Your Sewer Bill

 

 

 

WHAT'S NEW IN 2024

  • 3% sewer rate increase effective January 1, 2024 - The increase will cost the average single-family residential household (that uses 5 CCF of water/month and has a 5/8th inch water meter) an additional $1.50 a month, or about $18 a year, for a total of about $650/year. Click the tabs below for the new sewer rates.
  • Winter Period Discount - MSD continues to include a "Winter Period" discount on sewer bills for single- and two-family residential customers. Please see the What's a Winter Period? tab below for more information.
  • Customer Assistance Program (CAP) - MSD continues to offer a 25% discount on sewer bills to low-income seniors who own their home. Learn more

 

HOW IS MY SEWER BILL CALCULATED?

Sewer bills are generally based on water meter size and the amount of water used by a property. Your sewer bill is typically included as a separate line item on the water bill sent by your water provider. Residential and commercial/industrial customers are often charged differently.

 

Residential Customers

If you are a residential customer, your sewer bill will include:

 

  • Minimum Base Charge: A charge applied to residential, commercial, and industrial customers based on the size of the property's water meter. It includes the first 3 CCF1 of water used each month.
  • Commodity Charge (unless you use less than 3 CCF): A water usage charge applied to residential, commercial and industrial customers who use more than 3 CCF of water per month.

 

Commercial and Industrial Customers

If you are a commercial or industrial customer, your bill could include up to four separate charges:

 

  • Minimum Base Charge (see above)
  • Commodity Charge (see above)
  • Surcharge: Applied to commercial and industrial customers that discharge high-strength sewage to an MSD treatment plant.
  • Industrial Pretreatment: Annual fees for industrial customers in MSD's Pretreatment Program.

Learn about the different charges by clicking on the tabs below.

 

 

A typical residential bill includes a minimum base charge and commodity charge

 

 

 

WHAT AM I PAYING FOR?

It's all about clean water!

 

Clean water is essential to a healthy environment, and your sewer bill helps pay for clean water, including:

 

  • Collection and treatment of wastewater Also known as sewage, this is what goes down your drain or gets flushed down the toilet. Wastewater arriving at an MSD treatment plant is cleaned and released back into local streams and rivers.
  • MSD's Wet Weather Program This is a federally mandated program to reduce sewer overflows into local streams and rivers during heavy rains.
  • 24/7 Customer Service MSD provides 24/7 customer service to address sewer backups and other sewer issues.

 

MY SEWER BILL IS ABNORMALLY HIGH

If you are an MSD and GCWW customer and think your sewer bill is abnormally high, please visit our MSD Account Review page.

 

 

Please click the tabs below to view 2024 sewer rates and charges.

 

Minimum Base Charge

The minimum base charge is a fixed charge for being connected to the public sewer system. It applies to all residential, commercial, and industrial sewer customers based on the size of the property's water meter and includes the first 3 CCF1 of water used each month, based on 30 days of service.

 

If there are greater or less than 30 days of service, the amount is prorated. This charge covers costs associated with operations and maintenance of the wastewater collection and treatment system, emergency service, and customer service.

 

New rates as of January 1, 2024

Meter Size (Inches)
($)
25% CAP Discount ($)
5/8
41.50
31.13
3/4
53.51
40.13
1
73.36
55.02
1 1/2
124.66
93.49
2
176.57
132.43
3
453.17
339.88
4
750.51
562.88
6
1482.84
1112.13
8
2212.60
1659.45
10
2956.65
2217.49
12
3413.71
2560.28

 

 

1CCF (centum cubic feet). 1 CCF = 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons.

 

2024 SEWER RATE BROCHURE (for printing)

 
 

 

Commodity Charge Rates

The commodity charge is applied to all residential, commercial, and industrial customers who use more than 3 CCF of water each month. The commodity charge is calculated by multiplying the cubic feet of water used (beyond the monthly allowance of 3 CCF) by the established sewer rate. A winter period1 is applied to most residential customers.

 

New rates as of January 1, 2024

Monthly Water Usage
Sewer Rate ($)
Sewer Rate - 25% CAP Discount ($)
Up to 3 CCF
Included in the minimum base charge
Included in the discounted minimum base charge
Greater than 3 CCF, up to 50 CCF
$6.237 per CCF
$4.678 per CCF
More than 50 CCF
$4.987 per CCF
$3.740 per CCF

 

 

1The Winter Period is applied to single-family and two-family homes only). Click on the "What's a Winter Period?" tab above to learn more.

 

2024 SEWER RATE BROCHURE (for printing)

 
 

 

Surcharge Rates

A surcharge is applied to commercial customers with a high-strength wastewater discharge.

 

A credit shall be allowed as an offset against surcharge otherwise due, provided that the strength of a pollutant is less than eighty percent (80%) of the corresponding value for normal strength sewage. The credit shall be calculated by multiplying the herein above specified surcharge rate for the pollutant in question times the difference between actual pollutant concentration in mg/l and eighty percent (80%) of the corresponding value for normal sewage. No credit shall be allowed in excess of surcharge otherwise due.

 

New rates as of January 1, 2024

Suspended Solids (SS)
$0.002924 per CCF for each mg/l of SS strength above 300 mg/l
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
$0.004993 per CCF for each mg/l of BOD strength above 240 mg/l
Nitrogenous Oxygen Demand (NOD)
$0.004373 per CCF for each mg/l of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) strength above 25 mg/l

 

2024 SEWER RATE BROCHURE (for printing)

 
 

 

Industrial Pretreatment Charges

 

All users required to apply for and obtain a wastewater discharge permit or which are subject to federal pretreatment standards, as specified in the MSD Rules and Regulations, shall be subject to the payment of a pretreatment charge(s), as determined by the Director. Said pretreatment charge(s) shall be sufficient to recover, in whole or in part, the costs for the MSD Pretreatment Program including investigations, record keeping, administration, and monitoring of industrial waste charges to the system.

 

New rates as of January 1, 2024

Annual Fee

$3,065 per annum
Monitoring Charge
$19,002 maximum per monitoring event

 

2024 SEWER RATE BROCHURE (for printing)

 
 

 

What's a Winter Period?

Many residential customers (single and two-family homes) use a lot of water during the warmer months that never enters the sewer system (e.g., for watering lawns, gardening). Since the commodity charge is based on water usage, MSD uses a customer’s average water consumption during the winter months of January, February, and March as the maximum water usage per month for the rest of the year, April - December. This is called the “winter period.” In the months of January, February, and March, the commodity charge for residential customers is based on the actual amount of water used. In the months of April through December, the commodity charge is based on whichever is less: (a) the actual amount of water used in that month or (b) the maximum water usage set during the winter period. See the example below for how to calculate the maximum water usage. If there are greater or less than 30 days of service, the amount is prorated.

 

A new winter period maximum water usage rate is established each year during the winter period. New accounts without a history of winter period consumption are billed at a maximum default of 8 CCF for single-family homes and 12 CCF for two-family homes.

 

Example of How to Calculate Maximum Water Usage During the Winter Period

 

Example Consumption
Days of Service (DOS)
January: 8 CCF
28 DOS
February: 6 CCF
30 DOS
March: 7 CCF
31 DOS
TOTALS: 21 CCF
89 DOS

 

Calculation: (21 CCF / 89 DOS) x 30 DOS = 7.078 CCF (maximum water usage per month for the next 9 months, April - December).