This office manages more than 21,000 water accounts in the community which translates into over 88,000 water bills every year. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to some common questions, or download the FAQ's Water Rates Brochure now.
Water Rates effective July 1, 2008
- $2.61 per 1,000 gallons: water consumption rate
- $4.54 per 1,000 gallons: sewage disposal rate
- $7.15 per 1,000 gallons of water used (combined rate)
Download the 2008 Water Rate card now
The new 2008 water rate increases took effect July 1, 2008. These increases are needed in order to keep the system revenues in-line with the system costs. In addition, the fixed charges on both water and sewer services will “decrease” under these proposed rates.
Canton’s water and sewer rates remained steady from 2003-2005 while a comprehensive rate study was completed. The study was done in order to align the revenue requirements with the cost of operation, maintenance and replacement of the water and sewer system to ensure sustainability of the fund. The deficit incurred during this time, however, has necessitated larger than normal rate increases since 2006.
In May, 2007 the Board received and later adopted an updated true cost-of-service study for water and sewer rates prepared by Utility Financial Solutions. Upon recommendation, Canton now updates the analysis each year and recommends rate increases for water and sewer costs in order to adequately fund the operation of these critical utilities.
Once approved, the new rates will eliminate minimum bills and sewer caps and charge all customers strictly on their usage.
For more information on Canton’s water and sewer charges please call the staff in Water Billing at 394-5240.
Readings
Final Reads and Payments
If you are planning to move, don't forget to schedule a final reading at least 48 hours in advance.
There is a $20.00 fee for a final reading. A residential water meter is read once each quarter. This reading is obtained outside your house by one of two methods.
In most cases, there is a touch pad outside your home which sends a reading from the meter in your basement to an electronic reading device. This reading is exactly the same as the in-house reading. In some cases, the reading is obtained from a separate "outside" display, where a signal is sent from the "inside" meter. Because of the way this system works, there can be discrepancies between the inside and outside display. If you have this type of system, it is important to make sure your inside and outside readings agree. The inside reading is the correct one and you are responsible for the amount of water registered on this inside meter. If you notice any variance, please report that to the Canton Water Billing Division. If you have the old outside display, the new system can be installed free of charge by calling the number above.
Night Deposit Box
A Night Deposit Box for your water bill payment is located on the southeast side of the Canton Administration Building, 1150 Canton Center South.
On-Line Payments
You may pay your water bill through our on-line service with Chase Bank's Pay Connexion. Click on the On-Line icon on this page and enter your water account number to look up your account and schedule your payment. Payments can be made the same day or scheduled for a later date. Payments must be made before 5:00 PM to be credited to your account for that date.
When using the Pay Connexion system, be sure your bank routing number and account number are correct. Incorrect numbers may result in your payment being returned by the bank clearing house and a $25.00 returned item fee charged to your account.
Why is my bill so high?
Often, when Canton residents receive their bills, they wonder why it is so high. Residents are billed once each quarter for water usage. One thing to keep in mind is that the bill reflects usage for the previous three months. In other words, a bill received in the fall will have summer usage on it. By this time we find that many residents forget how frequently they may have watered over the summer, and are shocked at their bill.
Irrigation Systems
One of the biggest sources of high water bills is the use of an irrigation system. An average sprinkler head can use two gallons per minute. If your system has 20 heads, and runs for 20 minutes each day, the result would be 24,000 gallons in a month or 72,000 gallons during a quarterly bill. One thing that you can do to monitor your watering is to take a reading at the start of a water cycle and again at the end. By performing this check, you will know exactly how much water is being used by your system. Based on this information, you can adjust your watering accordingly.
Leaks
A slow drip can add up to 15-20 gallons a day. Your water meter is the best detective for finding sizable leaks in your home. The meter, located in the basement of your home, registers in gallons. Turn everything off carefully, so no water is being used anywhere in the house. Then check the position of the meter dial for about 15 minutes. If it hasn't moved, you have a relatively water-tight home. But if it has moved, start checking hose connections, faucets, and toilets.
To find out how much water you have used in any given period, just substract the reading used on your last bill from the current meter reading. Read your meter left to right using the numbers in the thousand digits printed on the white background. That number reflects how many thousands of gallons you have used since your last billing.
