Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The latest annual report for tap water delivered to the City of Alexandria shows the water complies with state and federal requirements, but its unregulated sodium levels are high.
Alexandria’s water complies with or was better than all state and federal drinking water requirements, according to the 2012 annual water quality report from Virginia American Water, which serves Alexandria. Some interesting findings about unregulated water quality: For the full report, click here (PDF). The annual report is required by the Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Alexandria’s water comes from two water treatment plants owned and operated by Fairfax Water—the J.J. Corbalis water treatment plant located on the Potomac River and from the Griffith Plant at the Occoquan Reservoir. Virginia American Water is a subsidiary of Voorhees, N.J.-based American Water. For the quickest updates on Del …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Three lanes are closed during the afternoon rush hour Thursday.
A water main leak has closed down part of South Washington Street in Old Town Alexandria. Virginia American Water spokeswoman Mary-Jane Atwater said the leak occurred at 407 S. Washington St. One customer is without water. Excavations to access and repair the line are currently under way, Atwater said. “We’re working as quickly as possible, but unfortunately it’s during the rush hour,” Atwater said. One northbound lane and two southbound lanes were shut down as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday. There is no estimated time of completion.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Virginia American Water has raised water fees for Alexandrians by 6.7 percent, effective immediately. However, customers will see bill refunds in near future.
Alexandrians will see lower water bills in the near future due to recently approved rate changes. Virginia American Water announced Monday that the rate is going up by 6.7 percent, effective immediately. However, the rate change is less than the 12.2 percent rate hike initially proposed by Virginia American Water to the Virginia State Corporation Commission. With the new 6.7 percent rate change, based on average quarterly usage estimated at about 14,400 gallons, Alexandrians will see an increase of $3.21 per quarter on their bills. The higher cost of water comes on the heels of higher bills seen by residents from Alexandria Renew Enterprises, which provides wastewater treatment services. Alexandria City Council discussed the issue in June…
Friday, November 30, 2012
Alexandria Renew Enterprises CEO Karen Pallansch responds to recent Patch article.
- OPINION
-
Friday, November 30, 2012
To the editor: From reading the comments on Dana Damico’s article in the Patch on the recent increases in water cleaning rates, I can see there is a certain amount of misinformation and confusion about the water, wastewater and collection system billing and rates that I hope to clear up. I can’t speak for Virginia American Water, but I can discuss Alexandria Renew Enterprises. First, let’s accept the fact that rate increases are driven solely by one thing: environmental mandates, driven by public desire for a clean and safe water environment. In November 2006, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) informed wastewater treatment plants throughout the Commonwealth that they would have to remove more nutrients—primarily …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Rate hikes kick in at the same time as Virginia American Water and Alexandria Renew Enterprises roll out new, separated bills.
If your most recent water bill seemed higher than normal, it was. Did you notice that the cost of treating your wastewater went up too? This fall, for the first time, Alexandria residents and businesses received separate bills for their water and the cost of cleaning it. Virginia American Water, which supplies water to homes and businesses in the city and beyond, unexpectedly announced last year it would no longer provide third-party billing services. So, the wastewater treatment costs formerly included on the quarterly bills, were sent separately by Alexandria Renew Enterprises. The company changed its name from the Alexandria Sanitation Authority. The separate bills started appearing in mailboxes in October and immediately alarmed …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Councilmembers agree with staff assessment that Virginia American Water's proposal of a 12.2 percent rate increase is too high.
City Council on Tuesday night squelched plans by Virginia American Water to raise rates in Alexandria by 12.2 percent, saying some sort of increase is acceptable but not as large as requested. The water company filed with the State Corporation Commission seeking a 15.93 percent overall increase and specifically a 12.2 percent increase for the Alexandria district. Rates for Alexandria customers would have increased from $47.73 to $53.53 per quarter for a typical customer using 14,400 gallons of water. If city water bills increased 12.2 percent, the city’s water bill would increase $71,000 per quarter. The proposed overall 15.93 percent increase was driven largely by new improvements in the water company's Hopewell and Prince William County …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Virginia American Water and Alexandria Renew Enterprises will begin billing customers separately beginning in October.
Alexandria Renew Enterprises announced Monday that its customers will receive a separate bill for wastewater treatment services beginning in October, meaning customers will soon receive two separate bills each quarter for their water service. Service from AlexRenew, which changed its name from the Alexandria Sanitation Authority over the weekend, is currently included in bills from Virginia American Water. The change was necessitated because Virginia American Water announced in 2011 that it would no longer provide third-party billing services. Virginia American Water will continue to bill its customers quarterly for the cost of supplying water to homes and businesses. AlexRenew will bill customers quarterly as well. The change will take …
Monday, August 8, 2011
Virginia American Water receives approval to raise the cost of water for Alexandria.
The cost of water soon will increase for Alexandrians. The Virginia State Corporation Commission has approved the rate increase requested by Virginia American Water, which serves the city of Alexandria and other jurisdictions. The quarterly rate for the water service portion of a bill for a customer in the Alexandria district, based on an average quarterly usage of 14,400 gallons, will increase by about $4.44. Virginia American Water will begin the rate increase Aug. 13, although the Virginia State Corp. approved a lower rate that the utility firm requested. Virginia American Water says the need for a rate increase largely is based on an estimated $36 million in nfrastructure improvements the utility company has made since 2008 to enhance …
Tom Van Wagner
4:36 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
Gail- Mark and Lee are both correct. The Bay Protection Charge is described of p 19 of the 2010 Annual report (http://alexrenew.com/wp-content/uploads/Final-2010-Annual-Report.pdf "...the cost of treating water is going to increase in the coming years. One reason is more stringent environmental regulations that call for cleaner wastewater that will help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. … more ›