Rising Water Costs at West Shore Village

What we know, and what you can do to help

Did you know that water usage at West Shore is paid by the Association and recovered as part of your condo fees?  The monthly fees of an average 2-bedroom unit in West Shore Village include approximately $80 for water, sewer and trash.

Our water costs are rising.

COVID-19 has had an impact on West Shore Village’s water consumption. In April 2020, soon after the start of the pandemic, the Board noticed higher water use in the community.. Over 5 winter months this year, our water consumption was 18% higher than during the same period in 2019/20, despite reduced occupancy of Village units by an estimated 20% this season. 

We are not alone. Resource Property Management, West Shore’s management company, has noticed increased water consumption across other properties that they manage. 

The problem doesn’t appear to be caused by leaks, as our West Shore staff routinely checks common areas.  Our fall/winter  project to identify toilet leaks with the little blue pills we distributed to you, has identified no significant issues, and certainly nothing that accounts for the dramatic increases that we have seen this year. 

Usage up, rates up.

What is the explanation for increased water usage? Our best guess is that usage is increasing because most of us are spending more time at home and using more water.  Of course there is little that can be done about that other than waiting for the pandemic to be over. When we return to a more typical West Shore winter season next year, the Board will again look at the data to see if the consumption increase has resolved, or if we need to consider further investigation. 

In the meantime, we have increased the budget for water for 2021-2022 by $38,000 to account for this increased usage as well as for a 5.25% increase in rates imposed by the City of St. Petersburg beginning in January 2021. 

What you can do to help.

While we are waiting to resume our lives more fully, here are some suggestions from the City of St Petersburg’s Water Conservation web page to help us conserve water, as well as the money we spend on it.

1. 1. Shorten water use in your morning routine. Cutting your shower time by a few minutes, and turning off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth can save thousands of gallons of water a year per unit, which can translate into tens of thousands of dollars for West Shore.
   2. When doing laundry, use the correct water level or load size adjustment for the size load you’re washing.
   3. Operate the dishwasher only when it is completely full.
   4. Check for leaking faucets.
   5. Consider taking your car to a car wash rather than washing it in your driveway.

These small adjustments can make a big difference in our West Shore water bill. Please help us by considering some of these changes as we wait for our lives to return to normal.