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The City of Petaluma bills for water and wastewater (sewer) services on a bimonthly basis. Both of these services are included in your bimonthly water bill. The following is a summary of the service charges:

Section 1.0 Water Rates

Water bills include a fixed service charge and consumption charge. The fixed service charge is driven by costs independent of water consumption and is based on the meter size. Most residential meters are a 5/8" service. Expenditures that influence this charge include minor system replacement costs, service and main line maintenance, and administrative costs. Consumption charges for multi-unit residential, commercial and industrial customers are based on a single rate. The consumption charge for single-family residential customers is based on three tiers. The average single-family household will see some usage in the second tier. Typical water consumption for a single-family residential customer is about 12 hundred cubic feet (hcf) per month (24 hcf bimonthly), or 8,976 gallons per month (17,952 gallons bimonthly). Please note that 1 hcf = 748 gallons.

1.1 Water Service Charges

The bimonthly service charge is based on meter size.

1.2 Water Consumption Charge

1.3 Example Single Family Residential Customer Water Charge

For an average single-family residential customer, with a 5/8" service and using 24 hcf bimonthly, the first 18 hcf would be charged at $2.50 per hcf. The next 6 hcf would be charged at $2.87 per hcf. The total bill would be as follows:

Service Charge = $9.84

Consumption Charge = (18 hcf x $2.50) + (6 hcf x $2.87) = $62.22

Total Bimonthly Charge = $72.06

Section 2.0 Wastewater Rates

Wastewater rates for commercial and industrial customers are based on a fixed bimonthly service charge and a commodity charge based on water use. Wastewater rates for residential customers are based on a fixed service charge plus a commodity charge based on average water usage during the winter months (November, December, January, February and March depending on billing cycle). The average household in Petaluma uses approximately 8 hcf (5,984 gallons) of water per month during the winter months.

2.1 Fixed Bimonthly Wastewater Charge (Base Charge)

2.2 Wastewater Commodity Charge (Use Charge)

2.3 Example Single Family Residential Wastewater Service Charge

All wastewater customers are charged a flat service charge plus a commodity charge. The commodity charge for residential customers is based on the amount of water used during the winter months of November, December, January, February and March (depending on billing cycle). The winter water usage billing method is designed to more fairly distribute the costs of operating the wastewater system. Water consumed during the winter months of the year approximates wastewater (sewage) flow. This is because landscape irrigation should be minimal, and therefore most, if not all, water consumed during this period is returned to the wastewater (sewer) system. This approach also rewards water conservation.

The average wintertime water use is calculated for each residential customer.

For this example, let's assume winter water usages were as follows:

For this example, the bi-monthly wastewater charges would be as follows:

Winter water averages are updated in July, using the average winter water usage from the previous winter.