Waste Water (Sewer) Rates
The St. Helena Wastewater Enterprise is funded similar to the Water Enterprise using service-based rates, fees, and charges. The fees and charges are segregated into two categories, Base Rate, and Use Charge.
The Base Rate is a fixed dollar amount that is billed bi-monthly regardless of water use or sewage volume. For residential customers the use charge is determined by the average bi-monthly metered water use for the most recent six (6) off-peak months. These off-peak months are November through April. Non-residential use charges are more complicated and involve an additional fourteen (14) use categories. The rate study committee recommended to not change the current methodology for wastewater rate calculation, but did recommend change for both the base fee and use charge, as proposed by city staff.
The Use Fee is determined by the bi-monthly water consumption of each customer for the prior months of November through April. This eliminates being charged for water consumption associated with landscape irrigation which does not enter the sewer system. This fee generates the remaining Water Enterprise revenue.
The required revenue from the waste water use fee is approximately $2,031,000. Residential customers are responsible for approximately 59% of this revenue requirement or $1,202,500. Assuming an Average Winter Consumption (AWC) of 121,589 Hundred Cubic Feet (HCF), the unit charge is $9.89 per HCF to generate the required revenue.
Fiscal Years 2024 through 2028 require a significant increase in sewer rates to meet the Wastewater Enterprise revenue requirements. The revenue requirement was established by an increase in debt service to complete Capital Improvement Projects (ie: upgrades to wastewater plant as required by law) and a need to restore the Enterprise Cash Reserve account. With no alternative, the rate study committee recommended an approximate 50% first year rate increase as proposed by the city staff and the rate study contractor Raftelis.
The Waste Water Enterprise revenue requirement for FY 2024 is approximately $5,280,000, of which 61% or $3,243,000 is attained by the Base Rate. The residential share of this base rate revenue is approximately $1,657,400 annually. With 1,541 residential sewer connections, the bi-monthly base rate is $179.26 per customer.
The Base Rate and Use Fee will increase about 4% per year starting July 1, 2024 continuing through July 1, 2028.
Combined Water and Sewer Bill
Please be aware that if you are a water and sewer customer, you will receive a combined bill. We tend to think of this as a water bill, when in fact the sewer portion of the bill may be significant. If your water use is 17 HCF bi-monthly “on-peak” and 10 HCF bi-monthly “off-peak”, your combined bi-monthly bill after September 2023 will be approximately $553.61. The water portion will be $275.45 and the sewer portion will be $278.16. Your “water” bill will be one-half water and one-half sewer.
