Bill Bittman of West Concord for water rates story.Hazel and Bill Bittman, of Concord West, live alone and water their small garden sparingly, by hand. They have no swimming pool, spa bath or dishwasher. Yet they've just received a quarterly bill from the

Bill Bittman of West Concord for water rates story.Hazel and Bill Bittman, of Concord West, live alone and water their small garden sparingly, by hand. They have no swimming pool, spa bath or dishwasher. Yet they've just received a quarterly bill from the Water Board for $179.60 - up $46 on the last one.The Bittmans, and hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders, are the victims of three of the hottest, driest summer months on record and the user-pays billing system introduced by the Water Board last July.Mr. Bittman, 67, the Manager of a tools design company, said yesterday he was shocked by the size of his latest water bill, a sentiment echoed daily by about 8,000 Sydney householders as they receive their accounts.February 26, 1991. (Photo by David Porter/Fairfax Media via Getty Images).