What Waste

There is a bit of a disruption in the farce primarily around storm water. Seems the city has been using, some say abusing, the private waste water infrastructure in some neighborhoods. This [ab]use is costing these groups of homeowners and the city is ignoring their concerns. 

It is almost a shame the city founders insisted on taking over storm water, especially since they've tapped the funds for their spending peccadilloes. Priorities. Think about that every time you pass one of those Dunwoody Dildos. 

Would the county be any better? City propagandists would say thee nay, but maybe. We're no longer serviced, for storm water, by the county, but we do get water/sewer from them and maybe that's an analogy. Maybe not, but maybe.

Now that's a water bill. In Dunwoody. Notice anything interesting? No, no, not the Total Amount. Well maybe, but the amount is fairly low because there is no charge for sewerage. Why would that be? Because this homeowner is not connected to DeKalb Sewer and ... wait for it ... consequently does not pay for sewer service. 

Wow! What a concept. 

Imagine a community with privately owned roads and a retention pond system to contain all storm water runoff---from roads, roofs and yards. This community would use no storm water facilities beyond what they own and manage. Should they pay any fees whatsoever to anyone else? The city seems to think so. In fact, the city thinks they can dump stormwater into this private system without compensating them at all. 

Still think all things DeKalb are bad and all things Dunwoody are great?

Water? Really?

Our new CEO is on a talking tour touting the need for water rate increases. The presentation starts out with the gloomy description of an ancient water system, recent water main breaks, and boil water advisories. Think Chamblee-Dunwoody at the Knoll. 

OK.

What's that got to do with anything, or more to the point, with that one particular something? You know, the consent decree that DeKalb will NOT meet and that will likely cost $100M in fines? Is a federal judge going to look favorably on a Water Crisis Tour when the decree covers SEWAGE? Ya think? And the CEO isn't alone calling for a water rate increase as she is being joined with local current and former politicians. 

There's a lot wrong with this.

There is the aforementioned diversion, obfuscation of the real issue: sewage. Have these politicians learned nothing from their recent spanking? We want straight talk and transparency. This leads directly to the most important issue: we need a sewage rate increase far, far more than a water increase, if we need an increase at all. Even if this is the case, this is a service, and it seems reasonable that those not using the service should not bear the burden of repairing the broken system. As it so happens, there are folks in DeKalb, even here in Dunwoody, that are not on the DeKalb sewer system. And let us not forget DeKalb's horrific history with managing these services (water and sewer) and the incredible incompetence of their billing. 

Is a rate increase the best way to handle this?

This requires asking some questions, yet to be asked, including, what would it cost to operate our water and sewer systems if they were [magically] brought up where they need to be? Is the current revenue, at the current rates, sufficient to operate such a system? If the answers are yes, then there should be no increase. If the answer is "more than sufficient," then there should be a rate decrease (don't hold your breath). If the answer is no (which will be every politician's knee-jerk response) then the rate should be increased to cover these new, ideally optimal, operating costs. 

Then we deal with how to get these systems to where they need to be: a one-time assessment.

One time assessment-one time investment. Like replacing your roof. You bite the bullet, get it done, and don't worry about it for the life of the roof. Fix the water system. Fix the sewer system. Don't bother us again until we're back in this situation, and don't expect us to pay out the nose every month from now til eternity. And yes, we will get back in this situation, because no matter what gets done, DeKalb will NOT maintain these systems. Anyone who thinks they will has been at the mushrooms.

DeKalb Water Billing...

...is still not right. Notice that the billing for August 2024 is based on a meter reading from December 2023. Are we still playing catchup? 

Oh Black Water...

We recently endured storms that knocked out power in the Dunwoody area. One of these killed power to the nearby water treatment plant and before the generators could kick in the water pressure dropped to a level requiring boil-water advisories. While these were county-wide, the advisory lasted a day or two longer in DaVille. Watching those pots and boiling that water offered time for reflection, to ponder a few things.

First is the extremely long, automated call from the Dunwoody Police Department. How the hell did they get our phone numbers as we didn't offer them up and who the hell are they to make unsolicited calls? If someone wants alerts and calls let them register for them and leave everyone else alone. This should be exclusively opt-in and it isn't even opt-out as the City provides no [online] way to do so.

A bigger ponderance are those big blue structures around DaVille. You know that tall thing around the First Baptist Bank at Mt. Vernon and Ashford Dunwoody and the squat beast over by the Fire Station. The first is a water tower and the second is a ground based tank. Both store water. Potable water. To drink.

Where does this water (in these tanks) come from and where does it go? Well it seems to come from the water treatment plant, the very same one that lost power then water pressure and delivered questionable, perhaps non-potable water.

If DeKalb's system works like most, and given how screwed up this county is there is no guarantee, then the water from the treatment plant is pumped into the storage tank and tower and from there it is delivered to homes in the community. This raises all kinds of questions.

If the water supplied to the tower is tainted does this taint the entire tank? How much, in days of usage, does the tower hold? How does this impact (or even relate to) the number of days for a boiled water advisory? If the tank holds several days of supply how long does it take for tank water to go from potable to grey? Is there enough thru-flow to prevent degradation?

And finally, is the boil-water advisory just a CYA/PR stunt?

Water Water Everywhere

Overall the State of Georgia has some serious water woes caused by uncontrolled growth and what appears to be a trend towards more frequent and longer periods of drought. One has to wonder when that becomes the new normal.

DeKalb County, in its own inimitable way, has self-inflicted water woes. This county is so well run that the folks in charge cannot line up enough capable friends and family to reliably and accurately take a number from a water meter and convert it into a dollar amount on a bill. They did attempt to automate their way around incompetence by installing electronic remotely readable meters. Apparently vendor selection was based more on relationships than technical assessments. While their inability to issue accurate bills makes a great platform for photo-op politicians to get some lense-time rate-payers are increasingly put out. And given that the politicos are working to their own best outcome the most a mere citizen can hope for is collateral benefits. Trickle down politics.

Or you could take matters into your own hands: install your own water meter between DeKalb's and your house. Then when you get one of these outrageously high water bills you'll have your own usage records to make your case. You may not win against a "we're here to help" government but you will get some face-time with the photo-op-ers.

An accurate potable water supply meter can be had for between $50 and $150. At the low end you will find BPA-free plastic meters with low-lead brass alloy breaking the hundred dollar barrier. Stick with mechanical readout to lower the price and eliminate one more thing that can and as DeKalb has proven, will fail. You should also check the flow and accuracy curves and select a meter meeting the AWWA standard. A removable inlet filter is a good option if you consider that a water works that cannot issue a valid bill probably cannot keep crap out of the water either. You will want to install it as close to DeKalb's as practical while installed in a separate water meter cover (~$25). All in this should set you back less than $400.

Sounds like a lot doesn't it? When you consider the high probability that DeKalb will send you an outrageously high and incorrect bill it will be well worth it to be able to contest that bill with your own readings from an AWWA compliant meter.

We Interrupt Our Regular Programming For Broken News

That a part of DeKalb County government that does a pretty good job pretty much anywhere else is an Epic FAIL here is nothing new and usually not very noteworthy. Equally unsurprising is that the water main under Chamblee Dunwoody between the two ends of Harris Circle has failed. Again. As it does every 8-9 to months.

Saturday after Friday's April Fool's repair

In order to effect this temporary repair it is necessary to close a valve near Roberts and to relieve pressure by opening fire hydrants down stream of the repair. See?

Pressure relief valve

It is also not uncommon to relieve pressure on the repair for several hours. It is significantly less common to continue the water waste for a day. So uncommon that one of The Other Dunwoody approached the fine ladies and gentlemen of Fire Station 12 on Roberts to inform them of the open hydrant and lowered pressure as that might be of concern given their line of business. It was also suggested there might be a reason for Water Works to leave the hydrant flowing so they indicated they would check on the situation.

As of Saturday afternoon the hydrant looks like this

It just keeps pouring down the storm drains