Water & Sewage
Your Water & Sewage Bill Explained
Your “Water Bill” actually covers three separate utilities – water, sewage, and refuse and billed quarterly (February/April/August/November).
The “Water” portion of your bill comprises of two parts: “Water” which is based upon usage at a rate of $2.81/1000 gallons, and covers the cost of purchasing water from the Harmar Water Authority. The second component “Water Ad min Fee” (flat $46.00 per quarter) covers costs associated with maintaining our water distribution system (lines, valves, pumps, tanks, etc.), funding replacement of waterlines, and administrative costs for water billing. The average usage per quarter is 12,000 gallons, and results in a bill of $79.72. According to a Valley News Dispatch article dated 12/12/21, this is the lowest rate amongst 19 water authorities in the region.
The “Sewage” portion of your bill also comprises of two parts: “Sewage” and “AVJSA Sewage Upgrade”. “Sewage” covers the bill sent to the Borough by the AVJSA to process our share of the sewage it receives, and to maintain our sanitary sewage system. For 2022, this rate has been reduced to $3.40/1000 gallons. The “AVJSA Sewage Upgrade” is a flat rate that covers what the AVJSA is billing the Borough to pay for their DEP mandated upgrade. As we stated in our letter dated November 12, 2020, when this component was initially added, the amount has increased this year to $78.62. Only 4% of your total sewage bill remains in the Borough to maintain our sanitary system, and for the remaining 96% is sent to the AVJSA.
The final “Refuse” portion (flat $45.00 per quarter) covers both your weekly, curbside, unlimited, large-household items, garbage service, and the quarterly E-Waste and Hazardous Household Waste service.
Credit Card Payment and E-Bills are available by enrolling at cheswickboro.authoritypay.com to pay by credit card and/or to sign up for e-billing. Enrolling on the website also provides historical usage and transactional data.
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