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Does Conservation Equal Higher Water Bills?
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Continue reading →: Does Conservation Equal Higher Water Bills?I would just like to quickly clarify something about the relationship between conservation, water rates and water bills. Conservation necessitates higher water rates. There is no way around it: If we consume less of a product (in this case, water) then the product’s variable costs go down. But its fixed…
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Continue reading →: The Blog Would Like to Recognize Council Member Vacca
There was a lot of outrage directed toward the DEP and the Water Board at the recent City Council hearing over numerous issues that we have discussed at length on this blog. Among the more prominent issues were the lease agreement, a lack of accountability and the new “Denial of…
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Continue reading →: My Testimony to City Council
The following is the text of the testimony I presented earlier today at the City Council hearing regarding the proposed rate increase: As a result of soaring costs, the Water Board is faced with yet another 14% rate increase. It is also stymied by its inability to gain access to…
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Continue reading →: What No One Else is Telling You About Next Year’s Water Rate
Every year the Water Board raises our water rates at the request of the DEP. All the news outlets, even if they don’t bother covering the Water Board meetings during the year, attend the meeting in April when the rate hike is discussed. They make a note of how much…
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Another 14% Rate Increase… and That’s Not All!
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Continue reading →: Another 14% Rate Increase… and That’s Not All!On Friday (April 3, 2009) the Water Board held its once-yearly meeting to discuss the upcoming year’s rate schedule. Here are the highlights: The DEP asked for a 14% rate increase, which would take the cost of water and sewer combined to nearly $7 per hundred cubic feet. Remember, this…
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Continue reading →: A Brief Overview of the Water Board
The Water Board is one of three governmental bodies responsible for water and sewer in NYC. (The other two are the DEP, which is in charge of system operation and maintenance, and the Municipal Water Finance Authority, which is responsible for debt service.) The Water Board has three primary oversight…
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Guilty Until Proven Innocent? The DEP Thinks So!
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Continue reading →: Guilty Until Proven Innocent? The DEP Thinks So!A new feature to the water/sewer rate schedule was discussed at Friday’s (February 27) Water Board meeting. It was proposed that New Yorkers who deny the DEP access to their premises be penalized and automatically switched to the highest possible rate. Water Board Executive Director Steven Lawitts (he’s also the…
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Continue reading →: Looks Like We’re in for Another Huge Rate Hike
At last week’s Water Board hearing we learned that so far, collections have been below expectations during every month of the current fiscal year. Chairman Moss blames the economy and conservation (!). It wouldn’t surprise me if they try to make up for it by raising our water/sewer rates next…
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Continue reading →: Arne Naess, Philosopher/Environmentalist, Dead at 96
We at WaterWatchNYC are sad to report the passing of prominent Norwegian philosopher, Arne Naess, earlier this week. Naess was one of the founding members of the ecosophy school of thought that fused ecology and philosophy to develop a way of living and thinking that was in tune with nature…
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Continue reading →: Recap of Last Week’s Water Board Meeting
The two new Water Board members were introduced at last week’s meeting. They are Marcia Bystryn and Benjamin Tisdell. We are particularly interested in the appointment of Ms. Bystryn. She is currently the Executive Director of the New York League of Conservation Voters and has presumably been appointed to fill…
Hello,
I’m Hershel
As President of Ashokan Water Services, Hershel has spent the last twenty years coordinating water conservation efforts for over 8,500 New York properties. In response to the North East droughts in the 1980’s, he formed Ashokan with a team of plumbers and engineers. Today Ashokan is a full-service water management company specializing in utility auditing, meter installation, meter reading, water conservation, backflow installation, and testing. Hershel focuses on managing Ashokan’s strategic planning and innovation process.
Hershel currently resides with his family in Brooklyn, New York, is an avid kayaker, and is an active blogger on water issues. He serves on The NYC Sustainability Advisory Board, the Mayor’s Green Codes Task Force, and many more. His personal goal is to minimize the effects of CSO and stormwater runoff within the Hudson River Estuary in order to create a positive impact on New York City’s environment.
For more information about Ashokan Water Services, please visit Ashokan’s website, which is listed below.
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