The Northwestern Water and Sewer District (The District) is a self-supporting regional public utility that operates primarily by what customers pay for service. Most revenue comes from user charges, including water and sewer operation and maintenance costs, fees, and assessments. These charges are set through a detailed cost analysis to ensure they reflect the actual cost of providing service.
Investing in our infrastructure - which includes more than 491 miles of water distribution pipe, 11 water towers, 377 miles of sewer line and 14 wastewater treatment facilities - is critical to delivering 6.7 million gallons of water and treating 864,000 gallons of wastewater daily to more than 20,000 homes and businesses across Northwest Ohio.
In December, the Board of Trustees approved the 2026 operating and capital budgets, which include a small rate adjustment.
Beginning January 1, 2026, the average residential customer will see an increase of about $1.45 per month: approximately 35 cents for water and $1.10 for sewer, for a customer using an average of 7,500 gallons of water per month. The District portion of the bill will be about $45.34 for water and $58.05 for sewer. The new rates will be reflected in your January bill.
The following links provide perspectives on the factors influencing water and sewer rates at the national/regional level. Information includes graphs and podcasts.
In addition to the cost of maintaining the lines The District uses to deliver clean water or remove and treat wastewater, there is also a charge from your local water or sewer treatment provider.
Depending on your location, you will see an additional charge for your treatment service provider.
The District factors in these services to you as part of your monthly water bill.
Our drinking water and wastewater treatment service providers include:
The water bill you pay ensures we can continue to provide you—and generations to come—with the high-quality water service you receive today.
We receive no revenue from tax dollars.
Our rates are based on the costs to purchase and deliver water and sewer services to you.
We continually reinvest the money we get from your water bill to maintain and upgrade the pipes, pump stations, and other infrastructure that allow us to deliver safe reliable water, and remove wastewater.
A rate structure is how you are charged for water and wastewater services. The rate is the amount you are charged.
As The District has expanded over the past two decades, we have gradually absorbed a variety of rate structures and funding models to avoid disruptions in customer service or billing.
Your bill may consist of several different charges depending on your location.
In general, The District’s rate structure for both water and wastewater is made up of a service charge plus a volumetric water usage rate based on how many gallons of water you use.
The service charge covers the cost of billing, meter reading, and administration and is based on your meter size.
The volumetric rate for both water and wastewater services covers the annual operation, maintenance, and improvement of the water distribution and wastewater collection systems.
