Richmond, VA vs. Flint, MI Water Rates

Someone find me a local judge (after trying to draw attention to this issue again, again, and again, I have just about given up on a local journalist or anti-poverty commission)…

After reading this article, entitled “Flint residents paid America’s highest water rates”

If Flint’s bill included both water and wastewater, Richmond’s bill is MUCH higher.
Flint’s bill for 60,000 gallons of water service= $864 annually
Richmond’s bill for 60,000 gallon of water/sewer service annually is $1,069.
748 gallons per CCF of water. 60,000 gallons = 80 ccf 80ccf divided by 12 equals 6 ccf per month.
Richmond’s base service charge for water is $12.99 per month and for sewer is 16.04 per month for a
total base water/sewer service charge of $29.03 per month or $348 per year.
Richmond’s volume charge for water is $3.60 per ccf and volume charge of sewer is $6.42 per ccf for a total of $10.02 per ccf for water/sewer. 6 ccf X $10.02 + $60.12 per month x 12 equals $721 annually.
$348 annual base water/sewer service charge + $721 for 6 ccf water/sewer service annually = $1,069 annually for 60,000 gallons of water/sewer service. This is 20% higher than Flint’s bill which is mentioned as the highest in the country.

Of course, Richmond residents can at least drink our water….for now…

L’Opossum’s David Shannon Recognized By James Beard Foundation

From Richmond Magazine:

Shannon was selected by The James Beard Foundation out of more than 20,000 entries for this year’s restaurant and chef awards, and is one of 20 semifinalists in the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category. Over the course of the next month, the foundation’s Awards Committee will determine the category’s five finalists, and announce them on March 15 in San Francisco.Last year, Richmond semifinalists included chefs Lee Gregory (of The Roosevelt and Southbound), Peter Chang (of Peter Chang China Café) and Dale Reitzer (of Acacia Mid-town). Shannon is the only designated Richmond-area chef to garner a nomination this year; Peter Chang is nominated this year, but is listed as an Arlington, Virginia chef.

This is the chef’s first James Beard Award nomination, and it follows a big year of accolades for him, his staff and his Oregon Hill restaurant. Southern Living recently named L’Opossum one of the best restaurants in the South, and closer to home, L’Opossum — which opened in August of 2014 — took home the 2015 Elby Award for Best New Restaurant; L’Opossum’s Susan Worsham is currently nominated for the Elby’s Server of the Year award.