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Water & Sewer Billing

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1. How is water and sewer service funded in Sterling Heights?

City water and sewer utilities are self-supporting and receive no tax dollars – the only funding we receive is from water and wastewater rates you pay. Your payment ensures our ability to deliver high quality, reliable water in a manner that values our environment, community, and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

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2. What are the costs associated with water and sewer service?

Our rates are based on the cost to purchase our high-quality drinking water from Great Lakes Water Authority and then deliver it to you. On the wastewater side, our rates are based on the cost to collect, and send it to Macomb County for treatment; ultimately returning clean water to the environment. By law, what we charge customers must equal the costs to provide the service. The City cannot generate a profit from water and sewer rates.

3. What are the reasons for the recent rate structure change?

The three main reasons are the increasing costs to purchase water from GLWA and to treat water by Macomb County. Later this year, GLWA and Macomb County will raise their rates we pay by 2.0% and 3.5%, respectively. These increases must be passed along to our customers. Second, is the investments we are making to modernize our systems. This includes $27 million in investments to provide automated meter reading and make major pipe replacements.

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4. How did the City come up with the new rate structure and why?

Last year we reviewed how we charge for water service to ensure we will continue to cover increasing costs, investments, and to ensure equity across all customers. Our rate study analyzed both the rate structure, (how customers are charged for service) and the rates (the amount you pay per unit of water and for wastewater service). The goal was to update the structure to: 

• Improve overall rate equity
• Continue to charge low water and sewer rates
• Support a financially strong system that delivers high-quality water today and in the future

5. What are the features of the new rate structure for water and sewer service?

The results of the rate study allowed us to design a rate structure that has lower variable rates, no minimum usage charge, and a change to the sewer rate based on average winter consumption. In addition, the new rate structure discourages wasteful water usage.

6. What are the benefits to the customer of the rate changes?

The benefits of the water and sewer rate changes include:

• Low water users will experience a decrease with no minimum fee.
• Snow Birds will no longer pay for minimum usage when they are away.
• The new structure eliminates the irrigation penalty because sewer charges are no longer tied to summer water usage volumes.
• Encourages outdoor watering.
• Increases equity in the system.
• Incentivizes customers to use water wisely, such as smart irrigation and irrigation during off-peak hours.
• Lowers costs when water is used during non-peak hours.

7. How do water and sewer rates in Sterling Heights compare to other cities in Macomb County?

Our water and sewer services are a great value to our customers – about a penny per gallon. Residential monthly water and sewer bills for fiscal year 2020/21 in the City averaged $64, and were lowest among 11 others surveyed in Macomb County.

8. Where is my water meter? Isn’t it that plastic box on the outside of my house?

Your actual water meter is usually located in the basement. The plastic box on the outside of the house is a remote reader. This remote reader is wired to the meter in the basement. Monthly, the Department of Public Works gets meter readings via the remote, which is how we can accurately bill and is the reason why meter readers don’t knock on your door every month asking to come inside to read your water meter.

9. My consumption is high. Could the meter be running fast, or was there an error in the reading?

Water meters are specifically engineered to prevent accelerated readings. In fact, as they wear out they will register zero consumption which then alerts the Department of Public Works crews to contact the customer and inspect the meter for potential replacement.

Since the meter readings are obtained from the remote reader located outside the house, the potential for a misread exists if there is a problem with the hard wiring to the water meter in the basement or with the remote reading devices. Misreads are extremely rare. The letter “A” following the “Current Read” on your bill indicates an actual read. To verify the reading shown on your bill, compare it to the reading on your water meter in the basement. The reading that you take (first 4 digits reading left to right) should be greater than the “Current Read” from the bill. If you subtract the bill’s “Current Read” amount from the reading you took, it will measure the amount of water consumed since the end date of the “Service Period” also shown on the bill.

10. How will automated meter reading benefit customers?

Automated meter reading will enable us to transition to monthly billing in 2022. This will help customers plan and manage their water use better; and when the full installation of new meters is completed in two years, customers will be able to track usage  by mobile phone app. The app will also allow customers to set leak alerts and excessive usage alerts so they can address them as they happen.

Lawn and Landscape Irrigation Tips

11. How can I expect my bill to change as a result of the new rate structure?

We estimate that for the average residential customer, these rate changes will smooth out seasonal fluctuations and result in an average bill of $65 per month, assuming some summer irrigation use. Compare that to average bills in Lansing, which average $106/month.

12. How do water and sewer bills compare to other household utility costs?

Water and sewer bills are among the lowest of household utility bills. 

• Electricity is $110
• Natural gas is $72
• Cable TV $85
• Water $65
• Internet $60

13. How much does it cost to perform basic water-using activities in my home?

For context, here are some common water use activities and their approximate costs:

• A typical bath uses 42 gallons and costs about 40 cents
• A typical shower uses 17 gallons and costs about 10 cents
• Running the dishwasher uses six gallons and costs about 7 cents
• Flushing the toilet uses between 1.5 5 gallons and costs between 2-5 cents
• Watering the average-sized lawn every-other-day for an hour uses 32,400 gallons every three months and costs about $360, total or $4 per day
• A dripping faucet or running toilet can use the same amount of water and also cost $4 per day

14. What happens if I don’t pay my water bill? Will my water be shut off?

The city of Sterling Heights will not shut water off for non-payment. If a current bill is not paid by the due date, a one-time late fee of 6% of the charges is added to the account. Any bills that become 179 days past due are removed from the water account and put on the property taxes with an additional 17% penalty assessed for this action.

15. I’m selling my house and have been told that I need to get a final water bill. How do I go about this?

The resident needs to determine if they are supposed to pay their bill through the date of closing or when they turn the keys over, as listed in the purchase agreement of the house. Immediately prior to that date, the resident should read the 8-digit number off the water meter (usually the meter is located in the basement of the house). Phone in the reading to water billing (586-446-2320), who will provide a bill which can be picked up and paid or faxed to the title company/realtor handling the sale. Please allow 48 hours for final bill to be prepared.

16. My water bill is much higher than normal. Why?

A majority of high water bills are due to toilets that are leaking. Toilet leaks are often inaudible. Other things to check for are leaks in sprinkler systems, sump pumps that have water back-up systems, and dripping faucets.

 It is important to determine and correct the problem because wasted water results in high bills. One way to check if you have a problem is to write down the eight-digit number off the water meter (usually located in the basement of the house) before you go to bed at night. The following morning, go to the water meter and compare the readings. If the meter has moved while you were sleeping, that indicates something is using water. A more immediate check involves the red dial on the water meter. When the dial is spinning, water is going through the meter. The red dial should be still when there is no water usage.

17. My neighbors have the same number of people and water their lawn as much as I do. How come my bill is higher?

During the monthly billing period, it is impossible to expect your water bill to be identical to your neighbor’s. Simply put, peoples’ habits on water usage are different. Your neighbor may set the timer on their sprinkler system to water ten minutes less a day than you. They may have low-flow toilets in their house, which use 1.8 gallons of water per flush compared to your 3.6 gallon toilet. The water meter in your home is the actual gauge of how much water is used in the home.

18. Where can I get information on the water consumption history for my account?

The City is now offering an online service where customers can view their account history on the web. A consumption history graph for the last twelve bills can be viewed. Customers should select the “Make a Payment” option on the front page of the City's website, then select "Water and Sewer Utility Bills," then "Make a Payment Here." At the Utility Account Inquiry screen, the customer will type in their service street address and utility account number.

19. If I pay my water bill online with my credit card, are there any additional credit card processing fees that I have to pay?

Customers paying water bills online do not have to pay any processing fee for the transaction. The credit card processing costs are absorbed by the City for water bills.

20. I tried to make a payment online, but was denied access to the payment screen. What should I do now?

There are a number of things that could have prevented a customer from making a payment. They are listed in order of most common occurrence as follows:

• Failure to have an updated browser. Customers who have very old browsers are unable to utilize the pay online service. Using a newer version of Microsoft Internet Explorer or equivalent will solve that problem
• Having an updated browser but not having the “browser settings” for the SSL protocol. The SSL protocol setting is needed to access the pay online service
• Encountering a corporate firewall. Many customers try to pay online during the day from their work location during lunch time for example. The entity that they work for may have a corporate firewall setting that prevents them from making any payments online
• Pop-Up blocking software that you are running is preventing the opening of the additional window necessary to link to the external website. You may be able to disable the Pop-Up blocker through a setting within your browser’s own options menu

21. What are the most significant ways to eliminate excessive water consumption?

The two most important areas for customers to analyze are lawn/landscape irrigation practices and the home maintenance routines, which are aimed at preventing toilet and faucet leaks.

Tips for efficient lawn and landscape irrigation are as follows:

• To minimize evaporation, water lawns between midnight and 5 a.m. during the hottest summer months.
• Utilize sprinkler rain shutoff devices to avoid unnecessary watering.
• Review sprinkler manufacturer specifications for gallons per minute usage in order to establish irrigation guidelines within your household budget for water consumption.
• Irrigate lawns for a maximum of 20 minutes per zone every other day during drought periods and much less for landscape beds. Frequent over watering can actually be detrimental to your lawn and landscapes.
• Be observant for breaks in underground lines or sprinkler heads that may contribute to a system leak.
• Mow your grass at a height of approximately three inches or higher and use a mulching blade so that the clippings act as a natural fertilizer and also hold in moisture.
• Use a larger part of your yard for landscape beds as opposed to lawn area. Landscape beds require far less irrigation than lawns.
• Use plenty of mulch in your landscape beds to hold in moisture and plant deep-rooted flowers and shrubs that are more drought resistant.
• Follow the voluntary odd-even date watering system. Residents with odd numbered addresses are asked to water outdoors only on the odd numbered calendar dates, while homeowners with even numbered addresses should limit outdoor water use to even numbered calendar dates. Use the last number in your address to determine if you have an even or odd numbered address. Water during the non-peak hours of midnight through 5 a.m.

22. What are some useful home maintenance ideas?

• Periodically inspect the flush valve and overflow valve in all the toilets. A test is done by placing a few drops of food coloring into the tank and waiting approximately 25 minutes, without flushing the toilet. If you see the food coloring seep into the bowl, a toilet leak is confirmed. Sometimes a “shimmer” on the surface of the toilet bowl water will be evident and is another way to confirm that there is a leak
• The flush valve or “flapper” located in the bottom of the toilet tank will eventually wear out and require replacement. Upon replacing the flapper, be sure to have it properly seat against the contact at the bottom of the tank
• Check the overflow valve for the correct water level in the tank by removing the tank lid and verifying that the water level is approximately one inch below the overflow valve. Always make sure that the water in the tank is not running into the overflow tube. Normally, the arm of the ball float can be adjusted in order to bring the water level to the desired height. Check the positioning of the refill tube in relation to the overflow tube to ensure that there is no siphoning effect when the tank is refilling
• During remodeling or toilet replacement consider the use of 1.8-gallon low flow toilets, which use approximately half the water per flush compared to the conventional types
• Install aerators on water faucets and showerheads
• Purchase water efficient washing machines and dishwashers and operate with only full loads
• Routinely inspect water back-up sump pumps and repair dripping faucets
• Inspect the furnace humidifier overflow valve for excessive water flow (if equipped)