Spoiler alert: ’it doesn’t.’

Part of the problem is that the system is old as hell and a huge portion of it needs to be completely replaced, which is super expensive and not easy to do.

The other issue is the large amount of unpaid use that happens from lack of bill collection and stealing. That is getting paid for by everyone else seeing increasing rates.

Don’t forget old meters are not accurate (always slow never fast) so the bill is already too low for many.

Didnt they just get a large grant not long ago?

I have experience dealing with customers’ unpaid bills. Some of the amounts are truly frightening, even with debt assistance programs.

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During the peak of Covid I was dealing with large unpaid water bills (not in the city but very close) and had a major university and multiple massive companies tell me they know we can not turn them off for non payment due to the govt moratorium. That act was intended to protect granny from being turned off not an oil refinery!

>old meters

Didn't they just replace all the meters under pain of shutoff?

It’s an ongoing project that is always behind schedule. Home meters are good for 15 years so it should be based on when it was installed. I will bet many are way overdue and running slow, hence the threat of let them replace it or be turned off.

I don't know, but even stating that, I'll confidently state that it was no where near the the total amount needed to replace the water system infrastructure.

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Im sure it wasnt but at least to offset even a little some of these price hikes...

https://water.phila.gov/drops/press-release-biden-announces-500m-financing-for-water-projects/

Lot of them did my friend for years purposely avoided getting a new meter installed. For the very reason discussed. Till this day he still has the old meter.

Dude showed up at my house with the wrench and it was either make an appointment or get shut off.

I'm glad I was home because a neighbor wasn't.

I think that's a loan, not a grant.

Yea it looks like you are right. So i guess the hikes are to pay of the loans.

When they replace the meter it's just the radio not the actual part that water goes through. My meter seemed slow/sticky both before and after the upgrade.

That tracks, they accepted a loan without a pay back plan in place

That is a retro fit, if your meter is around 10yrs old it was read the “old way” aka very close like the truck had to be on your steet. But it is capable of “the new way” aka much further away with a new hardware upgrade that is a huge cost savings to the utility.

And that person is screwing everyone else it is the equivalent to shop lifting. Everyone else pays for what they are getting for free.

When they upgraded my water meter last year the actual measuring device with the spinning dials was kept in place. They only replaced the radio transmitter attached to it