Where I live in east williamsburg industrial park, there are 2 fire hydrants that vehicle owners use to wash their cars and trucks. They line up and use the water, sometime just letting it freely and strongly flow for hours at a time. I have called 311 every spring and summer for the last 6 years to no avail.
DEP has told me it is possible for the fire dpt to instal locking caps but this has not been done.
DEP never shows up on weekends when this most commonly occurs and police cars drive by even though they see people illegally using city water.
Such waste can and should be eliminated.

To Jenn

I pay for water as most New Yorkers do, through rent or maintenance.

You need to spend more time of this issue, it has major long term ramifications and you need to discuss water misuse and wastage in NYC and how the cost of this can be shared more fairly.

What if upstate New York started charging for "water", the actually water itself,? Delivery system is one thing, but paying for the commodity is another.

do you pay for your water directly booby g?

May getting the water to tap be the biggest problem NYC has in this area! While living in Santa Fe, NM we were allotted a certain amount of water usage per month -- any excess usage was charged at a much higher rate. It was a usage tax wrapped up in necessary rationing scheme that nobody seemed to mind.

Not too many lawns though!

What about the fact that many of the unpaid bills are now being heaped on those that are regularly paying? We are paying for those that don't pay?

We (and virtually all Americans) don't actually pay for water, per se, we pay for water service (treatment, transport, sewerage, etc.).

Until the value of water, as with other natural resources, is priced at its true value, many will be negligent of its care and cavalier of water use.

So does this mean that rates will go down when the projects are over?

What does the comissioner think about rampant water waste in the city. For example, building supers and building owners who hose down the sidewalk rather than sweeping it with a broom?

are stimulus funds being applied to this ? if not, why not?

It is a good idea to raise the price of water. People take it for granted and it would be even better if there was way people were aware on a daily basis how much water they consume and how much it cost.
Here in the U.S . people take water for granted elsewhere water is precious and people will fight over it.

Here's an idea to keep rates down: don't build the water purification plants. Those plants were planned by Guiliani to enable pollution upstream, not make our water better.

pls ask him why this burden needs to fall on just home & property owners? and not on anyone else who use these services? thanks!

Good! Water is such a precious commodity. Maybe if people have to pay more for it they'll waste less of it.

NYC has, probably, the best water system in the nation. We owe that to our forefathers and their foresight. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to maintain and protect this great system.

Mayor Bloomberg, to his credit, has made the commitment to invest in the water system. My opinion is that it is better to pay for it now then borrow the money or let the system deteriorate. I'm glad water rates are going up. It is to the profit of all.