Information on your Sewer Service Charges
Revenues to operate the District are collected yearly from residents
and businesses that are connected to the sanitary sewer system.
The following information will explain how yearly Sewer Service
Charges are calculated and what steps businesses can be taken
to minimize the charges.
Annual Sewer Service Charges are placed on your Alameda County
property tax statement. The charges appear on the tax statement
as a line item next to our phone number 477-7500 and are listed
as "Union Sewer Svc." Sewer Service Charges are not
a property tax and are not related to the assessed value of a
property. They represent a charge for a service provided, similar
to your phone and P.G. & E. bills. We simply include the yearly
charges on the property tax statement to save the administrative
cost of generating and mailing our own invoices. More details
on how the charges are calculated are provided below.
Residential
Customers are charged at a flat rate.
Charges for residential customers are based on a flat rate per dwelling unit.
The current rate (2003-2004) per dwelling unit is $197.40 per year. This is the charge for a single family
home. A property with multiple housing units such as an apartment
complex is charged $174.30 for each dwelling unit on the property.
For example, a ten unit apartment complex would be charged $174.30
x 10 or $1743.00 per year. This rate was adopted July 1, 2003.
How water
use is determined for Commercial & Industrial Charges
Charges for commercial and industrial customers are based on the
volume and pollutant strength of the wastewater being treated.
The volume of wastewater is determined from water meter records
obtained from the Alameda County Water District. Credit is given
for water used that is not discharged to the sanitary sewer, such
as landscape irrigation. Due to the lead time involved to get
yearly charges placed on the County property tax statements, the
Sewer Service Charges on the current year's tax statement reflect
services already provided. Water use for purposes of computing
the service charge is measured from March through February of
the previous year. The Sewer Service Charge for this period is
then placed on the property tax statement that is mailed out in
October, with the first installment due December 10th. The Sewer
Service Charge Timing Chart below, illustrates when charges are
collected.
How pollutant
strength is determined for Commercial and Industrial Charges
Pollutant strength is measured in samples of wastewater for
two components: chemical oxygen demand (COD), and suspended solids
(SS). Wastewater with high strength costs the District more to
treat. For example, wastewater with high levels of suspended solids
produces more sludge (a by-product of treatment). Sludge is treated
and then disposed of at an agricultural site. If more sludge is
produced, our hauling and disposal costs are higher. Therefore,
rates are structured so that customers are charged based on the
volume of solids they contribute to the system.
Determination of wastewater strength for commercial and industrial
customers are determined by one of three primary methods: General
Assignment, Specific Assignment, and Direct Sampling.
General Assignment: Most commercial and industrial customers,
or properties that include several different types of businesses,
are calculated by the General Assignment method. With this method,
customers are assigned a general strength of strong, moderate
or weak. The three rate components, VOLUME, COD, and SS are combined
into one rate per 1,000 gallons of wastewater discharged. The
current rates for FY 04 are shown below:
Specific Assignment: Strength values are based on studies
of wastewater from similar types of businesses and represent an
"average" for that group. The total charges under this
method are the sum of three components - volume, COD, and SS.
USD's current rates for restautant are listed below:
Direct Sampling: This method applies only to industrial
customers with industrial discharge permits. Under this method,
samples of wastewater are collected and sent to a laboratory for
analysis. Both COD and SS are measured and then averaged with
other samples taken that year to determine an average strength
for use in calculating Sewer Service Charges. The sum of three
components determines the total charge. The current rates for
each component are:
For more details on how annual charges are calculated, see the sample rate calculations for all three methods.
[Sample Rate Calculations]
How Sewer Service Rates Are Established
Union Sanitary District is governed by a five-member Board of
Directors who are elected by the residents of the service area.
Rates are reviewed each year based on financial plans for the
District and are subject to approval by the Board. Before rates
are set, a notice is published in The Argus newspaper and a public
hearing is held. The public hearing is normally scheduled in June
of each year with rates becoming effective on the first of July.
Customers are encouraged to participate in the public hearings
and can send written comments on items before the Board to the
attention of the General Manager.
How Sewer Service Charges Can Be Minimized
For commercial and industrial customers that are under the Specific
or General Assignment methods, the most effective way of minimizing
charges is water conservation. Charges are directly tied to the
volume of water used; therefore, saving-water will reduce the
Sewer Service Charge as well as charges for water. There is a
wide variety of water-saving fixtures on the market. Low-flow
toilets, shower heads and faucet aerators are among the most cost
effective. For industrial customers under the Direct Sampling
method, water conservation and any reductions in pollutant loadings
will minimize service charges. One of the most effective ways
to reduce loadings is to minimize the amount of waste being discharged
to the sanitary sewer system. The District sponsors a Pollution
Prevention Program to assist customers in reducing their waste
streams. Call in the District's Commercial/Residential Customer
Team at (510) 477-7500 for more information. More specific information
on water conservation can be obtained from the Alameda County
Water District at (510) 659-1970.
Renting or Leasing
Due to the lag in billing, commercial or industrial customers
who rent or lease their property should carefully consider how
Sewer Service Charges are addressed in the lease or rental agreement.
Changes in tenants with different demands for water or that have
different wastewater strengths will affect the yearly service
charge. A landlord may not become aware of potential changes in
service charges until well after tenant changes have occurred.
All Sewer Service Charges are billed to the property
owner. Property owners are responsible for paying the charges
whether or not they are able to collect from their tenants.
Ordinance 34.03 (plan review,
construction permits, inspection of sewerage installation and
collection of fees) Effective September 1, 2002.
Ordinance
34.04 (plan review,
construction permits, inspection of sewerage installation and
collection of fees) Effective September 1, 2003.
Accepted for payment of permits and fees.
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