Billing Information
Billing and Rate Information
The Big Flats Water Department bills accounts every month. Some of our accounts are billed monthly, others quarterly. All residential accounts are billed quarterly. Commercial accounts are a mix of both monthly and quarterly accounts. If you are not billed monthly, you can tell what your billing cycle is by the first digit of your account number.
1xxxx-xx or 4xxxx-xx Billed in January, April, July, and October
2xxxx-xx Billed in February, May, August, and November
3xxxx-xx Billed in March, June, September, and December
We bill by the number of thousands of gallons metered. See below for examples.
In this example the account is billed quarterly. As you can see, we use just the 1,000’s in our calculations. Once we get the # of thousands then the bill is calculated using the appropriate rates and minimums. The August bill is for 8,000 gallons, that incurs a minimum charge for most residential accounts. The November bill is for 14,000 gallons so the account incurs the minimum charge plus a charge per thousand over the minimum gallons included. For accounts starting with 1, 2, or 3 that minimum is 10,000 gallons therefore they would be charged for the 4,000 over.
May Meter Read |
Aug Meter Read |
Aug Billed Amt |
Nov Meter Read |
Nov Billed Amt |
9,500 |
17,275 |
8,000 |
31,999 |
14,000 |
(17 – 9 = 8) |
(31 – 17 = 14) |
Current Water Rates
Full Schedule of Rates and Fees
Residential Rate Comparison Chart
Questions on Your Bill?
We read meters electronically. There is a receiver on your meter and we can pick up the readings by just driving by with the laptop in the vehicle. Our water meters have no moving parts so there is nothing to impede the flow or metering. And, in a case where the flow is obstructed the meter read would be lower than it should be because of the obstruction. If you think your usage is high take a moment to consider the season and the time period the bill covers. Summer bills are usually higher because you use more water., i.e. pools, gardens, washing cars, showers etc.
Most often the cause of higher than expected water bills are : running toilets, leaking faucets or malfunctioning water softeners. We have also seen cases of furnace humidifiers being installed incorrectly and water is just passing through them constantly, unnoticed, until the bill arrives. Of course broken pipes are noticed right away and repaired but be aware that the water is metered. If you have concerns about your usage please check the obvious places first. And check your meter when you know you are not using any water (no laundry, dishwasher, etc), if it is registering water usage, the water is going somewhere.