NYC Proposes Water Rate Increase

The New York City government website announced a new water rate proposal on April 29th that will increase rates by 4.90% for the 2023 fiscal year. Last year right around this same time, the city announced an increase of 2.76%. In fact, it was reported in February of 2020 that the price of water in NYC had increased by over 100% over the previous 15 years. But that’s not even the worst of it. The government announcement talks about the rise briefly, then the rest of the piece is obviously written to convince local New Yorkers that the hike is more than fair, and people should be more than happy to pay it. Underlying it all is the predictable theme of NYC having “world-renowned” water.

The Proposal For NYC Water Rate Increase

“The proposed rate would keep the cost of water in New York City well below the national average and the rate of inflation,” was the message, never mind the fact that the hike rate is nearly double that of last year. Additionally, they talked a lot about keeping affordability programs and adding more funding for these programs. Of course, the city loves an opportunity to talk about how the water here is some of the best in the world, as well. The proposal hasn’t happened yet, and there are two public meetings scheduled via conference calls, where all comments and suggestions will be heard before it’s taken to the Water Board for a vote on June 1st. The rate increase would take effect on July 1st. You can also send communication via email or regular mail.

Information:

The two public meetings scheduled as conference calls can be accessed on the dates, times, phone numbers, and access codes below.

• May 25th, 2022 at 2pm – (347) 921-5612 – access code #835 020 477
• May 26th, 2022 at 6pm: (347) 921-5612 – access code #941 587 106

You can also email them at: [email protected]

Is The Water All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

NYC leaders often bring up the legend that we have some of the best water in the world and certainly in the nation. First of all, that’s not really a true statement since NYC is not even in the top 10 cities in the U.S. Although far above in quality than many other major cities, NYC comes in as #13. Additionally, there are numerous other facts every New Yorker should be aware of.

Number one, NYC water is unfiltered, so it contains a lot of things most people aren’t aware of. The water is treated with chlorine, fluoride, orthophosphate, sodium hydroxide, and ultraviolet light – just to make it safe to drink. Not only that, but the water contains microscopic shrimp called copepods, which help clean the water, but this renders the water technically not Kosher, a large issue for the Orthodox Jewish Community.

Since most of the water that circulates through the system actually comes from precipitation, the water is also fairly inconsistent, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of tests a year done on NYC water to maintain safety. So the next time you hear someone talk about how great the water is, you can simply roll your eyes and be glad you have invested wisely in a filtering system.