Wastewater Billing

Wastewater customers are billed monthly by the City of Grants Pass Customer service department. Users are billed based on their water use or the average use for their customer class.

Each wastewater customer is billed a base service charge and a volume charge.

The base service charge includes the first 2 units (100 cubic feet or approximately 748 gallons) as well as costs associated with:

  • wastewater collection
  • wastewater treatment
  • customer service

The volume charge is based on actual water use, average winter consumption, or customer class average.

It is important to note that commercial customers are not billed wastewater charges for outdoor irrigation water use if they have a separate irrigation service meter. At the same time residential wastewater charges are not calculated during periods when outdoor watering would occur.

Residential, Multifamily and Residential PUD Customers

Residential customer classes are broken down as follows:

  • Residential
    • Single or duplex single family residences with separate kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom facilities
  • Multifamily and Residential Planned Unit Development (PUD)
    • 3 or more residences served by a single meter, except where units are defined as commercial under the Uniform Building Code.

Average Winter Consumption

Residential customers are billed based on their average winter consumption. This eliminates outdoor watering in the wastewater volume charge calculations. The months used for the calculations are as follows:

  • December to April for customers north of the railroad tracks
  • November to March for customers south of the railroad tracks

Calculation

The volume amounts for each of the 5 months are averaged, and the average is then billed for the entire year.

If there is a leak or an unusual spike in water consumption during a month, that month is not used in the calculation.

Exceptions

Customers with no water usage for 3 or more months of the calculation period, or who do not have a history with the City, are billed the class average volume charge until their individual volume charge is determined during the next calculation period.

Class Average

The class average is calculated based on water use by the class from November to March. The total units of water used by the class are divided by the number of households in that class.

For example: 261,099 (total consumption) divided by 39,802 (households) = 6.56 hundred cubic feet (hcf)

Sample Bill

Wastewater Billing Example for Residential, Multifamily and Residential PUD Customers
Charge Type
Volume Charge
Total Charged
Basic service charge (includes first 2 units of consumption)
  
$20.37
Wastewater volume charge
 6 units
$16.68
Total Wastewater Charge
   $37.05

Residential Wastewater Only Customers

Individual average use cannot be calculated for customers without an associated water account. Wastewater Only residential customers are charged their class average.

Commercial & Public Customers

The commercial and public class customers contribute sewage of a strength consistent with domestic uses.

Billing - They are billed wastewater volume charges based upon their actual water consumption.

Commercial High Strength

Commercial or Public customers with sewage of a strength materially higher than domestic uses. Strength is determined by typical concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), or suspended solids (SS) in excess of 400 milligrams per liter (mg/l, or parts per million).

Some high strength commercial activities include:

  • Auto steam cleaning
  • Hotel / motel with restaurant facilities
  • Industrial or commercial laundry
  • Other commercial activity which typically contributes sewage in excess of the strength standard.

See Commercial Customer Class Types for more information.

Billing - they are billed on actual consumption, but at a rate higher than the other commercial & public customers.

Billing Example

Wastewater Billing Example for Commercial Customers
Charge Type
Volume Charge
Total Charged
Basic service charge (includes first 2 units of consumption)
  
$20.37
Wastewater volume charge
 10 units
$33.36
Total Wastewater Charges
   $53.73

Commercial Wastewater Only Billing

Volume charges are assessed based upon class type and use. Billing structures and examples for those classes are detailed below.

Commercial Customer Class Types

Commercial Class Customer types, designations, and charges
Customer Description
 Designation
Charge
Automobile sales - new, used, and recreational vehicle sales   
ASSO
$133.37
Industrial - heavy, light, industrial park, manufacturing, warehouse, mini-warehouse   
ISO
$158.22
Medical / Dental Clinic
 MOSO
$250.08
Restaurant (medium to large) high strength - restaurants with moderate to high traffic and may include rooms for specialty parties and occasions or may cater serving only two meals per day.   
HSSO
$350.76
Retail  (moderate traffic) - banks, video, convenience stores, movie theaters, gas stations   
MDSO
$125.04
Retail (general)  - shopping center, home improvement, electronics, clothing, pharmacy, lumber, specialty retail, paint stores   
GRSO
$50.02
Retail (high traffic) - drive through beverage   
HTSO
$95.86
Retail (minor traffic)  - furniture stores, toy stores, nursery, and recreation facilities   
MRSO
$8.34
School - elementary   
PSSO
$404.29
Small market high strength   
SMHS
$116.92
Small market regular strength   
SMRS
$83.36
Small restaurant high strength   
SRHS
$151.99
Small restaurant regular strength   
SRRS
$108.37

Pump Station Charges

Customers who live in a service area where wastewater is not fed to the wastewater plant via gravity are required to pay a per unit pumping charge based upon the pump station that serves their property. Customers whose property is south of G street and east of Lincoln Road are served by the Webster Pump Station and pay $0.42 per unit of wastewater volume assessed to their bill. Customers whose property is south of the River, North of Redwood highway, and West of the Josephine County Fairgrounds are served by two Redwood Pump stations and pay $.81 per unit of wastewater volume assessed to their bill

Example of Charges for Webster Pump Station

Charge example for Webster Pump Station (South of G Street and East of Leonard Street to the River)
Charge Type
Volume Charge
Total Charged
Wastewater Base Charge
$20.37
Wastewater volume charge
6 units
$16.68
Webster Pump Station charge
6 units
$2.52
Total Wastewater Charges
 
$39.57

Example of Charges for Redwood Pump Station

Charge Example for Redwood Pump Station
Charge Type
Volume Charge
Total Charged
Base service charge (includes first 2 units of consumption)

$20.37
Wastewater volume charge
6 units
$16.68
Redwood Pump Station charge
6 units
$4.86
Total Wastewater Charges
 
$41.91