You can tweak the balance between fixed and usage charges though.
I've lived places where the fixed amount of my water bill was maybe $10-$15/mo while a unit (~750 gallons) of water was about $5. My current home, at the other extreme, has almost $90/mo in fixed charges while a unit of water runs about $1.
Not nearly the same incentive to conserve water but I am much more confident that my city will still be able to service the infrastructure 20 years from now.
I've lived places where the fixed amount of my water bill was maybe $10-$15/mo while a unit (~750 gallons) of water was about $5. My current home, at the other extreme, has almost $90/mo in fixed charges while a unit of water runs about $1.
Not nearly the same incentive to conserve water but I am much more confident that my city will still be able to service the infrastructure 20 years from now.