Water and wastewater rates

Looking to save on your water bill? Remember that the amount of water used during the winter quarter determines your monthly sewer charge for the upcoming year.

Fort Worth uses a winter quarter average to determine your billable sewer flow. Household water use in December, January and February is averaged to establish the monthly wastewater volume assessed to your account. The WQA period is December 1 through Feb. 29 (Feb. 29 in leap years) for all residential customers.

Using less water during this time lowers your wastewater charge. Most people achieve savings during this time by watering their lawns and landscapes less, or completely turning off their irrigation system. Grass should hibernate during the cold weather, and we do not want your irrigation lines to freeze and burst.

The updated winter quarter average volume begins on your April water bill. 

The Water Department remotely reads meters. the wires attached to the meter allow for the transmission of usage data over a secure radio-frequency network. Readings are recorded hourly ant transmitted every few hours. 

Meters are read every business day in some part of the city, so your reading will not be based on the calendar month.

All Fort Worth meters measure water usage in cubic feet. The Water Utility bills for water use CCF or hundred cubic feet. One hundred cubic feet is equal to 748.1 gallons.

Digital meters feature an electronic display and offer several advancements, including greater reliability and higher-resolution readings.

The numbers on the screen show your water usage. In the illustration, 7,896.011 is the amount of water that has passed through the meter.  

There are other helpful indicators on your digital water meter display. The 5/8” in the example above represents the size of the meter. "CF" indicates the meter records water use in cubic feet. When the flag icon is lit, it means that there may be a leak on the customer's side of the meter. Lastly, if the battery icon is on, the meter has a low battery. The Water Utility is responsible for replacing the batteries, which are expected to last about 20 years.

The wires attached to the meter connect to a transmitter (attached to the meter box cover) that sends usage data over a secure radio-frequency network. You can set up an online account to view your water use information and set alerts. The data can be viewed by the month, day, or hour and in cubic feet, hundred cubic feet, or gallons. Your usage data is not available in real-time but about one day later. 

Register/View your online account

Submetering

The water utility does not submeter apartments units, condominiums, strip shopping centers and manufactured home communities. Fort Worth water utility master meters and bills the entire facility.

How the cost for water and wastewater is passed along to the individual tenants is the landlord’s decision. They can choose to submeter or allocate billing of water and wastewater rates to tenants.

Contacting the PUC

The Public Utility Commission of Texas has rules and regulatory practices for this. The local utility is not directly involved in these matters and has no authority in dispute intervention or resolution.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas has a toll-free consumer complaints hotline: 1-888-782-8477.