Money Down the Drain?

By PlanetLaundry staff | Oct 13, 2009

A law allowing property owners to lease sewer credits from the city of Marathon, Fla., might pass just in time for Maytag Clean Laundry owner Donna Farmer.

"If I wasn't able to lease them, we wouldn't be able to open. [The landlord] refused to take the assessment on his property," Farmer said.

Farmer is set to reopen after a June fire destroyed the inside of her business and forced her to replace several washers and dryers. The building has new paint, flooring, walls, windows and doors.

"The whole place is completely new," she said. "I can't wait to be open."

Sewer credit is the short name for equivalent dwelling units, or EDUs, when it comes to sewer hookups.

EDUs represent the amount of water used by any particular property – and in Farmer's case, it's a lot. She faces a $150,000 upfront bill or a $260,000 cost over 20 years for the 31.7 EDUs she was assessed to hook up to the city sewer system.

If the 31.7 EDUs aren't accepted for the laundromat property, it can't reopen as a laundromat.

Councilman Dick Ramsay originally floated the idea at an August city council meeting and said the ordinance would be beneficial to the city.

"I'm thrilled the public and council accepted the idea. We modified [it] to make it more people-friendly and I think it will assure the city of an ability to have a laundromat, and there are other areas that are going to benefit," he said.

The sewer-credit ordinance is on the city council's meeting agenda for tonight.

Laundry Owner Seeks Fee Break

In a related item, Mark Stiles, a laundry owner in North Carolina, simply wants to pay less for the county sewer service he uses at his business, which is the only coin laundry in his county. So far, county commissioners have denied his request.

“The reason I was given for being denied is that all customers have some evaporation loss,” Stiles said. “If the goal is to treat every one on the county system the same, I’m not treated the same because I am one of the biggest water users. I was one of the only businesses shut down during a moratorium. None of your other customers are in the water business like I am.”

When county officials closed his business during a severe dry spell several years ago, Stiles dug a well. The county meters the water he uses from his well to determine his sewer bill, which averages about $600 a month.

Stiles went before the Water and Sewer District Board in August, requesting that the county discount his sewer bill by about $35 per month, or approximately 5 percent. The amount of water he uses is greater than the amount of water that goes through the sewer, Stiles explained. Washed clothes absorb water, which is evaporated in the drying process.

The request was referred to the Water and Sewer Advisory Board, which denied the request. A letter was sent following the September meeting advising Stiles that his request would not be granted because all customers can claim evaporation loss to some extent.

“It’s about how important business is in Clay County,” Stiles said. “This is my livelihood.”

According to Coin Laundry Association research, most water and sewer districts work on the premise that the amount of water used will equal the amount of water that goes down the drain. A precedent has been set in some areas where homeowners’ associations receive a rebate or allowance for the water used in maintaining the landscaping of large gardens or swimming pools.

The amount of evaporation varies from 4 percent to 11 percent, according to CLA statistics. Different model and capacity machines have different rates.

“I’ve asked for the low end,” Stiles said.

Commissioner Stephen Sellers suggested that the matter be referred to the advisory board again. He advised Stiles to be on hand to provide additional information as needed, including other public water systems in North Carolina, which offer a rate reduction to coin laundries. The board meets October 30.

Sources: keysnet.com, Clay Country Progress