BILLING
All accounts are billed monthly. Each meter is read each month. We do not estimate usage. Payments are due twenty days after the bills are mailed. The bills are generally mailed on the first Friday of the month.
If you do not receive your bill by the tenth of the month, please contact our office and ask about your balance. Sometimes a bill will be lost in the mail. This does not remove your responsibility to pay on time.
RESIDENTIAL RATES FOR HCFWSD #61
Water:
Gallons Charges
0 – 4,000 $4.00
5,000 – 10,000 $1.125 per 1,000 gallons
11,000-20,000 $1.250 per 1,000 gallons
21,000 and up $1.50 per 1,000 gallons
Sewer:
Flat charge of $15.50 per home
TWA:
(Texas Water Assessment)
Half of one percent of water and sewer charges
NHCRWAA:
** to find out more information click the link below**
North Harris County Fresh Water Authority Assessment
$2.60 per 1,000 gallons of water.
Connection Fee:
$25.00 on the first bill only.
Late Charges:
15% of water & sewer charges, added the morning after the due date.
Reconnection Fee:
$50.00 to restore service if terminated for nonpayment
Returned Check Fee:
$25.00 charge
COMMERCIAL RATES FOR HCFWSD #61
Water: 36.00 minimum covers first 16,000 gallons
$2.50 per 1,000 gallons above minimum
Sewer: Minimum $7.48 covers first 2,000 gallons water consumed
$3.74 per 1,000 gallons above minimum
NHCRWAA: $2.60/1,000 gallons consumed, no late charges
TWA: ½ of one percent of water and sewer charges, state assessment fees
Connection Fee: $25.00 on all first bills
Late Charges: 15% of water & sewer charges, added the morning after the due date
Reconnection Fee: $50.00 to restore service if terminated for nonpayment
Returned Check Fee: $25.00 charge
Other important information for
H.C.F.W.S.D. #61
LATE CHARGE
If your payment is received after the due date a late fee of 15% will be added to your account. The late charge is calculated on the water and sewer amounts only, not on the assessments.
RETURNED CHECK FEE
If your check is returned for insufficient funds we will notify you with a notice hung on your front door. Your account will be charged $25.00 and you will have two days to repay the amount of the check and the fee.
SERVICE TERMINATION
If you do not pay your bill, a delinquent notice will be mailed with the next monthly bill. You have ten days to pay the previous balance. A final notice will be mailed to you five days before disconnection occurs. If you do not pay your bill before 8:00 AM on the disconnect day, your water service will be terminated. Disconnection will always occur on a Wednesday. Our field representatives are NOT allowed to accept payments.
Water will be reconnected after payment has been made in our office. A $50.00 reconnection fee must be paid as well as the delinquent portion of the bill. We schedule the reconnections at 1:00, 3:30, and 4:45 PM. Anyone who pays after office hours, in the drop box, will be reconnected the following work day. To have service restored, the customer must pay at least the past due portion of the bill AND the $50.00 reconnect fee.
IS MY WATER BILL HIGH?
The water bill is not just for water; your bill generally consists of billing for water and sewer service. If you feel your water consumption is out of line, you may call (281) 469.9405 and we will send a Representative out to re-read your meter and to see if the meter indicates you have a leak.
One of the more frequent reasons your water consumption may increase is leaks in small piping, joint leaks, or toilets that keep running. If you think you may have a silent leak in the toilet, we have free test tablets at the District Office.
Water Source
• The water supply for Harris County Fresh Water Supply District 61 is Deep Wells. Water is pumped from aquifers to the Water Treatment Plant.
For more information please contact: 281.469.9405
WATER UTILITIES LEAK DETECTION
Although most water leaks can be heard or seen, some are difficult to detect. If your water bill is unusually high and you are unable to find any noticeable leaks at faucets, toilets, and outside taps, you can use your water meter to check for leaks.
• To check for leaks using your meter, you will need to know where your water meter is located and how to read it. Shut off all water taps and water sources inside and outside your home.
• Open up the water meter box lid, wipe away any dirt, and then open up the meter lid. If the circle area is moving, (shown in red in the meter above) there is a leak.
Once you have determined there is a leak, you will need to do some troubleshooting to determine the cause. One of the most common places where unnoticeable leaks occur is your toilet. Leaking toilets, even a silent leak, will waste from 30 to 500 gallons of water per day!
If you cannot determine the cause of the leak, or if the leak is not easily fixable. You may need to call a plumber.
The District is responsible for maintaining and operating the entire wastewater collection system by providing preventative maintenance to existing lines, replacing lines as needed, and installing new service connections. It is also responsible for necessary repair, maintenance, and expansion of the wastewater collection system including all wastewater lines, mains, manholes and service connections within the public right-of-way or easements. The District responds to wastewater related emergency calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
READING YOUR WATER METER
Residents of the United States use more water per person than any other country. On the average, each family turns on a tap between 70 and 100 times daily. Have you ever wondered how much water you use and for what purpose? It’s easy to determine by simply reading the water meter. To look at the meter, remove the meter box lid and move or wipe the dirt away from the meter dial. (Dirt accumulation in the meter box is normal.) Read from left to right just like the odometer on your vehicle. The second to the last number is the actual gallon. The circle, shown in red in the above model, is the leak indicator.
Meter readings are progressive in nature. That is, as water is used, the numbers on the dial will progressively increase. To find out how much water was used since your last billing, subtract the reading on your last bill from the reading you take. Remember, for billing purposes, we record usage in thousands of gallons only.
How Much Water Are You Using?
A major use for water during many months of the year is outside irrigation. By turning on your sprinkler and watching the meter dial for one minute, you can determine how many gallons are recorded.
Then, multiply this gallon figure times the number of minutes you leave the sprinkler running and you will know exactly how much water is used for irrigation at any given time. This will allow a projection of the volume used over a week’s period or even a month.
An alternative is to read the meter just before and after irrigation watering. The same results can be obtained. These methods can also be utilized in determining how much water is used for any other purpose such as showering, clothes washing, etc.
When you finish reading the meter, always be sure the meter lid is placed securely on the meter box to avoid a safety hazard.
By knowing how much water you use for what purpose, you may find ways to conserve, which not only helps in water preservation, but also saves you money.