[Mpls] Stormwatergate

[Dorothy Titus]

On Mar 2, 2005, at 10:39 PM, David Brauer wrote:

Notwithstanding Jim's water-bill situation, the city said late last year
that the average homeowner would pay $1.11 less each month with the new
storm water charge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I  have to side with Jim.  I got my notice this week, too, and if the 
storm water replaces my sewer portion, the charge goes from $7 per 
month to $20, an increase in my total bill of 41%.  I have a new 
driveway.  When I bought the house, there was a huge mudhole, often up 
to a foot deep that filled up and eventually drained into the storm 
sewer because the parking area in front of the garage is sloped toward 
the alley (and that is true along the alley for the entire block).  
Putting in a driveway meant (a) my car didn't get stuck -- or swallowed 
up -- in the mud, and (b) instead of thick, muddy water running into 
the storm sewer, clear pure rainwater now runs into it.  My yard does 
not drain to the alley, so no lawn chemicals or herbicides can find 
their way to the storm sewer from my lot.  It seems to me that the 
driveway results in LESS contamination in the storm sewer.  Surely rain 
draining over a clean asphalt driveway (there are no oil spills on my 
driveway) is better than a whole lot of mud draining into it.  But the 
city must not see it that way in view of the 41% increase in my bill 
that I can look forward to.

Dottie Titus
Jordan Neighborhood