§ 17.12.090. Water rates and charges.  


Latest version.
  • On and after January 1, 2017, the schedule of rates and charges as set forth below shall apply to all categories of water customers with metered, flat rate or fire protection services:

    I.

    MINIMUM WATER SERVICE CHARGES

    Minimum water service charges per meter, per monthly billing period, based on water service sizes, shall be assessed to all customers who have service availability at any time during a billing period as shown below. An individual is deemed to have service available if the private water service system, at the individual's residence or business, has been connected to the City of Wichita's water system at any time during a billing period. The minimum charge is to be applied regardless of whether or not any water volume passed from the City to private water systems during a billing period. Water service connections deemed inactive by the director of public works & utilities shall not be assessed minimum water service charges.

    A.

    METERED WATER SERVICES

    INSIDE CITY
    MINIMUM MONTHLY
    WATER METER SIZES 2017 & Beyond
    5/8 inch $ 13.12
    3/4 inch   13.12
    1 inch   13.12
    1 1/2 inch   17.06
    2 inch   21.72
    3 inch   36.57
    4 inch   48.57
    6 inch   73.55
    8 inch   98.32
    10 inch  125.80
    12 inch  174.67

     

    OUTSIDE CITY & WHOLESALE METERED WATER SERVICES
    MINIMUM MONTHLY
    WATER METER SIZES 2017 & Beyond
    5/8 inch $ 21.01
    3/4 inch  21.01
    1 inch  21.01
    1 1/2 inch   27.30

     

    OUTSIDE CITY & WHOLESALE METERED WATER SERVICES (Cont'd.)
    MINIMUM MONTHLY
    WATER METER SIZES 2017 & Beyond
    2 inch   34.77
    3 inch   58.54
    4 inch   77.76
    6 inch  117.74
    8 inch  157.40
    10 inch  201.40
    12 inch  279.62
    16 inch  632.49

     

    B.

    FIRE PROTECTION FLAT MONTHLY CHARGES

    INSIDE CITY
    MINIMUM MONTHLY
    PIPE SIZES 2017 & Beyond
    5/8 inch $  4.24
    3/4 inch    4.37
    1 inch    4.86
    1 1/2 inch    5.79
    2 inch     7.04
    3 inch   13.27
    4 inch   17.61
    6 inch   27.35
    8 inch   36.70
    10 inch   47.62
    12 inch   64.29

     

    OUTSIDE CITY
    MINIMUM MONTHLY
    PIPE SIZES 2017 & Beyond
    5/8 inch $  6.80
    3/4 inch    7.00
    1 inch    7.78
    1 1/2 inch     9.28
    2 inch   11.25
    3 inch   21.23
    4 inch   28.17
    6 inch   43.78
    8 inch   58.75
    10 inch   76.18
    12 inch  102.88

     

    II.

    WATER VOLUME CHARGES

    Charges for any volume of water passing from the City of Wichita water system to a private water system shall be billed to the individual residing at the residence or business. Volume charges shall not apply to flat rate services which have been properly established with the Wichita Water Utilities.

    A.

    AVERAGE WINTER CONSUMPTION

    Average winter consumption (AWC) shall be defined as the arithmetic mean of monthly consumption computed by adding the metered consumption on bills rendered during the months of December, January, February, and March and then dividing this sum by the number of billings rendered during these same months. Each customer's AWC shall be recalculated in April of each year. Metered consumption charges for the ensuing twelve months shall be computed utilizing the AWC as calculated each April, apportioning usage among the applicable rate blocks as designated below. In those instances where no consumption data exists for the calculation of an AWC for particular customers, the director of public works & utilities shall determine the most appropriate method of establishing average winter consumptions for such circumstances. The minimum monthly AWC for any metered service sized one (1) inch or less shall be 6,000 gallons. If a billing period of greater than one month (defined as days of service within twenty eight to thirty one days) is used, the actual or minimum AWC shall be adjusted accordingly on a daily basis.

    B.

    RETAIL VOLUME CHARGES

    INSIDE CITY
    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    Block 1: Metered Consumption Through 110% of AWC $ 2.09
    Block 2: Metered Consumption Between 111% and 310% of AWC and from Fire Services $ 7.29
    Block 3: Metered Consumption Above 310% of AWC $10.66
    OUTSIDE CITY
    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    Block 1: Metered Consumption Through 110% of AWC $ 3.34
    Block 2: Metered Consumption Between 111% and 310% of AWC and from Fire Services $11.67
    Block 3: Metered Consumption Above 310% of AWC $17.06

     

    C.

    RETAIL VOLUME CONSERVATION CONTRACT RATES

    In order to obtain significant reductions in customers' annual water use, through more efficient use of Wichita's water resources, the director of public works & utilities is empowered to negotiate and execute contracts with retail customers which provide for a significant annual water savings by customers in return for charging all water use at the retail volume conservation contract rate. The director of public works & utilities is further empowered to establish such rules and regulations in contract terms as may be necessary to most equitably carry out the intent of this section. Rules and regulations shall be promulgated based on the needs of the City of Wichita as demonstrated in its water conservation plan and programs to address the requirements of the State of Kansas. In all circumstances, customers seeking to qualify for the conservation contract rate must make written application to the director of public works & utilities, detailing methods to be employed to conserve water, the time frame for implementing such conservation methods and the expected annual water savings in gallons per year to be derived from implementing such conservation plans. Each January, customers who have entered into conservation contract rate agreements shall report the results of their conservation initiatives to the director of public works & utilities. If the director of public works & utilities determines that any customer did not meet the goal, then a billing will be rendered to the customer to reconcile charges for the proportion of the customer's prior year total annual consumption volume that did not qualify for the retail conservation contract rate as determined by the formula below:

    (PRIOR YEAR'S RETAIL VOLUME CHARGE BLOCK 2 RATE - PRIOR YEAR'S RETAIL VOLUME CONSERVATION CONTRACT RATE) x ((PRIOR YEAR'S ANNUAL WATER USE/1,000) x (1 - (PRIOR YEAR'S ACTUAL ANNUAL GALLONS OF WATER SAVED / PRIOR YEAR'S PROJECTED ANNUAL GALLONS OF WATER SAVED)))

    Customers exceeding their water conservation goals may use such excess savings in gallons as a credit toward the next year's water savings goal. This rate shall only be made available to customers who can demonstrate potential water savings that would be considered economically significant to the City of Wichita as determined by the director of public works & utilities.

    INSIDE CITY CONSERVATION CONTRACT RATE
    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    Block 1: All Metered Consumption $ 5.42
    OUTSIDE CITY CONSERVATION CONTRACT RATE
    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    Block 1: All Metered Consumption $ 8.67

     

    D.

    WHOLESALE VOLUME RATES

    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    Block 1: Metered Consumption Through 110% of AWC $ 2.41
    Block 2: Metered Consumption Between 111% and 310% of AWC and from Fire Services $ 12.52
    Block 3: Metered Consumption Above 310% of AWC $ 18.76

     

    E.

    UNIFORM WHOLESALE VOLUME RATES

    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    All Metered Consumption $ 3.35

     

    F.

    NON POTABLE VOLUME RATES

    Rates Per
    1,000 Gallons
    2017 & Beyond
    All Metered Consumption $ 1.08

     

    III.

    ASSOCIATION OF LAWN SERVICES

    In all cases where practical and appropriate, lawn service accounts shall be associated with the primary service account at a particular service location. The individual consumption amounts for the primary service account and the lawn service accounts shall be added together and the total consumption for the billing period shall be allocated to the appropriate water volume charge rate blocks and volume charges calculated therefor. The consumption as recorded on billings rendered in the months of December, January, February and March for both the primary and lawn service accounts shall be used to calculate the average winter consumption used in apportioning water usage among the volume rate blocks whenever lawn service accounts are associated with primary service accounts.

    IV.

    LATE CHARGES

    An amount equal to one and one-half percent of the unpaid balance will be added to all bills not paid within twenty-five (25) days of the date of issuance.

    V.

    MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES

    When termination of water service has been ordered by the department for any cause, the customer shall be charged the sum of thirteen ($13.00) dollars to cover costs of arranging such termination. In instances where the service is actually terminated and later reinstated, the customer shall be charged an additional thirteen ($13.00) dollars to cover costs of reinstating the service.

    If a customer requests inspection and testing of a meter a testing fee shall be paid. If upon such examination and test conducted in the presence of the customer, or the customer's representative, the meter is found to be inaccurate according to the standards of the American Water Works Association, a meter will be substituted and the adjustment of the water bill for the preceding billing period shall include a credit for the testing fee.

    Where water service is turned on and shut off in a period of less than one billing period, the billing shall be computed as if service was rendered for an entire billing period. Any customer desiring to discontinue water service temporarily must make request therefor at the office of the department not less than two working days prior to the date on which the service is desired to be discontinued. After the effective date of such discontinuance, all charges for such water and water service shall cease for the period during which the service shall be shut off; provided, that the period of such discontinuance shall not be less than thirty days.

    A fee of thirteen ($13.00) dollars shall be required for the disconnection of a lawn service when the customer of record requests disconnection without concurrently requesting disconnection of the associated service account at the service location. An additional fee of thirteen ($13.00) dollars shall be required for the reconnection of the lawn service at the same location.

    Other charges and billing for special services, such as but not limited to administrative costs, account origination fees, collection costs, damages and/or vandalism to Utility infrastructure and appurtenances, etc., shall be determined by the director of public works & utilities and subject to review and change at any time.

    VI.

    GOVERNMENT MILITARY FACILITIES LOCATED OUTSIDE THE CITY

    Government military facilities located outside the City of Wichita shall be charged inside city rates for water service.

(Ord. No. 46-422 § 1; Ord. No. 47-111, 8-22-06; Ord. No. 47-124 § 1, 9-19-06; Ord. No. 47-345 § 1, 2-13-07; Ord. No. 47-519 § 1, 7-17-07; Ord. No. 47-984 § 1, 8-12-08; Ord. No. 48-324 § 1, 5-12-09; Ord. No. 48-379 § 1, 7-21-09; Ord. No. 48-410 § 1, 8-18-09; Ord. No. 48-759 § 1, 6-22-10; Ord. No. 48-760 § 1, 6-22-10; Ord. No. 49-164 § 1, 12-13-11, eff. 1-1-12; Ord. No. 49-397 § 1, 12-4-12, eff. 1-1-13; Ord. No. 49-609 § 1, 11-26-13; Ord. No. 49-911 § 1, 12-16-14, eff. 1-1-15; Ord. No. 50-135 § 1, 12-15-15, eff. 1-1-16; Ord. No. 50-384, § 1, 12-13-16)