Customer Service

How and Where Can I Pay My Bill?
  • Our office is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Drop off your payment at our drop box located at our main office 12560 Middleton Pike, Bowling Green.
  • By mail with check/money order and payment stub to Northwestern Water and Sewer District, PO Box 348, Bowling Green, OH 43402
  • By phone toll-free at (877)-354-9090, option 8 for our automated phone payment system, or option 2 to speak to one of our customer service representatives
  • Online through our E-billing page
  • By automatic withdrawal from your checking/savings account or credit/debit card
  • Bank bill pay through your bank
  • We accept cash, checks, electronic checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express
Can I Get My Bill Electronically?

Yes, you can register to receive e-bills through your online account. If you don’t already have an online account you can visit our billing website and click on the box that says “pay your bill online.” You will need your account number and zip code to set up an account.

How Do You Monitor My Usage For Leaks?

We monitor leaks through our Aquahawk system, which is also available to customers. This system generates a leak report when usage patterns appear to be abnormal for a particular customer. Leak alerts are a courtesy, but not all leaks are caught or show up in our alert system. We encourage customers to register with the Aquahawk system themselves so they can set their own alert levels and receive notifications directly. If a leak happens outside of our normal business hours or does not show up on our leak report, you may not get a notification or may not get one as quickly as desired.

Where Is My Water Meter?

Normally your meter is located in a meter pit outside your home close to where the main water line runs. This could be close to an alley, in your driveway, or in your front or back yard. Some meters are also located inside a customer’s home. These are usually found in a garage, basement, or closet in the home.

Should I Decrease My Water Meter Size?

Nearly all homes can get by with a 5/8 inch meter. If you have irrigation, depending on the system, a larger meter is advised.

We get asked by builders, architects, and customers to size the meter. We offer guidance as best we can, but the decision lies with the customer. You should contact a certified licensed plumber.

Customers may call to request a decrease in water meter size, provided that the customer and his/her plumbing contractor determine that a smaller meter will meet the building or facility water usage needs. All plumbing changes and upgrades related to the new meter size must adhere to our water service rules.

You and your plumber may also want to view the AWWA Water Meter Equivalences to help you determine what meter size may be appropriate for your home or business. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to determine what meter size is appropriate for your home or business.

How Do You Read My Meter?

Your meter is read remotely through a wireless device called a Stealth. This device is installed to pull the reads from your meter and electronically transmit them to us.

I Had No Usage Last Month Yet I Still Got a Bill. How Come?

Even if you have no usage, as long as your service is on and you have access to water or sewer, you will incur minimum fixed charges. Those minimum charges vary, depending on where you live. If you’d like to know the minimum charge for your address, feel free to call our customer service department — (419) 354 9090, option 2.

I’m Going to Be Away from Home for an Extended Period of Time. What Should I Do?

If you call our office 24-48 hours before you leave, we can schedule a work order to turn off your service. There’s no charge for this (unless your service is turned off less than 30 days) and you’ll avoid the minimum monthly charges for your service. There is a $56 labor charge if the time your service is shut off is less than 30 days.

What Is Winter Averaging?

It’s a billing method that takes the water consumption used in the winter quarter as the basis for billing sewer charges throughout the year. This means you won’t be paying additional sewer charges for warm weather purposes such as watering lawns, washing cars, landscaping, gardening, or filling pools. Eligible customers are automatically put on winter averaging if they have an entire month’s usage in February, March, and April in the current year. Find out more about winter averaging.

I Got a Shutoff Notice and Can’t Pay by the Shutoff Date. What Can I Do?

If you can’t pay your bill by the shut-off date, please call us immediately and talk to a customer service representative. We can put you in a payment agreement which will allow you a few more days to pay your bill. The District has partnered with our local Salvation Army to provide assistance with our Pay it Forward Program. If you are in need, please contact them at (419) 352-5918 to see if you qualify. We also maintain a list of agencies that may be able to provide help by pledging for you.

If your water service is shut off, you will be required to pay your past due charges plus the $56 administrative charge to have service restored. If payment is received by 3 p.m., service will be reconnected the same day, otherwise, it will be reconnected the next business day.

What if I Don’t Pay My Bill?

If a water/sewer bill is not paid, a penalty charge will be applied to the account and a penalty bill will be sent to you informing you of the date the past-due bill must be paid to avoid shut off. If payment is not made by that date then the water will be shut off and left off until payment is made. In the case of accounts that are billed only for sewer/debt charges or any other account with a delinquent balance, those will be certified to the Wood County Auditor and placed on the real estate taxes as a lien against the property.

What Exactly Does It Mean That Charges Will Be Certified to Property Taxes?

Each year, in July, we transfer unpaid account balances from the previous year (July 1st through June 30th) to the County Auditor. Once they’ve been transferred to the Auditor, the balances will show up on the property taxes for that address in the following year. These balances remain with the address, they do not follow with the customer.

Why Can’t My Tenant Have the Bill in Their Name? Why Does It Have to Be in the Owners Name?

In some of our service areas, water/sewer accounts must remain in the name of the property owner. These areas are the accounts that were previously billed by Toledo. When we add a new area, we keep the same rules and procedures that the account was under previously for continuity purposes. We can still send the bill in care of (C/O) the tenant at the request of the owner, but the account must remain with the property’s owner per the County Auditor. Any account changes or updates must be requested by the property owner.

Why Are You Double Charging Me for Water and Sewer?

Your bill may consist of several different charges depending on your location. For example, you may receive an operation and maintenance charge shown on your bill as ‘District Water’ or ‘District Sewer’. These funds are used to operate and maintain the Northwestern Water & Sewer District infrastructure that serves your home. You may also receive a separate treatment charge on your bill from another provider such as the Cities of Toledo, Perrysburg, Oregon, etc. These funds are charged by that city for the treatment of your water or wastewater and may be shown on your bill as ‘Toledo Water’ or ‘Oregon Sewer’, for example.

Why Are My Rates So High? And Why Do They Keep Going Up Each Year?

While nearly all aspects of the cost of living continue to rise, we pride ourselves on avoiding dramatic price adjustments. When they do occur, it is to maintain the quality, reliability, and stability of the services we provide, per our company mission. The following are reasons why rates may increase:

  • Expenses are rising
  • Consumption and revenue remain flat
  • Facility repair and replacement
  • Wholesale water/sewer increases
  • Wholesale water/sewer supplier upgrades
  • Safety/health regulations