FAQ
Displaying FAQ for Water Department.
Q. When was the sewer rate last increased?
A. Falmouth’s sewer rate was last increased about five years ago (spring of 2005).
Q. Why have Wastewater Division costs increased?
A. The main reasons are:
-The Town’s new main wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) began operating in November 2005. This WWTF provides a much higher level of treatment and is more expensive to operate.
-Service and supply costs have increased dramatically (electricity, sludge hauling and chemicals).
-The New Silver Beach WWTF began operating in 2009.
-Labor costs increase over time.
Q. How much did the sewer rate change?
A. The sewer rate increased from $3.81 per hundred cubic feet (HCF) of water used to $6.10 per HCF.
Q. What is this sewer minimum charge?! I never saw that before.
A. -The structure of the sewer rate has been changed to the same structure as the water rate.
-Sewer customers used to be charged $3.81 per HCF from the first HCF used, with no minimum charge (if no water was used in a billing period, there was no sewer charge).
-Now, just as with water, sewer customers are charged an “advance minimum” each period, which provides a flow allowance for each day in the period (see table on back of bill). The “excess charge” applies to each hundred cubic feet of water used in the billing period in excess of the allowance for the period.
-Just like the water minimum charge, this minimum charge is a ready-to-serve charge which ensures that seasonal customers bear some of the cost burden of year-round operation of the wastewater system. The costs of keeping the system fully operational and “available” year-round are incurred whether an individual customer is using it in any one month or not.
Q. What does HCF stand for?
A. HCF stands for hundred cubic feet; it equals about 748 gallons.
Q. I don’t use very much water! What is the normal water use and average sewer bill?
A. -It’s estimated that the average year-round single-family residential property in Falmouth uses approximately 79 HCF of water per year (about 39.5 HCF per semi-annual billing period, which is about 162 gall per day).
-At that water use rate, the annual sewer cost for the typical year-round homeowner = $482/year, or $241 per semi-annual billing period (or ~ $40 per month). [This is less than one cent per gallon].
Displaying FAQ for Water Department.
Q. When was the sewer rate last increased?
A. Falmouth’s sewer rate was last increased about five years ago (spring of 2005).
Q. Why have Wastewater Division costs increased?
A. The main reasons are:
-The Town’s new main wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) began operating in November 2005. This WWTF provides a much higher level of treatment and is more expensive to operate.
-Service and supply costs have increased dramatically (electricity, sludge hauling and chemicals).
-The New Silver Beach WWTF began operating in 2009.
-Labor costs increase over time.
Q. How much did the sewer rate change?
A. The sewer rate increased from $3.81 per hundred cubic feet (HCF) of water used to $6.10 per HCF.
Q. What is this sewer minimum charge?! I never saw that before.
A. -The structure of the sewer rate has been changed to the same structure as the water rate.
-Sewer customers used to be charged $3.81 per HCF from the first HCF used, with no minimum charge (if no water was used in a billing period, there was no sewer charge).
-Now, just as with water, sewer customers are charged an “advance minimum” each period, which provides a flow allowance for each day in the period (see table on back of bill). The “excess charge” applies to each hundred cubic feet of water used in the billing period in excess of the allowance for the period.
-Just like the water minimum charge, this minimum charge is a ready-to-serve charge which ensures that seasonal customers bear some of the cost burden of year-round operation of the wastewater system. The costs of keeping the system fully operational and “available” year-round are incurred whether an individual customer is using it in any one month or not.
Q. What does HCF stand for?
A. HCF stands for hundred cubic feet; it equals about 748 gallons.
Q. I don’t use very much water! What is the normal water use and average sewer bill?
A. -It’s estimated that the average year-round single-family residential property in Falmouth uses approximately 79 HCF of water per year (about 39.5 HCF per semi-annual billing period, which is about 162 gall per day).
-At that water use rate, the annual sewer cost for the typical year-round homeowner = $482/year, or $241 per semi-annual billing period (or ~ $40 per month). [This is less than one cent per gallon].