After The Area News posted on Facebook asking about their water bills, many Griffith residents, like Sonia Bulzomi and Sarah Portolesi, are having difficulty understanding why on earth their bills are so high.

In response to a number of queries, Griffith City Council has released information to help residents understand their bill, maintaining Griffith City Council water consumption charges remaining among the cheapest in the state.

Griffith City Council Director of Utilities Graham Gordon, said it is important residents understand what it all means, as there are a number of factors that may cause water bills to increase.

But with a bill of over $1000, Ms Portolesi was floored when she read the astronomical number.

“Well after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I was really confused,” Ms Portolesi said.

“It’s just me and my boyfriend in the house, and the funny thing is the cost for our last bill - during summer, it said we didn’t use any water.”

After recommendation from council, the pair monitored their water usage.

“We’ve called to clarify with Council, and they mentioned the leaks and other reasons, but gave no real clarification on why our summer bill was showing zero and why our winter is over a grand. They are adamant there isn’t a problem with the meter, so what do we do now?”

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“After recommendation by council, my boyfriend has monitored our water use - we turned the water off over night when we went to bed and he was taking note each hour, but we still don’t know why it’s so expensive.”

“I can understand summer being a lot dearer, however this bill is just unaccountable, it doesn’t make much sense at all.”

Ms Bulzomi and her Nonna both have had higher bills this year, and assessing the variables council have given, cannot find any change in circumstance to warrant a higher bill.

“Our water bill has gone up and up every year,” Ms Bulzomi said.

“I am not working full time at the moment for the first time in 15 years, and this amount of money is unmanageable…. Even if we do the payment option, you can’t pay money with no money.”

She says her price of water has slowly gone up over the years - from 67 cents to 69 cents and now 72 cents this year –  and that’s before the threshold, which they both have gone over this year.

“My Nonna’s bill is more than mine and she is on a pension - neither of us have had leaks, extra guests, or have automatic watering systems, we can’t understand how we have gone over the threshold.”

With around 10,000 water and sewerage bills sent out to residents in recent weeks, Griffith City Council is offering some useful advice to help understand them.

Notices are issued each trimester (three times a year), with Council acknowledging that the bills contain a lot of information.

Mr Gordon, said it is important residents understand what it all means.

“A typical bill has three charges, the Water Consumption Charge, this is the amount of water you use, Water Access Charge and Sewerage Charges which are both fixed fees,” said Mr Gordon.

“Your water bill will show how much water you have used in the billing period. The bill also shows how much water you used in the previous billing period. This will vary depending on the times of year. For example you would expect higher consumption during the hot summer months.”

Each water bill also has a graph showing the amount of water used for the current billing period (kilolitres) compared to the previous three billing periods.

Meters were last read at the end of January 2018, with Griffith City Council water consumption charges remaining among the cheapest in the state. Mr Gordon said there are a number of factors that may cause water bills to increase.

“Slight changes with your household consumption or an undetected water leak can impact on your bill. If you receive an unusually high water account it’s important to know where to start looking,” said Mr Gordon.

“You might want to look at any new water appliances or fittings that have been recently installed such as new irrigation, dishwasher, washing machine or evaporative air conditioner.

“If you’ve had leaks or plumbing work completed in the last 12 months, this could account for increased water use.

“You will also see water usage go up or down if your household occupancy number changes.”

The Water Consumption Charge is based on the amount of water you use and the Water Access Charge is based on the water meter size to your property.

Both are calculated so that Council can recoup the cost of the production (running of the water treatment plant) and delivery (through Council’s water main network) of potable water to the customer.

This also applies to the Sewerage Charge, it is charged either as Non-Residential or Residential.

Non-Residential assessments are charged an access charge (service fee) based on the size of the water meter and a treatment charge based on water kilolitres consumed x Sewerage discharge factor x treatment rate. Sewerage discharge factors have been determined by the type of business at the property.

If you are not happy with your sewerage discharge factor then you are able to contact Council’s Water and Wastewater Analyst on 6962 8100 to have this reviewed.

Residential Sewerage assessments are charged an access charge (service fee) which has been determined by the cost of providing infrastructure, upkeep and treatment to residences within Griffith City Council.

For a detailed rundown of what everything means on your Water and Sewerage bill go to Council’s website www.griffith.nsw.gov.au

Below are some of the common reasons for unexpected water use: