Would You Pay More for Softer Water?

The Arizona Daily Star asked their readers whether they would be willing to pay more on their water bill if the water hardness content was reduced — down to 450ppm. To put that in perspective, anything over 150ppm is considered hard water and requires protection. Anyone living in an area with 250ppm will tell you they’re already in one of the hardest water areas in the UK, so 450ppm is staggeringly high.

The proposed additional cost? Around $11–$12 a month. Here’s what readers had to say.

“Oh, no, no! I pay $57 every month for my water, sewer and garbage rates already.”

— Betty Compton, President, Corbett Neighborhood Association, southeast side

“If the city is proposing a rate increase to better treat the water so it’s better quality water, that’s to me a fair goal. I think I would be willing to pay it. But it may be that for many other households, the way the economy is right now, it may be a burden they don’t want to assume.”

— John O’Dowd, President, Sam Hughes Neighborhood Association, midtown

“My water bill used to be $25 a month but it is now regularly $100 a month, including sewer and garbage. It’s absurd to me that it’s jumped up that much. But it sounds like we would need it — another rate increase to pay for mineral removal. Otherwise, everyone would have to get their own filtration plants. When I go to Phoenix, their water is horrible. I hate to think that ours could get that bad.”

— Judy Lucz, President, La Madera Neighborhood Association, north side

“I think it’s worth it. It seems excessive right now, the coating and the water deposits that build up in the pipes, to try to clean that stuff out. When I came to Tucson 47 years ago, we had an artesian well on our land out by where Aqua Caliente Park is on the northeast side. The water had a lot better flavor.”

— Jim Beard, President, Naylor Neighborhood Association, midtown, and owner of an air conditioning company

“I think they should do the water treatment plant. We need to keep up with things as technology changes. Things fall apart, and why should we replace them again and again when there is a longer-term solution? In our neighbourhood, the hard water wreaks havoc on coolers. At our house, we’ve been going through a pump a year for the last three years.”

— Vickie Mesimer, President, Myers Neighborhood Association, near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (speaking for herself)

Source: Arizona Daily Star