Expenses are an inevitable course of doing business as an Authority. Rates are going up all around us, inside and outside of our industry. Costs of materials, chemicals, fuel, contracts, and an almost never-ending list of supplies have seen their fair share of increases over the past few years.

Even so, you may have witnessed the additional amount of investment that is being made to repair, replace, and upgrade your water and wastewater infrastructure, not only to keep services going, but also to preserve that infrastructure for many years to come. Projects such as the relining of the 1966 interceptor line can cost millions to complete. In a nutshell, the Interceptor is a very important, very large sewer line. The sewer laterals from your homes empty into sewer mains in the street, which in turn all empty into the Interceptor, that transports all of your wastewater to the wastewater treatment plant for processing. (That’s why it is so important to remember: “Only wee and poo in the loo!”)

The reality is that we have seen the cost of various things rising over the past few years, so it makes us proud that we have been able to continue to provide services, make repairs and upgrades, and hold rates from 2012 throughout 2021. Not only were rates unchanged since 2012, statements were lowered by $3 per month from November 2016 through January 19, 2022!

With your help, and through careful management of projects, we intend to keep that ball rolling for as long as we can. Something we have learned here at MAWSA is that every little bit counts. Migrating from paper copies to electronic copies for in-house documents, converting customers from paper to electronic bill delivery, shopping with Cooperatives and Costars, emailing correspondence instead of mailing them, grouping projects with our crew and third parties, inspecting areas that can use improvement such as high grease and rag content lines, and even requesting changes in customer behavior, all play their part in keeping your rates stable for the long term.

The base (flat monthly) rate and subsequent per gallon rates are based on what it costs to provide service to the service area. Your individual service location can take steps to minimize daily use, also called consumption. Conservation can have a high impact on your monthly statement.

Some of our most helpful water saving tips;

regularly dye-test your toilets,
water plants and lawns early in the morning on non-windy days,
turn the water off while you brush your teeth, and
take showers instead of baths.

How do you know how much water you use?
While we do read your meter, it is beneficial for you to also keep track of your water use.
On the top left hand side of your water meter you will see a thumb tab you may use to lift the display cover to see your meter reading. Subtracting the difference between readings will show you how much water you have used.

Example: If your meter display shows 100 and when you come back to check it again, and it says 105, 5 gallons have passed through. This may not apply for commercial meters, but you can always reach out to our office to learn what meter you have and how to read it.

Learn more about water conservation at Water Use it Wisely
Their site has nearly 200 ways to save water listed!