General Information Concerning Your Monthly Water & Sewer Bill
General Information Concerning Your Monthly Water & Sewer Bill
When are water meters read?
Generally the readings are April through November, depending on our Michigan weather. Because many of our water meters are in pits and not inside the homes and businesses they serve, they do not get read during the winter months. To uncover the meters (remove snow) and read them during the winter would be time consuming and would lead to frozen meters and frozen water lines.
Why did my bill show an estimated reading?
The average residential customer in the Village of Kalkaska uses 4, 250 gallons of water and sewer per month. During the winter months when we are unable to read you meter, your bill is estimated. This usually happens for the December, January, February and March bill. Your estimation is based upon your average usage over the months of September, October and November. This three month average is the closest to what a home would use without the summer watering. The majority of commercial and industrial users are not read during the winter time, unless there is a great amount of usage.
What is an REU?
An REU is a Residential Equivalent Unit. This is the standard amount charged for one residential customer. Commercial and Industrial users are charged based on this unit and other factors in the Village Fee Schedule.
Why did the rates go up?
The water and sewer rates are kept separate so that the fees collected for Sewer Usage can be used towards the cost of the new Kalkaska Clean Water Plant. The cost of this facility must be shared by all of the users. The Water and Sewer fees charged are used for the operation, maintenance, replacement and bond payments which are incurred. The Village of Kalkaska is doing everything possible to make sure that clean clear water is available for all of the users within the village. The last rate increase due to the Kalkaska Clean Water Plant was in November of 2001.
Here are some examples of Water and Sewer Bills. These examples show average billing statements for residential users. The codes used are explained in the Legend, which is printed at the bottom of this page.
Currently, residential water and sewer customers are billed the Base Fee on 1 REU (Residential Equivalent Unit) as follows:
Base Fee $11.50 Water
Base Fee $23.50 Sewer
$35.00 Total
And for all water use customers are billed per 1,000 gallons at the following rate:
Water $1.20 per 1000 gallons - users are given their
first 1,000 gallons and are charged the $1.00 per 1000 gallons after
Sewer $1.70 per 1000 gallons
Example:
User with an overage
WA (Water) Base Rate
$11.50
SW (Sewer) Base Rate $23.50
MW (Metered Water) (Current Reading)94R
(Previous Reading Including average usage)77 17,000
$19.40
SM (Metered Sewer) (Current Reading)94R
(Previous Reading Including average usage)77 17,000 $28.90
Total Due $83.30
User with a credit
WA (Water) Base Rate $11.50
SW (Sewer) Base Rate $23.50
MW (Metered Water) (Current Reading)360R (Previous Reading
Including average usage)372 -5,000
-$6.00
SM (Metered Sewer) (Current Reading)360R
(Previous Reading Including average usage)372 -5,000
-$8.50
Total Due $20.50
Previously residential users were billed based on 1 REU as follows:
Base Fee $15.00 Water
Base Fee $15.00 Sewer
$30.00 Total
Also previously, residents were allowed a usage of 21,000 gallons of water per quarter. Anything over this amount was billed at $1.00 per 1000 gallons for water. There was no additional fee for sewer usage, over the base fee for residential customers.
Water Code Legend
| WA | Water Availability |
| SW | Sewer Availability |
| MW | Metered Water |
| SM | Sewer Metered |
The REU Schedule is also available for viewing. This schedule shows the rates used for specific types of users. We hope that this explanation will help you to understand your Water/Sewer Bill. Your cooperation and assistance is greatly appreciated.
Still have questions? Please contact us!