$194.96 - that’s how much it costs for sewage services here in Las Vegas. Prior to moving here I lived in an apartment and never had to deal with this expense. Even when we owned a loft in San Francisco, sewage was covered by the home owners association fees. Don’t get me wrong; a little over $16 a month is not much to pay for this service. I just never thought about it before. In fact, I didn’t even know that I needed to setup this service. A nice lady from the gas company mentioned that I needed to call to set up this service when I told her I was moving to the area. New area residents can find this and other important utility numbers on our resources page.
So how does the $194.96 breakdown? I read through some of the materials included with my bill to find out.
Well, the main charge is $171.72 for the service itself. Then there is a $16.00 service charge which I assume pays for things like the bill being sent out, etc. But then the kicker: a $7.24 surcharge for the Clean Water Coalition (CWC). What’s the CWC and why are they surcharging me?
The Clark County Water Reclamation District is a member of the Clean Water Coalition, a joint powers authority that also includes the cities of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. The purpose of the coalition is to design and operate a Systems Conveyance and Operations Program (SCOP), a 17 mile pipeline and outfall system that will transport highly treated wastewater from each member agency’s wastewater treatment facility to a spot deep within Lake Mead to protect water quality.
Wait a minute! Isn’t Lake Mead the main source of our drinking water here in the Las Vegas Valley? Ewww - gross! Seems pretty nasty but according to the CWC’s website, Las Vegas, NV and Scottsdale, AZ have the best treatment facilities in the country.
So I guess it’s “highly effluent” wastewater that’s going into Lake Mead. Still though, I don’t think I’ll be going swimming there anytime soon. Also, I really need to replace my Brita filter. 