“Waiting for the other shoe to drop”…

A common experience of tenement living in apartment-style housing in New York City, and other large cities, during the manufacturing boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Apartments were built, similar in design, with the bedrooms located directly above and underneath one another. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing their shoes in the apartment above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar disturbance was created.

Hence the meaning, “to await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable.”

Why will the cost be going up?

The Arab Water Works Board made a unilateral decision to cease putting fluoride in the water. When it became public knowledge, a local dentist and others were pretty upset. Approximately 15% of the households being served by the Arab Water Works have incomes below poverty level and the fluoride in the water may have represented the primary source for a lot of children. After a good bit of outcry, the City of Arab filed a lawsuit against the Arab Water Works to force them to put the fluoride back in the water.

Our local newspaper just reported that the city has spent approximately $25,000 in legal fees so far, and the water board has spent approximately $155,000 in legal fees. I will be the first to admit that I have not studied all of the issues involved. As an accountant I will leave the health issues to people that know and understand those ramifications. I do not know what the cost of including the fluoride was, but I do know this …

My water bills did not go down when they stopped including the fluoride!

My 3 Water Bills Totaled $356 Last Month

I have a whole house filtration system at home and my office that removes everything including the fluoride I assume. These systems are expensive to buy and maintain. So this issue wasn’t on my radar until the water bills and newspaper arrived. Now I intend to learn what the financial cost of including fluoride is and what the cost savings of ceasing to include fluoride is.

We have been experiencing a severe drought and I anticipated an increase on the sprinkler system. I understand that Cullman has implemented water restrictions because the water level at Lake Catoma, their main water source, has dropped fifteen feet below full pool. Our water comes from surface water at Browns Creek, Lake Guntersville which is fed by the Tennessee River and an underground source near there.

So after actually looking at my water bill for once, I decided to see how our rates compare to others in the state. There is an online tool here, that told me what I wanted to learn. Our water and sewer rates for 7,500 gallons showed to be $100.37 (although my bill above was $105.26 for 7,300 gallons) compared to $76.35 average for the rest of the state.