Water / Sewer Utility Bill FAQ
Q: How are water and sewer bills calculated?
A: Water and sewer bills are calculated based on how much water you used during the
billing period. The amount of water used is read from your water meter each month.
Q: How are meters read?
A: The Town has an electronic reading system that uses radio signals to read your meter
remotely. A receiver mounted inside our truck will receive a radio signal from each
meter as the truck drives down the street. All residential meters in Town can be read in
just a few days.
Q: Can we still actually read the meter inside the house?
A: Yes, your meter in the house still has a dial and odometer that can be manually read if
necessary.
Q: How are sewer bills calculated?
A: Sewer bills are calculated based on the amount of water used during the billing
period.
Q: If I water my lawn will I have to pay sewer charges for this?
A: Yes, all water used is billed on your sewer bill. The Town does allow the purchase
and installation of a second deduct meter (sewer meter) that can be installed on an
irrigation system or outside hose faucet. This second meter would calculate the amount
of water used outside and would reduce it from your sewer bill.
Q: How much does a sewer deduction or sewer meter cost?
A: You must purchase the meter from the Town, pay a plumber to install, in some cases
install a backflow prevention device, and have the Town program the meter once
installed and test the backflow device (if installed). The amount paid to the Town
ranges from $320-$410 (2007 costs) depending on the size of the meter plus your cost
to the plumber to install. The DPW Water & Sewer web page has the sewer meter
policy and application on it.
Q: What units of measure are the water and sewer bills in?
A: The bill amount is in cubic feet of water. One cubic foot of water is equal to 7.48
gallons of water. So if you take the monthly usage amount on your bill and multiply it by
7.48, you can find out how many gallons of water you used for the month.
Q: Where do I find the amount of water used on my bill?
A: Just below the top portion of the bill (which is the bill stub that is removed and
returned with payment), you will see you name, address, account number and bill date.
Below this you will see reading period, previous reading, present reading, usage, and
number of days. The numbers below the “usage” column are the amount of electricity
used and the amount of water/sewer used each billing period. The top number is the
electricity used and the bottom number is the amount of water used.
Q: How do I know if I am being billed for water and sewer or just water?
A: In the lower right hand portion of the bill you will see all of your charges itemized. If
you are being billed for water and sewer, you will see separate line items labeled “res
water” and “res sewer” with dollar amount for each. If you have a sewer deduction meter
you will see a line item for this as well.
Q: What is the “discount date” and “discount amount” on the bill?
A: This is the date by which you can pay your bill at the early discounted rate. You will
see on your bill stub on the top of your bill, a column labeled gross amount, then a
column labeled discount, and then a column labeled discount amount. The gross amount
column is the full amount of your bill. The discount amount column is your bill amount
if paid before the discount date (located in the top right hand corner of bill).