Your sewer bill is based on 100% of the water gallons you use plus the monthly customer charge. However, a summer sewer maximum, applies in the summer months to help residential customers avoid being charged on water that is used for lawn sprinkling, car washing, filling pools, watering gardens, etc. Here is how the summer sewer maximum works:
The utility will review each residential customer’s water usage from October through March and calculate the average plus 20%. This average becomes the customer’s maximum sewer usage that they will be billed on for the summer months. An average of 6,000 gallons will be used for new customers who do not have an established average.
Usage from approximately May 1st through August 31st (or the June 8th, July 8th , August 8th and September 8th bills) are considered the summer months. During this time residential customers will only pay sewer charges on the lesser of their actual water usage or their summer sewer maximum.
No credits will be issued for less than 1,000 gallons or outside the Summer Sewer usage dates of May 1st- August 31st.
Portland Sanitary District does NOT offer summer sewer.