Confused about water bills

WAPA has been using desalinization which is dependent on burning fuel and approx 7% of every gallon of fuel purchased is used for desalinization. The change to reverse osmosis should result in a approx 50% reduction in water production cost.

Yes...you're being completely ripped off. It's good that you're now aware of it. Welcome to Paradox.

The condo manager has came up and told me three times now about once a week that we are averaging about 10 dollars a day in water use. She said city water is a little less than 5 cents a gallon. I think why she kept warning us is she knows we are newbies to the island and she does not want us to be shocked when we get the bill.

Your condo association is the one charging you for the water, not WAPA.
Most condo associations do charge $0.05 per gallon which is the drawback to condo living.
$300 a month for water is a lot of $$$. Good luck.

I see that is interesting. Yeah I am kinda shocked we are using that much water.

I would read the meter yourself to verify. Yes, .05/gal is the average for condos here. I've lived in condos here for years and with moderate conservation efforts I keep my water bill at about $25/pp/mo. That being said my bill skyrockets when my stateside friends/family come to visit. Not sure how many people in your family, so I don't know how disproportionate your usage is. Simple changes can make a difference, like a cheap water saver shower head, or washing dishes with a full sink versus running the water.

Don't run the water when brushing teeth, don't flush toilet after every use tho if the water does turn brown, then you must flush it down.
I always thought one used more water with a dishwasher but everything I have read says no. I guess if you run it daily, it might. Use the dish water to water plants if doing in sink. Keep a plastic container in sink to do dishes in and recyle the water for plants.
You can put a brick or a water filled container in your toilet tanks to lessen water use for flushing.
Don't take long showers or do lots of daily laundry. I don't know how big your family is but $10 a day seems excessive.

If you hear the water pump running when no water is being used you may have a leak or pump may need priming.
If any of your faucets drip or your toilet tank runs continuously you will be paying for water you are not using.

At least one condo association charges 6 cents per gallon. 😮
But having a gray water system helps.

(Still with the emoticon problem??)

I always thought one used more water with a dishwasher but everything I have read says no. I guess if you run it daily, it might.

WAY less water than washing and rinsing the dishes by hand - and if you use the air dry option you save on the electricity.

don't flush toilet after every use tho if the water does turn brown, then you must flush it down.

"In this land of fun and sun, we seldom flush for number one!"

The condo manager has came up and told me three times now about once a week that we are averaging about 10 dollars a day in water use. She said city water is a little less than 5 cents a gallon. I think why she kept warning us is she knows we are newbies to the island and she does not want us to be shocked when we get the bill.

You're consuming (or being charged, anyway) 200 gallons per day. That's about right for 4 tourists at 50 gallons each per day. How many are you, and how touristy are you? Locals use less.

As StCroixBeachBoy said, "I would read the meter yourself to verify." I would also confirm the accuracy of the meter. When you're not using any water for a few hours, make sure the meter doesn't budge. If it does, you have a leak. Next, fill a 5-gallon bucket and see if the meter agrees that you just drew 5 gallons. (Then put those 5 gallons in the washing machine, or water the plants)

Thank you for the advice. I am going to try those experiments with the meter to make sure we have no more leaks. We are a family of four. The last place we lived state side water and electricity was included in the rent no matter how much we used. So trying to break old habits, especially flushing toilets after number one lol. I have caught my 4 year old playing in the sink twice now which I have got on him for it. We had a plumber out twice for a leaky toilet the first few days living here. The shower here seems to be using a lot of water so changing the shower head will be a great idea. We also do run the laundry and dishwasher frequently.

Many years ago a study was done on stx, on residential water use. The two groups with the highest per resident usage were the upper income homes, especially in the shoys area, and the public housing projects, where the residents did not pay for their water. Always thought that was interesting, considering the folks living in housing who take in laundry etc. Our tax money at work.