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Durham, N.C. — Effective Tuesday, July 1, 2008, the City of Durham will begin a new tiered rate system for its water services.  Monthly customers will see the rate change on their August 1 bills and bi-monthly customers will see the rate change on their September 1 bills.  The new system includes five tiers for single- family residential customers with progressively higher rates as water consumption increases. The system encourages efficient water use by charging less per unit for residents who use less water. Those residents using more water will pay more per unit for the water.  

All non-residential customers are set at the Tier 3 rate, and all irrigation accounts are set at the Tier 5 rate. Efficient and essential water uses are captured in the lowest tier, known as Super Saver Tier 1. Discretionary water use, such as irrigation and pools, can bump customers into more expensive tiers. Water and sewer service charge increases are also included in the new system.

“It is important that our residents know what the new tiered rate system means to them—the less water they use in homes, the lower their rate, and the more money they can save for other important things,” said Vicki Westbrook, deputy director of the City’s Department of Water Management. “The more water a customer uses, the higher the tier and charges for water use. The system rewards those who conserve water, which is a great benefit to our City.”

The tiered billing system reflects what the City charges for a “unit” of water as shown on bills, which is 100 cubic feet, or 748 gallons. Most residential customers fall in the Tier 3 range, using about 16 units over a two-month billing period. A super- saver customer using four units over the two-month period will be charged at the Tier 1 rate and see about an $11 increase in their total bill. A customer using 12 units over the bi-monthly period will be charged at the Tier 1 rate for the first two units of each month, at the Tier 2 rate for the next three units of each month and at the Tier 3 rate for the remaining unit used each month. This customer’s bi-monthly bill would increase about $13.

Water and sewer service charge increases also will take effect in July. Service charges, also called base charges, cover the cost of the meter reading and billing and other fixed costs of the water and sewer operations. For customers with five-eighths inch meters (primarily residential customers), service charges will increase from $2.58 to $5.11 per month for water and from $3.19 to $5.71 a month for sewer services.  Customers living outside of the city limits will continue to pay twice as much as customers living inside city limits.

“Water is a precious resource and is vital to our area’s economy and sustainability, Durham  Mayor William V. “Bill” Bell said.  “And since Durham and the region have experienced a drought and water shortages, it makes sense economically and environmentally to encourage residents to begin thinking about and practicing habits that conserve water in their everyday lives,” he said.  

In addition to benefiting the environment, the new tiered rates also will pay for large capital projects including a new automated meter reading system, a new elevated water storage tank, additional water supply options, interconnections with other utilities and plant and system rehabilitation projects.

On June 23, 2008, Durham started a campaign to promote water conservation tips and strategies to its residents.  To get the lowest rate, residents are encouraged to follow as many of the 111 water-saving tips as possible promoted on the City’s Web site. Each tip may seem like a drop in the bucket but they add up to a lot of water savings if every Durham resident does his or her part every day. For more information, visit www.DurhamSavesWater.org.