To the Editor:

In a recent story ("Resident: ‘Crooks without guns’ hiking water bills,
avoiding questions," April 5), the News quoted one Somerville resident as
saying he had been told by a Water Department employee that his higher bill
reflected higher MWRA rates.  The News then implied that this could not be
true because rates hadn’t been raised since last July.

In fact, the  2.8 percent increase in Somerville’s MWRA combined water/sewer
assessment for FY2006 (which went into effect in July) is one, but not the
only, significant contributor to the fact that current Somerville water
bills are running higher than in prior years.

Other factors are at work as well: For example, as has been previously
reported, the great majority of recently-issued water bills are based on
actual meter readings rather than estimated consumption.  In some cases,
this change revealed that some households and businesses had used
significantly more water than they had been billed for in past years.  In
addition, the more accurate readings have alerted some households and
businesses to previously undiscovered leaks in their pipes and fixtures.
Finally, some bills cover substantially longer periods: 120-day bills are
larger than 90-day bills because an additional 30 days of consumption are
included in each billing period.

Whatever the specific reasons for higher bills – and they vary from case to
case – it was wrong of the News to imply that the increased FY2006 MWRA
water assessment wasn’t a factor.  It would also be wrong for residents and
businesses to require the city’s taxpayers to pay for water that was used,
but not paid for, in the past.

Somerville’s water bill measurement and collections issues go back many
years.  The city has made significant progress in addressing those issues,
but correcting the longstanding backlog will take time, patience and public
cooperation.

In the meantime, customers who have questions about the amount or accuracy
of their bills should call or visit the Water and Sewer Enterprise at 17
Franey Road, telephone (617) 625-6600 ext. 5860.  And it they are told that
one of the reasons for higher bills is a higher MWRA water assessment, they
should believe it.   

    Thomas P. Champion
    Director of Communications
    City of Somerville