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Understanding Your Bill
Water and sewer bills are issued on a bi-monthly basis from actual meter readings. If the city is unable to obtain an actual reading, an estimated bill will be issued that is based on the historical average usage.
New Billing Procedures Effective February 1, 2020
As the City of Poway takes steps to comply with new State requirements governing discontinuation of residential water service (California Senate Bill 998), customers will notice there is additional time between bill issuance and when water service will be disconnected for non-payment. View the revised billing procedures.
Your Water & Sewer Bill
City of Poway water / sewer customers are billed bimonthly (every 2 months). You can determine your billing cycle by the first digit of your account number, using the following chart:
| Bill Cycle (First Digit of Account Number) | Approximate Time of Billing |
|---|---|
| 1 | Middle of January, March, May, July, September, November |
| 2 | Middle of February, April, June, August, October, December |
| 3 | End of January, March, May, July, September, November |
| 4 | End of February, April, June, August, October, December |
Your bill will include charges for water capacity, water usage, sewer charges, and pumping charges as applicable. Sewer charges are based on meter size and customer class. The city bills for water consumption in units, and a unit is approximately 748 gallons. These charges are reviewed by the City Council.
Additional Water / Sewer Billing Information
- Your bill is due by the due date on your bill. Accounts not paid by the past due date (shown on your bill) will be sent a Past Due Notice and will be charged a late fee of 10% or $50, whichever is less.
- A Shut Off Notice will be posted on the property approximately 48 hours prior to the scheduled shut off. A fee will be charged for posting the Shut Off Notice, and an additional Turn-Off/Restoration fee will be charged if service has to be shut off. An additional After-Hours/Restoration Fee may apply.
- The total bill for water and sewer charges, plus fees and any deposit(s) due, must be paid in full before service is reconnected.
- A deposit may be required at any time at the discretion of the City of Poway, based on a customer’s payment record.
- A fee of $25 will be assessed for returned checks and returned automatic payments.
- Accounts that are unpaid after service termination or discontinuance may be sent to an outside collection agency and reported to a credit reporting agency.
Thank you for taking the time to review this information and these guidelines. We look forward to serving you!
Single Family Utility Customers
A typical bimonthly water and sewer bill for Single Family customers is calculated as follows.
| Water | Wastewater |
|---|---|
Your water fee consists of the following components: • A fixed charge based on the meter size • A water use charge per unit of water that flows through the meter; this portion changes every billing cycle depending on your water usage | All single-family residential customers pay a fixed bimonthly sewer charge. In addition the residential commodity rate is based on November through April (winter months) water usage to exclude any excess water used on landscaping in the warmer months. The lowest water consumption during this period is selected for each of the three most recent years and then averaged. Eighty-five percent of that averaged amount is estimated as sewer discharge. This figure is used to calculate the sewer rate for a one-year period. Because your sewer rate is fixed for 1 year, your sewer charges may actually exceed water charges during very low water consumption periods. |
Multifamily & Mobile Home Utility Customers
A typical bimonthly water and sewer bill for Multifamily and Mobile Home customers is calculated as follows.
| Water | Wastewater |
|---|---|
Your water fee consists of the following components: • A fixed charge based on the meter size • A water use charge per unit of water that flows through the meter; this portion changes every billing cycle depending on your water usage | The sewer fee for multifamily and mobile home customers is made up of the following components: • A fixed charge for service based upon the meter size • A variable commodity charge; the commodity charge is based on 85% of a customer’s bimonthly water usage (75% if a separate landscape meter does not exist) |
Non-Residential (Commercial) Utility Customers
A typical bimonthly water and sewer bill for Non-Residential customers is calculated as follows.
| Water | Wastewater |
|---|---|
Your water fee consists of the following components: • A fixed charge based on the meter size • A water use charge per unit of water that flows through the meter; this portion changes every billing cycle depending on your water usage | The sewer fee for non-residential customers is made up of the following components: • A fixed charge for service based upon the meter size • A variable commodity charge; the commodity charge is based on 90% of a customer’s bimonthly water usage |
Special Industrial Users
The Director of Finance is authorized to determine the percentage of water flow based on actual discharge to the sewer system as evidenced by data supplied by the user and classified per the currently approved water and sewer rate study.