How your wastewater bill is calculated

We base your average winter water usage volume on the water you used during the previous year’s winter months (four of the six months between November and April), depending on your billing cycle.

Your average winter water usage, AWWU, is the best estimate of the amount of wastewater you send to our treatment facilities throughout the year. We measure your usage in the winter because we don’t treat the water you use outside in the summer. For example, water used on your lawn does not flow into the wastewater system.

Rate comparison to other KC metro wastewater utilities

Your bill recovers the costs associated with maintaining, replacing and expanding the county’s wastewater infrastructure and cleaning the wastewater. To avoid rate spikes, we make adjustments to our long-range rate plan each year.

By practicing long-term rate planning and reinvesting in our sewer collection and treatment systems, we have been able to keep our rates among the lowest in the metro area and below the national average (see graph).

JCW’s 2026 rate increase of 5% is driven primarily by the Nelson Wastewater Improvement Project and continued investment in capital renewal, which sustains service levels and delivers cost-effective solutions to regulatory compliance. Learn more at jcwnelson.com.

State and federal regulations are requiring stricter discharge limits for ammonia, nitrogen and phosphorus and the treatment technology in place at Nelson is not capable of meeting these future water quality standards. Additionally, Nelson is the oldest facility in our service area and is at the end of its useful life as much of the facility is in need of replacement. Nelson is also the first step in increased wet-weather treatment capacity for the service area.

All these factors impact the rate you see on your bill.

Sample Wastewater Bill

1. Average Winter Water Usage: This is the average amount of wastewater you discharged to our facilities last winter. See reverse side for more information about how AWWU is calculated. The previous year’s AWWU is also provided to help you see how your usage has changed; if your bill has gone up significantly, a change in usage may be the reason.

2. Invoice period: You are being billed for services in this date range. Note that there are often two rates on the first bill of the year because the service period has wastewater usage from last year and this year. This is also why the first bill of the year is often a different amount than the following five bills of the year.

3. Current Charges: The units/usage here should reflect your Current Year AWWU. The rate is the charge per gallon. For 2026, the rate is $0.01085, or $10.85 per 1,000 gallons. You’ll also see a service charge on every bill. This helps cover costs for stormwater that enters service lines and administrative costs. When two rates are displayed it is due to the invoice period. Some of the charges may be billed on the previous rate and the other charges may be billed on the new rate, depending on the date of your invoice and if it includes a prior year’s service.

4. Total Balance Due: This is the amount to pay to keep your bill current. See reverse side to learn how this amount is calculated.