The [Manhasset-Lakeville] Water Department in town decided to upgrade all the water meters from analog to smart meters with an opt-out option. We have a small house and especially when you have a child, you take in consideration that a smart meter implies radiation and it has not been proven as harmless. So I opted out for that smart meter both for gas and water. The fee imposed by PSEG is $7.77, however the [Manhasset-Lakeville] Water Department’s fee is $50 while my water bill is maximum $14.
I find that ridiculous, to charge so much, especially when not the whole island was upgraded so far. It seems that the fee was decided by the board of executives at the water department, which means that it can be even higher in the future, at their own discretion. It is not fair to impose a fee more than three times than the actual water bill. So far I think there are around 100 families in town that opted out.
—Oana O.
