Why Are Sewer Charges So High for Homeowners?

A sewer charge is a fee assessed to property owners for the collection, transportation, and treatment of wastewater from their homes. These charges are typically included as a line item on a monthly or quarterly water bill. The primary purpose of these fees is to fund the complex infrastructure and processes required to manage sewage, ensuring public health and environmental protection. This involves moving wastewater through extensive pipeline networks and processing it at specialized treatment facilities.

How Your Sewer Bill is Calculated

Sewer bills are primarily calculated based on a household’s water consumption, as most water entering a home becomes wastewater. Utility companies often use units like centum cubic feet (CCF) or hundred cubic feet (HCF). One CCF equals 748 gallons. Higher water usage leads to higher sewer bills.

Since not all water used goes into the sewer, like outdoor irrigation, many municipalities employ a “winter averaging” method. This method averages water usage during winter months, when outdoor watering is minimal, to set the sewer volume for the next billing year. This prevents homeowners from being charged for water not entering the sewer.

Sewer bills include fixed and variable charges. Fixed charges, or base rates, cover constant system maintenance costs like loan payments and administrative expenses, applied regardless of consumption. Variable charges are tied to water consumed, often billed per thousand gallons or CCF. Some providers offer separate meters for outdoor water use, preventing that water from being included in sewer calculations.

Infrastructure and Capital Investment Costs

The physical infrastructure of a sewer system is a major cost for homeowners. This network includes thousands of miles of pipes, pumping stations, and large treatment plants. Building these systems requires significant capital investment, with treatment plant costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on size.

Maintaining aging infrastructure is a continuous financial challenge. Many systems built decades ago need ongoing repairs and replacement to prevent failures and ensure reliable service. These investments upgrade outdated components, expand capacity for growing populations, and address geographical complexities. Costs are typically financed through bonds, with debt service passed on to ratepayers through monthly sewer charges.

Operational and Regulatory Compliance Expenses

Daily operation of wastewater treatment systems involves substantial recurring costs. Wastewater undergoes multiple treatment stages, each requiring specific resources. Energy consumption is a major expenditure, often 25% to 40% of a plant’s operational budget, primarily for pumping and aeration. Chemical costs for purification and disinfection typically range from 5% to 7% of total operating costs.

Labor expenses also contribute significantly, as skilled personnel are needed around the clock to monitor and maintain complex machinery. Personnel costs can represent 15% to 40% of total operational costs, varying with plant size. Beyond operational needs, strict environmental regulations, like the Clean Water Act, mandate specific treatment levels and discharge standards. Meeting these requirements often necessitates advanced, more expensive technologies and continuous monitoring, directly impacting the operational budget and customer bills.