Sump Pump use for waste calculation

[washregal]

I am interested to know if anyone has done this: Currently my sewer charges are based on a calculation from total water consumption.

This calculation (for Sewer) ends up being almost 8 x my water bill.

My system has (3) silt tanks that hold back larger particulate that I clean out annually - This (3) silt tank system allows mainly wastewater only to go back to the sewer system after the 3rd silt tank. I was told that years ago a sump pump was installed in the third silt tank with a cycle counter on it - This cycle counter was monitored and used years ago as the basis of consumption. In my opinion a much more accurate read than basing the waste on purely water used.

My question is this - has anyone ever heard of this system - (using a sump for sewer calculation). If so, how was it installed, what was the payback? and how did the reporting occur back to the sewer authority?

Looking forward in seeing responses on this as I think it would be a huge long term savings.

Thank you in advance.

 

[robert roman]

“….calculation (for Sewer) ends up being almost 8 x my water bill.”

I suspect the significantly greater rate for sewer is tied to funding an expansion of the municipal waste treatment processing plant.

If you don’t reclaim waste water to reuse for washing cars, the difference between fresh water consumption and sewer discharge would be carry-out and evaporative losses of about 15 percent of total fresh water use.

“…..I think it would be a huge long term savings.”

50,000 cars per year * 60 gallons per car = 3,000,000 gallons water

Assume rates are $3.00/1,000 gallon water and $24.00/1,000 sewer.

Cost = (3.00 * 3,000) + (24.00 * 3,000)

Cost = $81,000

New cost = (3.00 * 3,000) + (24.00 * 2,550)

New cost = $70,200

Savings = $10,800

So, given the potential savings, most municipal authorities, if they even will entertain the idea of demonstrating difference between use and waste, would require installation of special waste water “meter” to measure discharge.

Reason being it’s relatively easy to cheat the numbers with a sump pump.

Most of the time a sump pump is installed in clarifier tank to reuse the grey water.

 

[Earl Weiss]

“….

So, given the potential savings, most municipal authorities, if they even will entertain the idea of demonstrating difference between use and waste,...................

.

Ditto. Most of the time it's just a revenue raiser called a Sewer Tax. They don't give a hoot about acual discharge. Check that out before wasting a lot of time and energy to see if they will base it on real numbers.