November 5, 2015
Wastewater Averaging Period begins on November 16, 2015
*Wastewater Averaging is the standard method of determining the volume of water used by a resident that enters the sewer system and is NOT used outside for irrigation, car washing, etc. The averaging will take place each year from mid-November to mid-February. The resident is only billed for this volume throughout the year. For more details please see the description below.
The District’s Rate Order states that bills for sewer service shall be computed (1) on the basis of the average amount of water used by the customer during the winter season which is the average of the monthly readings of the customer’s water meter for the preceding December, January, February billings periods. Meter readings occur mid-month; as an example, the December billing period is for water used from mid-November to mid-December. Or (2) on the basis of the customer’s current monthly water bill, whichever is less.
If a customer does not have a history of water usage during the preceding December, January and February billing periods, the customer’s monthly sewer bill shall be calculated based upon (1) the customer’s current monthly usage or (2) on the basis of 8,000 gallons water usage per month, whichever is less.
The new winter average will take effect on the March 2016 billing period.
Winter months are used to calculate the sewer averaging because historically customers use less water this time of year. Turning off irrigation systems prior to November 16, 2015 will dramatically lower your water usage and lower your sewer average for next year.
