Water and Sewer Rates and Charges
On February 23, 2011 a 7 percent water rate increase and 0 percent change to the sewer rate (combined 4.4 percent) was approved. The water rate increase, effective April 1, 2011 increases the monthly cost to the average residential customer by $2.21 to $36.12. Sewer charges will not increase this year, remaining at a residential average of $22.34. The average increase is based upon a typical single-family residential customer using more than 136,000 gallons of water per year. Phoenix’s combined water and sewer rates remain among the lowest in the country at $58.46 per month.
Need for water rate increase:
- Debt service to repay more than $1 billion in bonds issued in last five years for projects already completed.
- Maintain AAA credit rating, which saves taxpayers money on interest.
- Pay for new unfunded, federally mandated requirements:
-- $200 million – Safe Drinking Water Act
-- $15 million per year in related operating expenses - Over the last 10 years, for every million gallons of water produced, chemical costs have increased by 493%; electricity costs by 68%; and raw
water costs by 41%. - Maintain massive, aging water & sewer systems (540 square miles, 12,000 miles of piping, 50,000 fire hydrants, nine treatment plants, 403,000
accounts). - Provide safe, reliable drinking water to 1.5 million Phoenix residents and wastewater services to 2.5 Valley residents and protect critical
public health and safety services.
Water Services has taken the following actions to reduce costs:
- Reduced water and wastewater capital budgets by $621 million - delaying, reducing and eliminating lower-priority projects.
- Cut operating budget by $10 million and eliminated 25% of management positions
- Raised $4.5 million per year by selling reclaimed water to Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station; $30 million region-wide over four years.
- Collecting $5 million/year with new late payment fees and sold land assets for $2.1 million.
- Reduced staffing to the lowest number of employees per capita in 10 years.
- Contracting with private sector for bill-payment processing, capital construction, and pipeline repair projects.
- Employees accepted pay concessions and unpaid furlough days
Comparison to other water providers:
- Phoenix’s water and sewer average family costs are sixth-lowest of 20 largest U.S. cities and third-lowest of 11 large, southwestern cities.
Impact of not implementing water rate increases:
- Risk of losing AAA bond rating leading to higher borrowing costs and larger shortfalls.
- Capital funds for rehabilitation and replacement programs would need to be reduced, increasing the risk of pipeline breaks and water outages.
- Significantly higher rate increases would be needed in future years
What you can do to reduce your water charges:
- Limit your water usage to the amount in the monthly base fee to reduce your costs. The monthly residential water base fee of $4.36 includes 4,488
gallons of water from October through May and 7,480 gallons from June through September. If you use this amount or less, you will not be charged
additional water usage or consumption fees. - Use low water use plants and drip irrigation to reduce your water consumption. About 50% of water used in a typical residential home is for
outdoor landscaping or swimming pools. - Reduce your consumption in January, February and March of each year and you could reduce your annual sewer costs. Your monthly sewer charge is
calculated on your water usage in those months.
Specific Water & Sewer Rate Charges
The water rates in Phoenix have three main components: the monthly fixed service charge, volume (usage) charges and environmental charges. Download the current rate schedule
.
Monthly Service Charge
The monthly fixed service charge is not increasing in 2011. Therefore, you will have no more than a 20 cent increase per month if you use only the amount of water included in the fixed monthly charge, because the recent rate increase affects only the volume charges and environmental charges. Download the current rate schedule. The fixed monthly service charge includes six (6) units of water (4,488 gallons) for October through May, and ten (10) units of water (7,480 gallons) for June through September. The service charge varies depending upon your meter size and whether you receive service inside or outside the city. Below is the service charge schedule for the rates effective April 1, 2011. All charges are subject to applicable sales taxes. For more information about taxes and other service charge related fees, download a tax and fee information sheet .
|
MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGE (Effective April 1, 2011) |
||
| Meter Size | Inside City | Outside City |
| 5/8" | $4.36 | $6.54 |
| 3/4" | 4.45 | 6.68 |
| 1" | 4.49 | 6.74 |
| 1 1/2" | 5.57 | 8.36 |
| 2" | 5.97 | 8.96 |
| 3" | 20.23 | 30.35 |
| 4" | 22.56 | 33.84 |
| 6" | 24.60 | 36.90 |
Water Volume Charges
Volume charges vary with the seasons and are assessed on water usage above the amount in the fixed monthly service charge. The amount a customer is charged for volume is based on metered consumption, and also varies depending upon whether you receive service inside or outside the city. The volume charge is highest in the summer months (June, July, August, and September); lowest in the winter months (December, January, February and March); and are priced in between during spring and fall months (April, May, October, and November). Below is the volume charge schedule for the rates effective April 1, 2011.
|
VOLUME CHARGES (Effective April 1, 2011) |
||
| In excess of use included with the monthly service charge | ||
| Months | Inside City | Outside City |
| Low Months: Dec., Jan., Feb., March |
$2.44 | $3.66 |
| Medium Months: April, May, Oct., Nov. |
2.95 | 4.43 |
| High Months: June, July, Aug., Sept. |
3.77 | 5.66 |
Environmental Charges
Environmental charges are assessed on each unit used and vary depending upon whether you receive service inside or outside the city. Environmental charges are levied as part of the cost to implement unfunded regulations created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, or the Maricopa County Department of Environmental Services. Below is the environmental charge schedule for the rates effective April 1, 2011.
|
ENVIRONMENTAL CHARGES (Effective April 1, 2011) |
||
| Note | Inside City | Outside City |
| Applied to all usage | $0.42 | $0.63 |
Sewer Charges
Your monthly sewer charge is based on a calculation of 90 percent of the average water billed for January through March on your Municipal Services Bill. You can download a listing of sewer service charges by user category that will show how by sewer charges are applied to all the various types of customers. For more information about taxes and other service charge related fees, download a tax and fee calculation sheet. If you would like to learn more about your sewer charges, please contact the City of Phoenix Water Services Department Customer Services Division at 602-262-6251, or e-mail them at water.customer.service@phoenix.gov
Ways to lower your monthly sewer charge
The best way to lower your monthly sewer charge is to use less water during the months of January through March. To learn about ways to use less water, indoors and outdoors, request literature from the Phoenix Water Conservation Office.
If you own and maintain a swimming pool, another way to lower your sewer and your water charges when you refill the pool, is to do so when the water rates are at their lowest. And, if you refill the pool during the months of January, February or March, request a sewer appeal form so the large volume charge doesn't impact your sewer charge.
Monthly Operations & Maintenance Distribution of Sewer Charges
Your sewer bill includes a base monthly service charge of $1 and a sewer service charge based on a portion of the average consumption for the period of January, February and March. The sewer service charge recovers operation, maintenance and new facilities costs. The table below shows, by major user type, the percentage of the total monthly charges attributed to operation and maintenance of the system. 41.51% of the sewer environmental charge is used for operation and maintenance of the system. The remainder pays for new environmental facilities costs. The sewer information is based on rates effective in March 2010, since there is no 2011 increase. This information is provided per Phoenix City Code Sec. 28-37 (b).
| USER TYPE | % O & M |
| Residential | |
| Single Family Residence | 34.25 |
| Multi-Family Residence | 34.25 |
| Commercial | |
| Domestic Strength | 33.37 |
| - With Dining | 33.37 |
| Laundries/Commercial | 34.79 |
| Mortuaries | 37.48 |
| Restaurants & Bakeries | 34.29 |
| - With dining | 35.09 |
| Public | |
| Federal Buildings | 34.24 |
| - With Dining | 33.76 |
| All Other Public Buildings | 34.24 |
| - With dining | 33.76 |
More Information
For information about water and sewer billing, please contact the Water Customer Services Division, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding city holidays, at 602-262-6251. (However, the best days to reach them are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays). You also can send an e-mail to water.customer.service@phoenix.gov.
Also, visit phoenix.gov/water to view the At Your Service guide and videos.