Changes in Your Bill
If you notice a change in your sewer charge on your bill this month, it's
because May is the first month we start a new cycle of winter averaging. Winter averaging is a billing method developed to give you the best possible break on sewer billing costs.
If you are eligible, this method takes the water consumption used in the winter quarter as the basis for billing sewer charges throughout the year. You will not be paying additional sewer charges for warm weather purposes such as watering lawns, washing cars, landscaping, gardening, or filling pools. Water meter reads from February, March, and April are averaged. The average of these three reads is used to bill sewer charges through the following April. The new winter average amount will be billed with the May bill each year.
If the actual water usage is less than the winter average usage, then the actual usage will be billed. If the winter average usage is lower than the actual usage, then winter average usage will be billed.
Eligible customers are automatically put on winter averaging. The eligibility requirements are:
- Residence must be an owner-occupied, single-family dwelling. Rental units are not eligible for winter averaging.
- At least one of the three monthly reads must be an actual read (if the estimates are due to a meter reporting problem). An account with a zero read in any of the 3 months will not be eligible for winter averaging.
- A customer must have a winter average usage above 150 cf during the February, March, and April calculation period to be eligible for winter averaging.
- Residents with a second sprinkler meter are not eligible for winter averaging.
- A new customer must have an entire month?s usage in February, March, and April to be eligible for winter averaging.
- New construction residential customers may be eligible for a class average winter average of 6,000 gallons (800 Cubic Feet) due to irrigation of new lawns during the summer months.
Most eligible customers are put on winter averaging automatically. If you ask to be removed from this billing method, you will be billed based on 100% of the water consumed each month. You will remain on this 100% billing unless you submit a written request asking to be placed back on the winter average billing. It may be beneficial for you to decline the winter average option if you have high winter water consumption or low usage in warmer weather.
Bulk Water Stations
The District is in the process of upgrading all of our bulk water stations. Users can now access bulk water with a user-friendly PIN pad, instead of a plastic card.
The District has installed bulk water stations throughout the area where customers can buy water in bulk to fill tanks or cisterns. The District's bulk water stations primarily supply commercial and agricultural users with thousands of gallons of water to be hauled for use in filling pools, cisterns, construction, and farming. Water haulers can contact The District at (419) 354-9090 Option 2 or email onlinebilling@nwwsd.org to set up an account.
Pool Filling Tips
The average homeowner uses about 6,000 gallons of water per month. The average pool is somewhere between 15,000- 30,000 gallons. That means your water bill could more than double when you fill or replace the water in your pool from a hose. Winter averaging may already be in place, so filling should not impact your sewer bill. Before you fill, we recommend you check your hose and spigot for leaks, as this could add costs. Another option, hiring a professional water hauler. If you have questions about pool filling, contact us at (419) 354-9090 Option 2.
Announcements
District Board of Trustees Meetings are held on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at 7:30 a.m.
Construction Corner
District-Wide: Restoration:
Crews will return to work sites of multiple locations in our service area to perform pavement and yard restoration this spring.
Perrysburg Township: Sewer Lining
Through July, lane restrictions are possible on Mandell Road and in Perrysburg Heights for sewer rehabilitation. Project complete: August. Project investment: $1,230,000
Rossford: Water and Sewer Line Replacement:
Through August, intermittent road closures and water and sewer service outages are possible on Hawthorne Lane. Project complete: September. Project investment: $200,000.
Weston: Sewer Rehabilitation:
Intermittent road closures are possible throughout the Village of Weston for sewer rehabilitation. Project complete: October. Project investment: $900,000.
District-Wide: Valve Maintenance:
Crews will be performing waterline maintenance throughout The District. Work involves turning valves, which may cause discolored water. Residents are advised to flush their taps if this occurs.
District-Wide: Hydrant flushing:
Through October, on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., crews will be flushing hydrants in various locations in Northern Wood County. Residents are advised to flush water from their taps if water becomes discolored.
Hydrant Flushing
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District maintains a fire hydrant maintenance program for approximately 3,900 fire hydrants. Once a year, each hydrant is opened for maintenance and water quality reasons. The District tracks which hydrants are flushed and issues work orders if additional work is required.
Occasionally water becomes discolored after hydrant flushing. If this happens, run your cold water tap for a few minutes until the discoloration clears. Avoid washing your clothes until your water clears.