Water fluoridation chemicals are allowed to contain trace amounts of lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxins by NSF International, the private company that regulates water additives injected into public water supplies.

See: www.nsf.org/business/water_distribution/...

I wonder how this conservation effort will work with apartment building managers? Most of my water -consuming appliances belong to them. The shower head is an easy fix but the toilet and leaky fixtures are on them. My building has new HE type washers so that's a plus.

What about letting your kids play in the sprinkler or with the hose on a hot day? What about watering your garden or washing your car? Will we get fines if we do this stuff? I hope not, that would just be wrong!

Use less water, But buy as much as you like in bottles??????

lovemycountry, That is an interesting article. I hope Janesville isn't using the lowest cost fluoride provider!

As long as the flouride isn't coming from China like in Boston..
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/228...

Zoom - I think a rain barrel rebate is a good idea!

Bulldooky

Yeah, and maybe we should start burying our own trash and trying to breathe less oxygen too! What a ridiculous little backwater outhouse this city--far more of a two-seater than a two sheeter! If you listen closely you can almost hear the death-rattle in the throat of this town.

Here's an idea for the city to generate additional revenue: charge the lawn mowing and tree cutting businesses $10 or $20 every time they deliver a dump truck size load of grass clippings or brush/wood chips to the city compost facility. It takes city paid labor and city owned equipment to handle it; why not charge them? It's one thing for a homeowner to drop off a couple bags of grass; quite another when businesses drop off huge amounts for which they are profitting. Make sense?

One more thing, the fluoride they add is very good for your teeth. Some people who are raised on well water have rotten teeth, no fluoride in it. I tell my grandkids to drink tap water also just for the fluoride.

Frusion your explanation is as plain as the nose on my face. I understood you completely. I drink between 10 and 15 glasses of water a day, for my health and because I am always thirsty. It is my "drink of choice". I very rarely buy bottled water, tastes the same but cost more money. I do not have a filter on my faucet or a filter in a pitcher in the fridge. I drink tap water with ice and it hasn't killed me yet!!! SuperCartel, you are also right, who can afford all the updates if the stuff you have now is working just fine? I know I can't and I won't because I rent, the landlord can do it. JMO

Of course the water has more chemicals than what is added by the city. That is not what I was referring to. I was commenting on the previous post that said the CITY: "...treated with so many chemicals it's literally a biological disaster."

I just hope the city employees also conserve water as well. Everybody should be treated equally.

There are more chemicals in local water than just those added by the water utility, for instance, Janesville's water is high in nitrates. Concerning water rate increases, don't forget about the rate hikes in 2008, that spread the costs of the Arbor Ridge development's new water tower to all, and the 6% expected annual return on capital assets. Capital improvements play a huge role in water rate hikes. As far as conservation goes, there is a fabulous "water" special issue of National Geographic - April 2010, that is very informative, and includes a global water map. "Though water covers our world, more than 97% is salty. 2% is locked in snow & ice, leaving less than 1% for us." Just because right here, in Janesville, WI, we have water, does not mean that it is the same for everyone.

SuperCartelSTL, I did some research as you suggested and I did not find the: "...treated with so many chemicals it's literally a biological disaster." that you quoted.
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This is what Janesville adds to the water:
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Where does the water come from?
Janesville's water supply comes from groundwater, not surface water like the Rock
River. The Water Utility draws water from eight wells housed in pumping stations
throughout the city. Four of them supply water from 100-200 feet below the
surface. The other four draw water from the sandstone aquifer over 1,100 feet
deep.
Fluoride is added to the water at the pumping stations to a concentration of 1.1
parts per million for dental health. Chlorine is also added at a concentration
around 0.4 – 0.5 parts per million to protect against microbial contamination from
sources such as a water main break.
.
Source
http://www.ci.janesville.wi.us/Library/n... Quality Report 2008.pdf
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Do you have insider information that Janesville's Water Department is lying about?

Yeah dini79 it is about me and my money. Add a little to the water bill, a little to the power and light bill, a little to the property tax bill, a little to your state and federal income tax bills and the list goes on. Add all of these LITTLE increases up and see if you still have the same opinion, its how all of these entities get away with it. Nothing seems to be that big until you look at the whole picture.

And SuperCartel, yep, it's disgusting. Try a Brita filter. Doesn't get rid of everything but sure takes a lot out ... I don't have rings around my coffee pot/pans anymore and my water tastes fine.

Yeah, fbob, it's all about you and your money. Think for a minute, for pete's sake. We pay a small price now or one we can't even wrap our heads around later. And not that much later. Go live out west for a while where they have to have their small allotment of water trucked in every week. That should give you an idea of what's ahead. Americans. How did we get so short-sighted and pocketbook-oriented? It's not just about what I want right now. Well it is. But it can't stay that way.

We're all supposed to conserve our natural resources and when we do our rewards are utility bills that remain as high or higher than before. In the free market if you pay more you expect to get more, not the other way around. Maybe the public utilities need to look at how to lower their "fixed costs" instead of doing business like their revenues are still the same! Everyone in the private sector has had to SUCK IT UP in this economy and its time that monopolies such as GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC UTILITIES do the same!!

Hey I got an idea if the water table is so high lets pump water to Lake Michigan, the lake is down they say!

We have to use more water to draw down the water table, help the people on clear lake, grass lake, also drive out cty A, water standing everywhere, no place to go, the water table is so high. ugh

who has too water lawns anyway in this weather,with all the rain lately,what a waste.maybe 1 square of toliet paper per use,and 1 flush per week,,look at the savings there,peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhh

So let's look at the facts. Since GM shut down the city is saving over 300 million gallons of water per year. We are paying the highest rates we have ever had to pay for water. The water is very low quality and filled with harmful chemicals!!! So now the city decides to launch a water conservation campaign LOL !! Over $75,000 will be wasted this year. The $40,000 on rebates is what really makes me laugh. With how bad people have been struggling I wonder where buying a new water efficient toilet ranks on their list of things that need to get done? These rebates will only be given to the upper middle class to well off members of our community because 80% of the town cannot afford to buy a brand new toilet, or brand new washing machine or diswasher. and then actually pay someone to put it in. Even if the city will chip in 25 or 50 bucks. Seems like these rebates are geared towards helping people who already have money upgrade their appliances. Don't understand the 20,000 in education either. Does it really take that much money to go into the schools and tell the kids to turn of the faucet when they brush their teeth? If you want to really try and conserve water go after the industrial sector in town exclusively. I mean GM used over a million gallons of water everyday and do you think they were ever told to cut back on water usage? Of course not!!! The city would rather try and tell John Q public he needs to get a new toilet and save a gallon or two of water then set restrictions on the amount of water that can be used daily on corporations. Typical Politricks !!!

Conserve the water??? They must be kidding right?? Instead of starting some bogus campaign about trying to conserve water WHY don't they clean the water up? The Water in Janesville is so foul tasting and treated with so many chemicals it's literally a biological disaster. Just Make a cup of coffee and look at the oil spill on top. I'm sorry to say but this water is loaded with Fluoride and other harmful chemicals. Run a glass of tap water through a coffee pot with a filter with no coffee and look at how much gunk you have left behind.10 minutes of research into the chemicals they are adding to water in Janesville will blow your mind. Instead of working towards conserving this toxic waste product the water company should be trying to clean it up. So spend a few minutes research this issue and call the water company and let them have a piece of your mind.

dini79. Who is shoot and what are you talking about?

Shoot, that's cheap. Lot cheaper than studying a building that only serves elites. Here in the U.S. we need a wake-up call. Water is precious and fresh water is running out at alarming rates. Every action here affects someone down the river. Vice-versa too. And eventually, all around the globe.

well put lussonee. the city is going to get what they want reguardless and it isn't a matter of less usage without GM it is about the almighty dollar with IMO the new city manager as he is pushing for fees and rates on anything and everything possible. I to wondered if janesvillian was an employee or watchdog for the city as it seems everything they do or say in justified by janesvillian just my opinion.

GM used 1 to 1.5 million gallons a day. The conservation isn't necessary, but the rate hike requirements are. Janesville has to be ready for what growth?

janesvillean. What job do you hold with the city? Spoken like a true city employee.

When my well failed, i was told that i could'nt drill a new one. I had to annex into the city and install, and pay $10,000.00 for, city water and sewer. You provide the water and sewer, I'll decide how to use it! "Increasing the cost of water to encourage conservation"? Are you kidding? It's a rate increase that doesn't require any work to justify it. If i want to use the water that i pay for to protect my investment in my vehicle's, my house, or to grow vegetables in this tough economy why should anyone else be able to regulate that. We were told that the loss of G.M. would cause an increase in our water & sewer, now this! The city is going to have to be more creative than that for people not to see the truth. $$$$$$$

How about a rebate for rain barrels?

Water usage went down, but the water utility has relatively fixed costs (such as paying bonds) that remain in need of stable revenue. In effect, GM and other industrial usage was subsidizing rates, but that subsidy is gone. That's probably a better way to think about it.
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Conservation is something that should be encouraged regardless, and implementing a conservation plan was part of what the Public Service Commission required for passage of the rate increase. They're related, but really only in that way.

I didn't "blame" GM for water rates going up. I simply asked why water rates go up when water usage goes down. Dolt.

Zoom omg another thing you can blame GM for?

I still haven't read a good explanation why water rates went UP after GM closed. Now one of the strategies noted above is to increase rates to encourage conservation. What, exactly, would have to happen for rates to go down?