Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Herb Larkin

To the Editor:

After receiving my three months water bill a few days ago, my calculator came from its hiding place, and if I used it correctly, it told me that my water bill multiplied by approximately three equals my sewer bill. Yes, I know we need to pay for our new sewer plant.

This water plus sewer costs about 2.7 cents per gallon. When we flush a toilet at 1.6 gallons per flush, we realize that each flush costs about four and one-third cents, rounded up to about a nickel per flush. Some older toilets take three times this amount of water.  Anyone with an older toilet had best talk to a plumber, and certainly (as we have seen in the minutes of city council meetings) no one can afford a toilet that is constantly running.

The water bill is not the water bill. It includes charges for the sewer bill, garbage bill, yard waste, storm water, infrastructure, plus sales tax. I also realized that there is no longer a ten percent discount for paying by the due date.

These figures are not exact but they do cause some people (me) to sit up and take notice.

Consider the fresh produce that we got from the garden this year, maybe the water was well worth it - fresh radish, cucumbers, cabbage, lettuce, peppers, onions, cantaloupe, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more tomatoes than we could use. The only thing lacking was water, and thank God we were able to apply it.

You could call this letter a complaint, but at the same time, we must be grateful for the services we have. If I am all wet, please let me know.

Respectfully,
Herb Larkin
Waukon