Unit 7: Using Water
Reading water bills activity guide and worksheet
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Unit 7: Using Water
Reading water bills activity guide and worksheet
Estimated duration: 30 minutes
Aim • •
To understand the different charges on water bills To calculate percentage contribution of each of the water charges
Outcome By the end of this class, students will be able to: • Calculate percentage water consumption on a water bill
Resources • •
A copy of a water bill Worksheet (included below)
Activity Description Bring in a water bill from home or ask the office manager to provide a copy of one of the school’s water bills. Using the worksheet, you can explain that the bill is made up of several parts: 1. Water Use ‐ measured in kilolitres (kL). Water rates are about $1/kL. 2. Sewage Disposal ‐ which is based on how much water you use. 3. Service Charges ‐ which are fixed charges connected to the property per quarter. The sewage service change is two or three times the service charge. 4. Waterways and Drainage Charges ‐ collected on behalf of Melbourne Water to maintain and improve waterways. This charge is linked to the value of your property. 5. Parks Charge ‐ this is collected on behalf of Parks Victoria for the maintenance of metropolitan parks. Ask students to calculate the percentage the total bill that is based on water use. If they have their own bill or a copy of the school’s bill they can use the figures on that. Alternatively you could use the example below. This is given in the worksheet, but if you are not using the worksheet you could just write these figures on the board. An example of a water bill for a single person household: Water Product/Service Amount % of Bill 1. Water Use $18 10 2. Sewage Disposal $23 13 3. Service Charges $65 37 4. Waterways and Drainage Charges $15 9 5. Metro Parks Charge $55 31 Total $176 100
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Next get the students to either discuss the questions below, or have them write their own answers on the worksheet. Discussion points: • Is it wise to have such a small percentage of the bill based on water use? Does it encourage people to be wasteful? • What are the pros and cons of charging more for water? • Should people be charged more for excess water, when it goes beyond 200L/day/person? • If most parks are no longer watered, where does the money for metropolitan parks charge go?
Student Roles and Responsibilities Participate in agreed tasks Contribute to class discussions Complete activities and worksheets Work cooperatively with others Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support Facilitate discussion Organise materials and equipment Provide encouragement Introduce tasks and activities Provide assistance when requested Provide advice on how to research and identify sources of information Teach or reinforce numerical or statistical skills and understanding
Assessment To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as: Teacher checklist and observation Copies of student materials and worksheets Student notes
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Unit 7: Using Water
Reading water bills worksheet There are lots of water companies in Victoria which act in conjunction with the government to supply water to your home and take away your sewage. If you live in Melbourne your water company might be City West Water, Yarra Valley Water or South East Water. If you live outside of Melbourne it could be Gippsland Water, Southern Rural Water, or several others. There are many parts to a water bill besides the water you use directly. They include: 1. Water Use ‐ measured in kilolitres (kL). Water rates are about $1/kL. 2. Sewage Disposal ‐ which is based on how much water you use. 3. Service Charges ‐ which are fixed charges connected to the property per quarter. The sewage service change is two or three times the service charge. 4. Waterways and Drainage Charges ‐ collected on behalf of Melbourne Water to maintain and improve waterways. This charge is linked to the value of your property. 5. Parks Charge ‐ this is collected on behalf of Parks Victoria for the maintenance of metropolitan parks.
Questions: 1. Calculate the percentage the total bill that is based on water use. If you have your own bill or a copy of the school’s bill, you can use the figures on that. Alternatively, use the example bill below, for a single person household:
Water Product/Service
Amount
% of Bill
1. Water Use $18 2. Sewage Disposal $23 3. Service Charges $65 4. Waterways and Drainage Charges $15 5. Metro Parks Charge $55 Total $176 100 2. Do you think it is wise to have such a small percentage of the bill based on water use? Does it encourage people to be wasteful? Explain. Page 4 of 5
3. What are the pros and cons of charging more for water? Pros for charging more for water Cons for charging more for water 4. Should people be charged more for excess water, when it goes beyond $200L/day/person? What problems might water companies encounter? 5. If most parks are no longer watered, where does the money for the Metro parks charge go? 6. Make some of your own suggestions about how Parks Victoria money might be spent in metropolitan parks.
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