A leaky toilet in December could cost Melissa households money well into next fall.
The city's winter quarter averaging period runs from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15, and the water a household uses in that window becomes the basis for the usage-based part of its residential sewer charge for the following billing cycle, according to a city news release.
The reasoning is that outdoor watering drops off in cold weather, so winter water use is a closer stand-in for what actually flows down a home's drains into the wastewater system. Monthly water charges still rise and fall with actual use, but the sewer portion is locked to the winter average once it is set.
"Winter quarter averaging gives us a practical way to estimate how much water a household sends into the wastewater system without having to measure wastewater at every home," Utility Billing Director Chris Thatcher said in the release.
Thatcher said higher use during those months "can affect more than just one month's bill," pointing to running toilets, undetected leaks and unneeded irrigation as the usual culprits.
