Water rates change over time as the revenue requirements of operating the SGFD water system change. Below are example customer bills for households of varying water usage over the years.
Note: SGFD bills customers quarterly.
The SGFD water committee implemented the following water rates in June 2021 and first took effect in the 2021-Q2 billing period. These rates are considerably simpler than the previous multi-tier rates, but are still usage-based and supportive of the water system's revenue requirements.
The rate system uses a $50 per quarter base rate and a usage rate of $0.00651 per gallon (0.651 cents per gallon).
To see an estimate of your water costs under this rate system, enter your expected quarterly water usage below.
Note: Water rates in 2020 were calculated as a flat $95 for the first 12,500 gallons and with additional usage charged at $0.007 per gallon.
The SGFD water committee implemented the following water rates for 2021 in an effort to better support the operating and maintenance costs of the water system, while also providing an equitable usage-based pricing structure for all customers. These rates were only in place for the first quarter 2021 billing period and were replaced shortly after.
The rate system established an $80 per quarter base rate and a tiered usage-based rate:
To see an estimate of your water costs under this rate system, enter your expected quarterly water usage below.
Note: Water rates in 2020 were calculated as a flat $95 for the first 12,500 gallons and with additional usage charged at $0.007 per gallon.
The 2020 rate system used a $95 per quarter base rate and a usage rate of $0.007 per gallon (0.7 cents per gallon).
To see an estimate of your water costs under this rate system, enter your expected quarterly water usage below.
Every gallon of water that enters the system passes through a single meter which measures the water consumption of the entire system. This consumption is sent to the state of Vermont every month as part of SGFD's reporting requirements. Below are the monthly readings dating back to November, 2002.
The system meter readings can be split (decomposed) into components describing the overall trend and seasonal pattern, along with the remaining random fluctuations in usage.
Overall, there has been a steady increase in water usage since 2010, though this began to reverse in 2021 after some large leaks were fixed.
There is also a clear seasonal pattern. Water usage is up by about 100,000 gallons per month during the summer months compared to the average month. Similarly, water usage is down by about 100,000 gallons per month during the winter months.
Every water system experiences some amount of water loss due to leaks or faulty water meters. The difference between the main system meter reading (system usage) and the sum of all customer meter readings (customer usage) is a useful estimate of water loss in a given quarter.
SGFD's water loss exceeded 50% in the first quarter of 2021. Fortunately, System Manager Jeff Vance found and corrected several major leaks in the months that followed, reducing water loss to less than 3% by 2021-Q3.
Note: The average water loss in US water systems is 16% according to the EPA1.| Georgia, Vermont ยท Last updated May 1, 2024 | AGPLv3 | v1.4.3-2024.05.01 |