ECUA Sewer Averaging Begins Today. Here’s What That Means For Your Bill.

November 15, 2021

The Emerald Coast Utility Authority’s sewer averaging period begins today.

If you are an ECUA mainland residential wastewater customer, your annual sewer charges are based on the average number of gallons of water used in your household during the period.

ECUA’s sewer averaging period begins with each residential customer’s first meter reading on or after November 15 (including ECUA sewer customers whose water service is received from another water provider). The length of the sewer averaging period is 90 day. If you have a separate irrigation meter, the water used through the irrigation meter is not included in the sewer averaging calculation.

“Since your actual water consumption during this period will determine your sewer charge for the next twelve months, it is important to check all indoor and outdoor plumbing fixtures for leaks. Water wasted due to leaks will affect your monthly water and sewer charges. Most leaks are easy to identify but sometimes, it takes a little creativity to track them down,” ECUA said.

Here are some quick tips to reduce water usage now, and save all year on ECUA sewer charges:

  • You need to lubricate, adjust or replace the flush handle if you have to jiggle it to stop the water from running after you flush. The “stuck” handle may be causing the stopper to stay open, allowing water to flow into the bowl.
  • Confirm a suspected leak in your toilet’s plumbing by putting several drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. Wait 15 minutes, and if the colored water shows up in the bowl, there is a leak in the tank. Check the toilet’s stopper ball for wear by removing the toilet lid, flushing the toilet, and rubbing the bottom of the stopper with your finger. If the rubber rubs off or crumbles, it is time to replace the stopper.
  • Water the lawn and garden only when necessary. ECUA recommends that our customers irrigate between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., an optimum off-peak time.
  • Make sure that outside spigots are not forgotten in the “on” position.
  • Cut down on the frequency of at-home car washing, or use a commercial car wash.
  • Make sure you have a full load before running the washer or dishwasher.
  • Don’t let the water run while you brush your teeth or shave.

Comments

19 Responses to “ECUA Sewer Averaging Begins Today. Here’s What That Means For Your Bill.”

  1. Murray Melvin on October 7th, 2023 2:41 pm

    Why is the sewer bill so high ? My water is higher due to my sprinkler system. But this sewer I charge is ridiculous. Why are you over charging customers?

  2. fisherman on January 10th, 2023 6:30 pm

    @Thelman
    It sounds like you may have a leak at your meter.Call EUCA they will send someone to check it. If the leak is on the side out flow from meter you will need to call a plumber to fix.ECUA will only repair their side of meter.A bad toilet flapper can use thousands of gallons monthly that actually happened to me.Replaced all flappers and water bill went down. Leaking sprinkler system causes increase Al’s.

  3. Thelma Scharer on November 25th, 2022 5:27 pm

    My sewer portion is at 120.00 per month. Before this is was on average 25.00 monthly. My water is roughly 30.00 monthly, and used to be 50.00. I go from using 3500 gallons a month to 16,000, then back to 3,000, then back to 15,000. How can this be? I am disabled so my daughter checked the meter and said there is water inside it. Could this cause the erratic readings, and who would be at fault? I am paying over 200.00 monthly.

  4. Will on March 8th, 2022 8:22 pm

    I live alone, and work from 7 a.m. to 3:30 pm. Shower once per day, and wash once per week…….I’ve paid $80+ per month for the past 12 months……..something is terribly wrong, there’s no way the water/sewer bill should be $80 per month…..if that holds true, I guess a family of 5 would be paying $500 per month….

  5. JW on November 17th, 2021 6:48 pm

    Well crap. That explains why my sewer portion is twice my water portion. This time last year we bought our home and the pool water was low and the pump had a leak…wife kept filling it up….

  6. Bonnie on November 17th, 2021 4:47 pm

    This is the same time they figure the sewer rate every year. It is the 1st time your meter is read on or after the 15th of November. Ours isn’t read until the 1st of December, so that is when our 90 days will start.

  7. Great Timing on November 17th, 2021 2:50 pm

    The timing is great! I’m out of town and using the in-laws water during the holidays.

  8. Resident on November 16th, 2021 5:38 pm

    “Humm. They picked Thanksgiving thru Christmas to average YOUR bill.
    Think about that!”

    You are right. It’s a good thing. People wash their cars, water their laws, fill their pools, their kids’ water toys and other watery things during the summer. It would greatly increase their sewer bill. But they average during the winter when we use less water. So when I think about that, it saves money!

  9. Gloria G Horning on November 16th, 2021 5:02 pm

    Humm. They picked Thanksgiving thru Christmas to average YOUR bill.
    Think about that!
    #SCAM

  10. Denbroc on November 16th, 2021 5:41 am

    Thanks Wendy Sue and William 2. I’ll give it a try.

  11. Master Mechanic on November 16th, 2021 1:37 am

    If the word is out ’bout Social Security raise……Big Companies jump with both feet ,to make SURE their raises exceed Social Security Raise

  12. Lou on November 15th, 2021 10:30 pm

    How about thousands of homes in non rural areas still on septic tanks. we would like to be in the 21s century. Is there anyway to get funding from Tallahassee, or the elected near the Potomac. We are way behind in infrastructure upgrades here.

  13. Jeff on November 15th, 2021 6:14 pm

    How about the non-sewer people?

  14. William 2 on November 15th, 2021 4:56 pm

    If you have one of the digital meters, it responds to light for the numbers to appear, use a fairly bright flash light.

    As for the article, seems like another way to rip people off, this rarely seems to benefit most families, why not pay what you use?

  15. P'cola on November 15th, 2021 1:48 pm

    Don’t forget to close the automatic fill valve on your swimming pool if you have one.
    Been there. Paid that. Lesson learned.

  16. Wendy Sue on November 15th, 2021 11:04 am

    Denbroc:
    Turn off all water in the house. Open meter box, there is a normally red triangle (you may need a flashlight). If the triangle is moving, you have a leak . No movementeans there is no leak. This comes from my EVUA 29 year retired ditch digger, um, I mean engineer. This is what he used to do for ECUA. So glad he retired.

  17. Beulah Gal on November 15th, 2021 9:52 am

    Didn’t they used to wait until after the holidays to do this?

  18. Jeff on November 15th, 2021 8:30 am

    Is this for all ECUA customers?

  19. Denbroc on November 15th, 2021 6:55 am

    How can I read my own meter to tell if there’s a leak? Mine does not have a dial or register that I can monitor.