Utilities Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Your sewer charges are based on your water consumption regardless of whether the water finds the sewer or not. A system based on consumption does not put the burden of paying for the sewer system on households who conserve water. The good news is that during summer months, your sewer charges will be based on your average winter consumption, so you probably won't see a spike in your bill for filling a pool, as long as you do it during the summer.

Yes, it is possible that your utility bill can be the same as other billings. Water usage is what drives the bill up or down or to be the same. The more water that is used, the higher the bill will be. The less water you use, the lower your bill will be. For example, if your household only does laundry twice a week, takes showers once a day, and runs the dishwasher two times a week, then your bill can be the same because you are using the same amount of water each month. Now lets say your household next month is watering the lawn or garden. This is extra water your household is using, therefore your utility bill will increase. It is common to see utility bills to be the same amount in the winter time than in the summer time because less watering activities are taking place outside in the winter, such as water lawns and gardens. 

So, how are you using water? 

As soon as you suspect that you may have a leak, start checking for it. Use our tips from our "Leaks" page to detect what may be going on. If you still can't detect something you may want to call a plumber to assist. Once a leak has been found and fixed, complete a Leak Adjustment Form, available in our office, attach all receipts pertaining to the leak and submit it to our office. The Utilities Clerk will go back to the last year's billings and adjust your bill to reflect your average yearly usage. This can only be done once per year. Keep in mind that the quicker you repair a leak and let us know, the quicker we can process an adjustment if applicable, and customers are still responsible for their charges until the adjustment is approved and processed. Please call our office for any questions.

Please contact Waste Control by calling 360-425-4302

Sewer is charged at a higher rate than water although both charges are calculated using the amount of water that your household uses per billing period in the winter months and is charged using the average winter usage during the summer months.



Your sewer bill is calculated by taking your water consumption, multiplying that by the current sewer rate (.0603 per hundred cubic feet) and adding in the base fee.



A residential customer who used 1000 cubic feet of water would calculate their sewer charges as follows: $67.49 (base fee) + (.0603 x 1000) = $127.79