Fair Water Rates Should Encourage Conservation — Not Penalize Household Size
Learn how an optional household-size adjustment could give participating households a starting water allowance that better reflects how many people live there—before higher rates apply.
Take ActionSend a message to your New York State legislators.
Learn how the current pricing system works ↓Why Household Size Matters
As more people share one home, do everyday water needs naturally increase?
Today's households come in many forms. Some have one resident. Others include children, grandparents, or several generations living together—including households that share one home to help reduce housing costs.
As more people share one home, everyday water use naturally increases for cooking, bathing, laundry, and cleaning.
How does the current pricing system work for households of different sizes?
Under the current tiered pricing system, every household starts with the same water allowance, no matter how many people live there.
Water within this starting allowance is billed at the regular rate. Once the allowance is used, additional water is billed at higher rates to encourage conservation.
Because every household starts with the same basic water allowance, larger households often reach those higher rates much sooner through normal daily use—not because they are wasting water.
A Practical Solution
Could household size be reflected while keeping higher rates for higher water use?
Yes. The proposal would adjust only the starting water allowance for households that choose to participate. Higher rates would still apply after that allowance is used.
Participation would be entirely voluntary. Households that choose not to participate would not need to do anything or provide any additional information. Their starting water allowance would remain unchanged.
Under the proposal, households that choose to participate would be able to request an adjustment through a secure online process and provide reasonable proof of how many permanent residents live in the home.
Once approved, participating households would receive an adjusted starting water allowance before higher rates apply.
Comparable utilities already handle similar household-size adjustments through online applications and staff review. A modern online system could protect customer privacy and help keep administrative costs low. The PSC and utilities would establish the exact application, documentation, privacy, and renewal rules for New York.
Only the starting water allowance for participating households would be adjusted. Higher-priced conservation tiers would remain, and water used beyond the adjusted allowance would still be billed at the higher rates.
Current System
Optional Proposal
Concept Illustration — Basic Water Allowance (illustrative only; not intended to show the exact adjustment).
Questions & Answers
Have questions about this proposal?
Learn more about household-size verification, privacy, water conservation, fairness, and other common questions.
Read Questions & Answers →Research
Want to learn more?
Read the completed research behind this proposal, including how household size affects everyday water use, how higher rates work, and how other utilities already handle similar adjustments.
View Research →Want to support this proposal?
If you'd like to support this proposal, you can easily send a message to your New York State legislators encouraging them to support an optional household-size adjustment.
When you click Take Action, you'll open a secure page where you can review and send a pre-written letter asking your New York State Senator and Assemblymember to support this proposal and help move it forward in New York. Your ZIP code helps ensure the message reaches the correct legislators. On that page, you can review the letter and, if you choose, personalize it by adding a sentence or two about how household size affects ordinary water use or why this issue matters to you.
Take ActionSend a message to your New York State legislators.
Note: This campaign focuses on a proposal for Veolia Water New York customers in Rockland and Orange Counties.
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