 by: Mars Saxman

How.... what? How does the utility bill for water if there are no meters?

#Comment Re: made: 2014-02-10 23:29:05.516784+00 by: meuon

Typically a flat rate per house, or size of house. Water is historically a very very low margin business and meters can be expensive. This is rapidly changing.

#Comment Re: made: 2014-02-10 23:43:39.093917+00 by: Jack William Bell

I used to work for a small city. We charged houses with no meter by number of bedrooms. Businesses with no meter by an algorithm based on number of bathrooms and number of parking spaces and the type of business. Churches got a free ride at the lowest fee in the structure.