Here's Just How Much Huntington Residents Pay For Water

HUNTINGTON, NY — A new, in-depth analysis shows just how much Huntington-area residents really pay for water. The Citizens Campaign for the Environment unveiled its comprehensive study on Tuesday.

Town of Huntington residents get their water from a few sources: Dix Hills Water District, South Huntington Water Department, Greenlawn Water Department and the Suffolk County Water Authority. The SCWA serves 34,000 residents across Huntington that are not located in Dix Hills, South Huntington or Greenlawn, a spokesman for the authority told Patch.

Here's the breakdown for each district:

Suffolk County Water Authority

Estimated cost for first 1,000 gallons of water: $2.028

Billing cycle: Quarterly

Estimated cost per billing cycle: $88.75 (includes rates, taxes and service fees)

Estimated cost per year: $355 (includes rates, taxes and service fees)

Fee structure:

• Tier 1: $2.028 per 1,000 gallons for first 78,540 gallons
• Tier 2: $2.34 per 1,000 gallons after first 78,540 gallons
• Service fee per quarter: $27.91

Dix Hills Water District

Estimated cost for first 1,000 gallons of water: $0.80

Billing cycle: Quarterly

Estimated cost per billing cycle: $111.72

Estimated cost per year: $446.89

Fee structure:

• $0.80 per 1,000 gallons
• Surcharge of $0.20 per 1,000 gallons is charged between 61,000 and 120,000 gallons per quarter.

• The surcharge rises to $0.45 per 1,000 gallon for water usage over 120,000 gallons.

Greenlawn Water Department

Estimated cost for first 1,000 gallons of water: $1.60

Billing cycle: Quarterly

Estimated cost per billing cycle: $37

Estimated cost per year: $148

Fee structure:

Minimum charge: $16 for up to 10,000 gallons, 8,000 gallons minimum usage.

• $1.05 per 1,000 gallons for 10,001-60,000 gallons.
• $1.45 per 1,000 gallons for 60,001-100,000 gallons.
• $1.75 per 1,000 gallons for over 100,000 gallons

Rates for Irrigation: (billed yearly)

• $1.15 for under 50,000 gallons
• $1.45 for over 50,000 gallons.

South Huntington Water Department

Estimated cost for first 1,000 gallons of water: $0.80

Billing cycle: Quarterly

Estimated cost per billing cycle: $78.95

Estimated cost per year: $315.78

Fee structure:

• $0.80 per 1,000 gallons for 0-50,000 gallons
• $1.31 per 1,000 gallons for 51,000-100,000 gallons
• $1.61 per 1,000 gallons for over 101,000 gallons

Your turn: Tell us on Facebook or in the comments how much you pay for water.

While that may seem high, get this — New York American Water Service Area customers in the NorthShore-Sea Cliff area pay an estimated $1,124.52. That's more than anywhere else on the island. Shelter Island Heights and service area 1 of the New York American Water Service Area rounded out the three most expensive districts.

See also:

State Takes Legal Action Against New York American Water

Feds To investigate New York American Water Rates: Schumer

Adrienne Esposito, executive director at the organization, told Patch on Wednesday they initially thought that determining the cost of water on Long Island would be easy — they would grab the water rates from the various districts and compare them.

"We found it easier to find the lost continent of Atlantis," she said.

Finding out what water districts charge is actually "obscure," "convoluted" and "cryptic," she told reporters on Tuesday. Some districts tack on fees separate from the actual water rates included in the bill, some have a yearly access fee, and still other have hidden fees that are separate from the water rates and are not included in the consumer bill, such as for infrastructure and water treatment.

New York American Water has a residential water service charge applied to every bill based on size of water meter. Those with a 5/8-inch water meter pay $12.50, while those with a 1-inch meter pay $17.74. Furthermore, rates for the district are based on various factors that "substantially fluctuate" depending on the community.

Esposito said it's a public right to know the price of water, and the major takeaway is that people don't know how much they pay.

"The bottom line is there's no uniform cost for water," she said. "The existing pricing scheme is confusing and obscure for the public and it needs to be more transparent."

The report looks at how much water costs, where the different water costs are hidden in water and tax bills, and what that means for residents.

There are 48 water districts on the island, 11 in Suffolk County and 37 in Nassau County. The researchers said they used the most recent data available on water districts' websites and annual drinking water reports for the study. The vast majority of districts were also called multiple times for further data and verification of costs, the group said.

Researchers assumed a typical family had four members, which the typical uses about 10,000 gallons of water per month, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The organization also issued several recommendations:

• Consolidate water districts.
• Establish a uniform rate structure with transparency.
• Implement more incentives for conservation.
• Educate the public on tiered water rate systems.
• Ban private water districts.