Water and Sewer Rate Increase Frequently Asked Questions

Metro Water Service sewer rates have always been higher than water rates, because it costs more to treat sewage.

We are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to make $1.5 billion in upgrades to our sewer system.

Customers are billed by CCF, which equals 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons. The average person uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. A typical shower uses 25 to 50 gallons of water.

Capital improvements to the system, funded by customers’ rates, maintain and improve the system for the benefit of current users, not to serve new development.

New development pays a fee to connect to the public system and must also pay for and install the necessary infrastructure. Development related fee increases are also being proposed.

In the past, costs were allocated between customer classes based on their estimated usage and demand requirements and recognizing the different costs associated with serving different customer classes.

The tiered structure makes our rates equitable. Ensuring customers are only paying for the cost of their service and not subsidizing other customers.

The fixed fees cover basic readiness to serve such as meters, billing fees, maintenance and response fees.

No. Stormwater fees will not be affected.

It means that Metro Water Services does not make enough money to meet financial obligations.

Metro Water Services is an enterprise fund and does not receive tax money. We pay for operating and maintaining our system with money from rates customers pay for services.

They are dedicated funding sources for water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation and replacement.

The existing 10% sewer infrastructure rehabilitation fee will be exclusively used to pay for capital projects associated with Clean Water Nashville.

The water infrastructure rehabilitation fee will be exclusively used to fund water system capital projects.

Clean Water Nashville

The term infrastructure applies to all of the components of our water and sewer system such as treatment plants, pumping stations, pipes, valves, manholes, fire hydrants, meters and more.

Our water and sewer mains are getting old and Nashville must begin an aggressive program to consistently replace or rehabilitate water and sewer pipes each year. The Sewer Infrastructure Replacement and Water Infrastructure Replacement will make sure that we have funding that will only be used for maintaining and upgrading that old infrastructure.

More than half of our water and sewer pipes are over 40 years old.

The new rate structure encourages wise water use.

Wise water use money saving tips

Tiers are consistent with typical usage breaks while not adversely impacting minimum use customers.

For the past 20 years, Metro Water Services rates have been among the lowest in the nation as well as our region, and with the proposed increases, our rates will remain among the lowest in national averages and will align with our regional utilities.

Metro Water Services encourages wise water use and a tier system means customers who use more water pay more. This structure helps curb excessive water use and encourages using less water. The new rate structure will have 4 tiers.
Tier 1: 0 – 2 ccf
Tier 2: 3 – 6 ccf
Tier 3: 7 – 10 ccf
Tier 4: Above 10 ccf

The tiered residential rates are to encourage wise water use. Commercial customers tend to have relatively level water demand, and being profit driven in most cases, have an inherent incentive to conserve water.

Commercial rate comparisons are difficult due to the many variables. However, for the past 20 years, Metro Water Services rates have been among the lowest in the nation as well as our region, and with the proposed increases, our rates will align with our peers.