About the WQA

Sewer charges are based on your residential water consumption. The Winter Quarter Average (WQA) was designed to allow customers to pay for usage based upon their winter month’s consumption. The winter months are used to calculate the average, as that time period provides a true picture of interior water use when water consumption is not impacted by outdoor water use such as filling swimming pools and heavy use of lawn sprinkler systems.

Benefits of Using WQA:

• Sewer charges remain consistent each month
• Three year rolling average spreads out the water use impact from weather conditions such as drought
• Allows customers opportunity to lower their sewer bill by reducing water use during winter months
• Accounts for changing household (i.e. children moving back from college)

Calculating WQA

The WQA will be calculated using the three lowest consumptions from the billing periods December through March (see graphic below). This will determine your average for the current winter quarter period. Next, the average from the two previous winter quarter periods will be added and re-averaged to create your current WQA. This process creates a continuous three year rolling average. Your new WQA is billed beginning in May of each year.