Wastewater cost averaging cycle begins

AUSTIN (KXAN) - November marks the beginning of Austin Water’s annual wastewater averaging cycle that determines wastewater charges for customers for the 2013/2014 service year. For this reason, Austin Water is reminding customers to continue conserving water, even though the summer irrigation season has passed.

Austin Water calculates wastewater costs based on the amount of water used during three winter billing periods. The average is based on customers' water usage for all three months. These three periods occur between mid-November and mid-March.

Because less outside water is used during these months, it’s a good measure of the volume sent to the wastewater system. Customers can lower their wastewater costs for the next year by conserving water use during these billing periods.

Visit AustinWater.org and click on the wastewater averaging icon to find out when the wastewater averaging period is and for tools to help estimate the wastewater average.

Some ways to save water in the winter and help lower the wastewater average are:

• fix all leaky faucets and toilets
• turn off irrigation systems for the fall and winter months
• run the dishwasher and washing machine only with a full load
• take shorter showers—place a timer in bathrooms
• when buying new water-using appliances look for the WaterSense® label
• visit WaterWiseAustin.org for more water conservation ideas

For more information on wastewater averaging call 512-972-0000 or visit AustinWater.org.