How Rates are Calculated

The MSD bill you receive each month contains two separate charges: a Wastewater User charge and a Storm Water charge.

WASTEWATER USER CHARGE (WW USER CHG)

The larger charge on your bill is for your sewer service. This charge covers MSD's costs for collecting and treating the "used" water that gets disposed of in your sinks, toilets and floor drains. This water travels through miles of pipes to one of our seven treatment plants, where it is treated to high standards before safely returning to our region's waterways.

Your Wastewater User Charge includes a base charge and a volume charge. All customers pay the same base charge. The volume charge varies, depending on how much water you use.

Because sewer flows are not metered, MSD must estimate how much wastewater your home produces. The volume charge is determined one of two ways:

Residential customers with water meters
Residential customers without water meters

STORM SERVICE CHARGE (STORM SERV CHG)

The smaller charge on your bill is for your stormwater service. This charge covers MSD's cost to collect the rain and other water drainage that is not naturally absorbed in the soil on your property. This water travel through miles of pipes that return it safely to our region's waterways untreated.

The Storm Service Charge is 24 cents per month for single-family residences, regardless of the size of your property. Multi-family residences are charged 18 cents per unit per month.