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Posted on Wed, Feb 2, 2011 : 3:20 p.m.

Ypsilanti area residents could see higher water rates later this year

By Cindy Heflin

Water rates for customers of the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority could be going up as a result of a proposed 9 percent increase in rates from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.

The amount of any increase won't be known for months though, YCUA director Larry Thomas said today. Increases in rates from Detroit usually have to be passed along in some fashion, Thomas said, but it all depends on YCUA's budget. The budgeting process won't begin until later this year.

The Detroit department supplies water for YCUA, which then distributes it to its customers in Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township and to water utilities in Augusta, Pittsfield, Superior and York townships. New rates would likely take effect Sept. 1, he said.

The Detroit Department is proposing a rate increase of 9.2 percent for YCUA, The Detroit News reported. The Detroit City Council and Board of Water Commissioner must approve the increase, article said.

YCUA customers have also had to absorb rate increases in each of the last three years.

Comments

dading dont delete me bro

Fri, Feb 4, 2011 : 9:24 p.m.

how about this for rates...? my mom hasn't been home and her bill had '0' usage, that's right, zero, zilch, goose egg. her bill was $4x.xx (forty some dollars). how do you explain that? it was the usual broken down x amount supply and sewage, which was '0' again, but she was charged for minimums. what a racket.

amazonwarrior

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 1:40 p.m.

Looking at our latest YCUA statement, the water and sewer rates really aren't that bad - it's the SURCHARGE that almost DOUBLES our bill. How much longer are the homeowners "stuck" paying this surcharge? No one has been able to give me an answer to that question. I remember hearing that it was only suppose to be for 10 years, but there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Once upon a time, Ypsilanti had its own water treatment plant, but it was left to fall into disrepair and decommissioned, leaving us at the "mercy" of Detroit. Whose bright idea was that? As for the proposed increase, somebody has to pay for the city of Detroit's corrupt management, their homeowners not paying their bills, broken infrastructure and water main ruptures that aren't repaired for days and days, so it appears that Detroit is going to stick it to us one more time. What does Detroit think...that we have "money trees" growing in our back yards?

slickrock

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 12:57 p.m.

in the city of Ypsilanti are bill is already high, but not for water. the city has ripped off all the people. we are paying 80% more on our bill because the city as missed used everything and put there bill on our bill. we are still paying 20% for the paper mill that closed down years ago. 20% for Fords that closed,20% because Farmer lied to us about having our streets done.10% to help pay for YUCA retirement. the township only has about 11% added to there bill. in the city we can't afford to water our lawn or wash our cars. our city looks bad in the summer because the people running the city is chocking us to death.and YUCA is just as bad.

jondhall

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 1:04 p.m.

Hope your kidding

thedime

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 5 a.m.

Wow. There are so many different directions to take this discussion. Maybe an AA staffer could bring up the link that shows how YCUA, through their due diligence, secured the best deal for their stakeholders with DWSD. Through great efforts made by staff, YCUA has been able to use their many storage facilities to offset peak demand times and ultimately avoid even higher rate hikes. By filling storage in the evening hours and then dispersing throughout the day, consumption at peak / off peak times can be controlled. Kind of like cell phone usage times. glimmertwin- The Washtenaw County Health Department would not allow installation of wells for potable water use if treated water supplies are available to a property. Steve- Even at the prospects of producing a viable water product from the Huron, many people would be opposed to the idea. Even though treatment would make the source viable, do you realize in those dog days of Summerthat 1 in 4 gallons of river water streaming through town is discharged by A2's WWTP. Gross. Many people would be freaked out by this. Alpha- If you actually looked to see where your water came from, you would understand how it gets there. The DWSD plants that supply YCUA are drawn from Near Belle Isle and Fighting Island. This water is drawn, through hydraulics to the treatment sites in Springwells and Allen Park, respectively. Pumping it 25 miles is not that far. The fuel for your car is pumped from Texas. Is that to far? And the chlorine level being to high. There is no treatment of the water once it leaves the water treatment plants. Any chlorine smell you may have have is from the disipation of the chemical through breakdown. Change your faucets or cleaned your aerators lately? You couldn't possibly add that much chlorine to the water. Oh yeah. Does the naturally occuring fluoride found in groundwater hurt you. The next time you dip your hand in that freshly pulled well water, tell me whats in it. Arsenic, fluoride, etc?

DDOT1962

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 12:10 p.m.

Touche, dime. You win. ;-)

AlphaAlpha

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 2:35 a.m.

A good idea, Mr. Pierce, especially as Ypsilanti is near the end of the line for Detroit water. Being so far from the water intake areas, Detroit water is increasingly 'treated' with distance. The water may kill your aquarium fish very quickly, but, remember, it's safe for humans. Except, legally, 'safe' only means 'disinfected' in this case...

Steve Pierce

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 2:11 a.m.

It seems as if we have had a near doubling of rates over the last several years. Maybe it is time to drill our own wells or take water from the Huron like Ann Arbor does. If Detroit is going to wag the tail that is YCUA and its ratepayers, maybe this partnership to get water from Detroit needs to end. Cheers! - Steve

AlphaAlpha

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 1:56 a.m.

Only a bit OT: An Untested Type of Fluoride Is Used in the Overwhelming Majority of U.S. Water Supplies? "In a recent article in the journal NeuroToxicology, a research team led by Roger D. Masters, Dartmouth College Research Professor and Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government Emeritus, reports evidence that public drinking water treated with sodium silicofluoride or fluosilicic acid, known as silicofluorides (SiFs), is linked to higher uptake of lead in children. Sodium fluoride, first added to public drinking water in 1945, is now used in less than 10% of fluoridation systems nationwide, according to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) 1992 Fluoridation Census. Instead, SiF's are now used to treat drinking water delivered to 140 million people. While sodium fluoride was tested on animals and approved for human consumption, the same cannot be said for SiFs." Hopefully the EPA will act on this soon...

Hillbillydeluxe

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 12:13 a.m.

YCUA is at the MERCY of Detroit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

glimmertwin

Wed, Feb 2, 2011 : 11:15 p.m.

What would be an interesting follow-up to this story is what is involved for residents, prohibited by laws and/or subdivision agreements, to drill their own wells. I would rather pay bucks up front than continue to be at the mercy of Detroit and Ypsilanti for my water.

Steve Pierce

Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 2:15 a.m.

I drilled my own well in Ypsi city about 6 years ago. Can't use it to drink or bathe, but I do all my outside watering and because of the recent increases and they stunning 70% tax for roads and water mains, it paid for itself in less than 6 years.

Ignatz

Wed, Feb 2, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.

I think this is due to recent corruption in the Detroit Water Department and the fact that the system is falling apart.

dading dont delete me bro

Wed, Feb 2, 2011 : 8:44 p.m.

hello? we, the customers of ycua, get to finance the detroit water company shortfalls? i hope we get to vote on this. the publicity that's going on w/detroit water department now certainly doesn't help. prop 9 = fail. no. it's time to carry my water up in buckets from the river, like they did in the 'old' days.