A MONTH BY THE NUMBERS
3 Billion
2.3 Billion
$1.7 Million
273,000
40,000
10,350
450
150
23
32 Minutes
Gallons of drinking water produced
Gallons of wastewater treated
Power + Chemical cost
Meters read
Water/sewer calls received by 311
Water services turned on/off
Water leaks repaired (total)
Water leaks repaired within 24 hours
Sewer spills stopped & remediated
Average time to respond to sewer spill
ANNUAL BUDGET BREAKDOWN
$27.9M
Administration, Management,
Information Technology
& Support
$7.6M
Customer Service
$1.4M
Lab Services
$16.4M
Water Treatment
$32.9M
Sewer Treatment
$188.3M
Capital
Improvements
$30.6M
Field Operations
THE VALUE OF
YOUR WATER
Understanding Your New Water and Sewer Rates
HOW DO WE COMPARE?
On July 1, 2014, water and sewer rates will increase for
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department customers.
For more information, visit us at www.cmutilities.com or call 311 (704-336-7600).
Printed with soy ink on recycled paper. Please recycle.
# 30320-I-0221 July 2014
Please read the enclosed information about the new rates.
More details also are available by visiting
www.cmutilities.com or calling 311 (704-336-7600).
WHY IS AN INCREASE NECESSARY?
Since its creation in 1972, CMUD has made strategic
infrastructure investments to serve our growing
community’s needs. These system improvements protect
public health, supply high-quality drinking water, ensure
fire protection and support the economic vitality of
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
Building and maintaining this system to the safest
standards requires key capital investments that, in turn,
drive the overall budget for the department. Even though
the utility has enhanced operating efficiency, the cost
to pay for large construction projects (pipes, plants and
other facilities) has increased and accounts for 62 cents
of every dollar spent by the utility. Increased operating
expenses, such as electricity and fuel, also drive up the
cost to provide clean water services.
CMUD receives no tax funding. It is funded solely by
water and sewer customers. Rate increases are projected
annually to recover increasing costs to effectively maintain
the community’s growing and aging water and waste-
water system.
CMUD workers conduct
150,000 water quality
tests each year, maintain
16,000 fire hydrants, and
care for more than 8,000
miles of water and sewer
mains. Rate dollars pay
for these services.
Water and Sewer Usage Rates 2014-2015
Fiscal Year 2014
Fiscal Year 2015
Tier 1 (0-4 Ccf)
$1.20
$1.33
Tier 2 (5-8 Ccf)
$2.40
$2.66
Tier 3 (9-16 Ccf)
$4.30
$4.71
Tier 4 (over 16 Ccf)
$6.76
$8.91
Non-Residential
$2.46
$2.61
Sewer Charges
$4.46
$4.51
WATER RATES AND FEES
Fixed Fees: All water customers are charged daily fees
(typically $2.50 per billing period) for water service. This
fee pays for meter reading and billing costs.
Availability Fee: All water customers pay an availability
fee for each meter during each billing period. The fee helps
pay for water construction projects and is based on water
meter size. For residential customers with a typical 5/8
inch-sized meter, the water availability charge is $2.47
per 30-day billing period. This fee is calculated daily and
is based on the number of days of service on the bill.
Water Usage Charge: Residential customers also pay a
usage charge per Ccf of water used during the monthly
billing period (see chart to the left).
Multi-Family (Apartment) customers with a single ‘master’
meter pay a usage charge per Ccf, depending on the
amount of water used per dwelling unit during the billing
period (see chart to the left).
SEWER RATES AND FEES
Fixed Fee: All sewer customers are charged daily fees
(typically $2.50 per billing period) for sewer service.
Availability Fee: All sewer customers pay an availability
fee each billing period. The fee helps pay for sewer
construction projects and is based on the customer’s water
meter size. For residential customers with a typical 5/8
inch-sized water meter, the sewer availability charge is
$4.56 per 30-day billing period. These fees are prorated
based on the number of days of service on the bill.
Usage Charge: Sewer customers pay $4.51 per Ccf of
metered water usage to recover the cost of wastewater
collection and treatment.
Residential customers do not pay for sewer usage beyond
16 Ccf of water usage per billing period (this is known as
the “sewer cap”).
Multi-family (apartment) customers do not pay for sewer
usage beyond 11 Ccf of water usage per unit during a
single billing period.
Irrigation meter customers do not pay sewer charges.