LeakBird

(April 15, 2009, The San Francisco Chronicle)
Because the East Bay Municipal Utility District has urged both voluntary and mandatory conservation during the recent dry spell, the agency is delivering less water, which means lower revenues.
In an attempt to make up for the shortfall, district staffers recommend raising water rates by 7.5 percent annually for the [...]

(March 25, 2009, Engadget)
On the environmental tip, Mayor Bloomberg has announced that New York City will install 826,000 wireless water meters by 2011. Under the new system, readings will be sent to a network of rooftop receivers throughout the city every six hours, enabling the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to bill property owners every [...]

(March 16, 2009, The Water Blog, Portland Water Bureau)

March 16-20th is the EPA’s first, annual Fix A Leak Week.  Fix A Leak Week is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, which seeks to protect the nation’s water supply by promoting efficient products and services and educating the public about water conservation.
According to WaterSense:

11,000 [...]

(March 2, 2009, The Houston Chronicle)

Water bills in Houston are poised to go up about $2.26 a month for an average homeowner under a plan City Council is expected to begin weighing today.
Under procedures put in place after 2004 – when water bills went up as high as 10 percent for many residents – rates [...]

(Feb. 27, 2009, Kelly Zito, The San Francisco Chronicle)
The company has a gallery in New York’s tony SoHo district; one of it’s recent releases is named “Gwyneth”; it has near-cult status among the eco-affluent (and Google).
We’re talking about a toilet here.
Specifically, the Toto toilet – a water-efficient commode made by Japanese company founded in 1917.
The [...]

 
I recently came across an insightful 2006 document (pdf) from New York’s Department of the Environment on water/ sewer billing, water metering and water efficiency, put together for New York landlords and property managers.
I know that it’s now three years old, so some of the information is perhaps dated, though in essence I would hazard [...]

(Feb. 24, 2009, Coloradoan)
Plans to ramp up water conservation efforts in Fort Collins include a couple of tried-and-true methods – education and financial incentives.
Putting those plans to work would likely mean higher rates for water customers even as average per capita demand for water decreases, officials say.
Using less water has broad impacts, including prolonging the [...]

(Feb. 19, 2009, Aguanomics)
CL sent in this:
I recently got a letter from my apartment complex telling me they are switching from hot water sub-metering to a ratio-utility billing system [RUBS], and they will bill based on square footage of the apartment. From what I can tell, sub metering is superior because it gives people a [...]

(Feb. 18, 2009, Reuters)
Householders in England and Wales will face above-inflation increases in water bills this year, water regulator Ofwat said on Wednesday.
The regulator will allow water companies to impose average rises in household water and sewerage prices in 2009/10 of 1.1 per cent plus inflation at 3 per cent, it said in a statement.
The [...]

(Feb. 17, 2009, AZCentral)
Cave Creek will hear comments Tuesday night on a proposed water-rate hike that could double the average user’s bill and tack on an extra $37 in service charges.
Under the new rates, an average customer’s bill could soar to $77 from $40.
Current residential rates per 1,000 gallons are $2.46 for customers in Cave [...]

(Feb. 16, 2009, MyFoxAtlanta)

ATLANTA – Angry water customers filled a state house room to air their complaints about extremely high water bills in the city of Atlanta. And Georgia lawmakers say they may take action to cap water rates in certain circumstances.
(Original Article Here)

(Feb. 14, 2009, ApartmentSearch.com)
A water bill can easily drip away your hard-earned savings if you’re not paying attention. Saving on your water bill isn’t just the green living thing to do; it also saves you money. Reducing your water usage can be simple and painless.
Unlike your electric bill, gas bill or trash bill, your water [...]

(Feb. 13, 2009, The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Atlanta water officials say they’ve discovered one reason why some recent water bills were sky high: Computer software in about 450 water meters miscalculated usage and charged homeowners much more than they should have.
Watershed Management Commissioner Rob Hunter said the department discovered the problem involving some of the 2,800 [...]

(Feb. 11, 2009, AZ Central)
Increasing numbers of Chandler residents are late paying their municipal ) utility bills and city officials are urging the cash-strapped to call the city to avoid water shut-offs.
Jim Crocker, customer services manager for utility services said about 5 percent of the city’s 71,859 utility accounts are delinquent — more than double [...]

(Feb. 8, 2009, Rapid City Journal)
BELLE FOURCHE — The project may take the rest of the year, but after 2009, every water meter in Belle Fourche will have a miniature radio station beeping out its serial number and how much water the building uses.
Most water users here have received a mailing explaining the program, but [...]

(Feb. 7, 2009, BND.com)
Q: I find it amusing how everyone is so excited about the cost of gas for their cars when it goes up a few cents, but don’t seem to care much about rising home water costs. I pulled some old bills recently and I’m now paying more than double what I did [...]

(Feb. 5, 2009, Chicago Sun Times)
The Daley administration has broadened its investigation into the mysterious case of that $85,860-a-year city electrical inspector ordered to pay more than five years’ worth of water bills after building a new home without installing a water meter.
The Department of Water Management is conducting an audit to determine how many [...]

(Jan. 29, 2009, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Atlanta does not have a problem with its water billing, it has customers who don’t pay its bills.

In fact, the city is “doing a wonderful job” dealing with its 1.2 million customers.

Those were the highlights from Rob Hunter, commissioner of Atlanta’s Watershed Management Department, during a 45-minute session with the [...]

(Jan. 19, 2009, Aguanomics)
A few months back, I blasted East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) for their badly-designed water conservation scheme. Last week, I got my water bill for the past two months, and now I see that I was too kind.
EBMUD is really NOT doing a good job at handing the water shortage.
Here [...]

(Nov. 19, 2008, Todd Kuhns)
I’ve been hearing some concern over one of the water ordinances that we passed on Monday. I’ve heard that a number of landlords were upset about it and I couldn’t understand why until I finally read the story in the paper and (worse) the story on KTVO’s website.
Folks, both of these [...]

(Dec. 1, 2008, ABC News)
A lot of Americans are having to pinch pennies to make ends meet. That’s partly why hundreds of residents are fighting their water service company over an increase they didn’t see coming…
“I was stunned,” he recalled. “It was, ‘Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?’”
Turner gets his water [...]