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Water Options Charges On Your Water Bill Monthly Minimum Charge (also referred to as Base Rate’ or Customer Charge) Gallon Charge Gallon Charge Tiers Groundwater Conservation District Late Fee Pass-through Regional Water Authority Regulatory Assessment Fee River Authority Subsidence District Surcharge System Improvement Charge Wastewater Charge Wholesale Water Winter Months Averaging Monthly Minimum Charge (also referred to as Base Rate or Customer Charge) A flat fee that does not change with the amount of water consumed each billing period. It covers the fixed costs of a utility such as administration and system maintenance. Gallon Charge For water service based on amount of water used during the billing period. Gallon Charge Tiers Charges can vary based upon different amounts of water used. The price per gallon can increase in stages with the first stage of water usage billed at a lower price per gallon. As you consume more water, the price per gallon will usually be billed at a higher rate. This pricing mechanism reflects the higher costs to deliver larger volumes of water and may also encourage water conservation. Groundwater Conservation District This fee is associated with groundwater conservation districts and supports district activities and initiatives aimed at safeguarding groundwater resources, ensuring sustainable management of groundwater to meet current and future water needs while protecting the environment and supporting long-term water availability. Late Fee Penalty for paying a bill after payment deadline. Pass-through This refers to charges or fees directly passed by a water utility to customers, from a third-party entity or external source. These charges are not set or determined by the water utility itself but are “passed through” to customers for payment. This may include purchase water fees, production fee charged by a groundwater conservation district or regional water authority, including a fee charged in accordance with a groundwater reduction plan. A pass-through provision may only include passing through of the actual costs charged to the utility. Regional Water Authority Regional Water Authorities are created by the Texas Legislature to work with the local water utilities in their area to secure long-term sources of water and other public projects. This fee helps fund those activities. Regulatory Assessment Fee This fee helps fund the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in its work to regulate and protect water quality and the environment and the Public Utility Commision (PUCT) in its work regarding the economic regulation of water and sewer utilities. The fee amount varies among water and sewer providers. It is generally one-half to 1% of the water/sewer base and gallonage charges for water and sewer service only. It is not calculated using interest charges, impact fees or other fees that may appear on the customer bill. River Authority This fee supports river authorities, which are created by the Texas Legislature to develop and manage water resources in their respective river basins. This can include managing reservoirs and dams and operating wholesale water and wastewater treatment plants. Subsidence District This fee supports a subsidence district. This fee means you are in an area where land is sinking because of overuse of groundwater. This charge funds activities like protecting water resources, preventing further subsidence, and other projects to address these issues. Surcharge A surcharge is an authorized rate, in addition to basic charges for the purpose of recovering utility costs relating to the actual increase in costs to the utility for sampling, inspection fees, rate case expenses, and other governmental requirements that are beyond the utility's control. System Improvement Charge Only assessed by investor-owned water utilities, not water supply corporations, districts, or cities. This charge is limited to the portion of the cost of a utility's eligible infrastructure not itemized elsewhere. Wastewater Charge This fee covers the costs associated with managing the wastewater that goes down your drains and flows through the sewer system to a wastewater treatment facility. Wholesale Water This charge reflects the amount your water utility pays for acquiring water before distributing it to the customer. The wholesale water charge may cover the costs associated with the purchase of water from a regional water supplier, treatment expenses, and transportation costs. Winter Months Averaging This refers to the method used by some water utilities to calculate your sewer charges based on your water usage during the winter months.