Current Water Rate Schedules
The current monthly water rates became effective July 9, 2007. New rates were adoped by the City of Tucson's Mayor and Council on May 20, 2008 and take effect July 7, 2008.
Major rate elements are discussed below, followed by a listing of current and new rates.
Potable water charges have 1) a monthly service charge (based on meter size) which the customer pays regardless of the amount of water used; 2) usage charges; 3) a CAP charge; and 4) a conservation charge.
The monthly service charge based on meter size is set to recover the costs of meter maintenance and replacement as well as meter reading and billing costs.
Residential customers are charged for water usage via an inclining block rate structure. As the usage block increases, the unit price or rate for the block increases.
Other potable customers, with the exception of multifamily, mobile home parks whose individual units have been sub-metered by park owners, and construction water customers, pay a base rate for water usage year round but are subject, in addition, to surcharges in the summer, should their monthly usage exceed their winter monthly usage. (Summer months are May through October, with the remaining months being defined as winter months.) There are two tiers of summer surcharges, and each has a different threshold: the first is applied to any monthly usage exceeding the average winter monthly usage and the second is applied to any monthly usage greater than 145% of average winter monthly usage. Any summer surcharges are added to the charge resulting from the base rate.
Multifamily, mobile home parks with submeters, and construction water customers are charged a year round rate with no summer surcharges. For these customers, a higher year round rate replaces being subject to summer surcharges.
All potable customers are subject to the CAP charge, the revenues from which are used to pay charges assessed by the State agency (Central Arizona Water Conservation District, or CAWCD) for the City's allocation of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water.
Effective July 7, 2008, all potable customers will be subject to the Conservation charge, a new dedicated funding source to recover the Utility's conservation efforts.
Fire Protection charges are related to unmetered fire sprinkler connections to the potable water system. The monthly rate is based upon the connection size and takes into account the amount of water system capacity required for fire suppression.
Reclaimed water charges have two basic components: a monthly service charge (based on meter size) which the customer pays regardless of the amount of water used; and a usage charge.
The current and new rate schedules are shown below.
POTABLE RATES
Monthly Service Charge
| Meter Size | Current Rates | New Rates (effective July 7, 2008) |
|---|---|---|
| 5/8 inch | $5.42 | $5.52 |
| 1 inch | $8.17 | $10.07 |
| 1-1/2 inch | $13.31 | $17.65 |
| 2 inch | $19.58 | $26.74 |
| 2-1/2 inch | $27.98 | $38.86 |
| 3 inch | $36.37 | $50.99 |
| 4 inch | $60.31 | $85.85 |
| 6 inch | $120.47 | $173.14 |
| 8 inch | $180.50 | $260.13 |
| 10 inch | $274.49 | $396.53 |
| 12 inch | $451.97 | $654.18 |
Usage Charges
| Customer Class / Charge Categories |
Current Charge per Ccf | New Charge per Ccf (effective July 7, 2008) |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Block Rates | ||
| Single Family | ||
| 1 – 15 Ccf | $1.17 | $1.23 |
| 16 – 30 Ccf | $4.09 | $4.52 |
| 31 – 45 Ccf | $5.78 | $6.41 |
| Over 45 Ccf | $8.03 | $8.94 |
| Duplex-Triplex | ||
| 1 – 20 Ccf | $1.17 | $1.23 |
| 21 – 35 Ccf | $4.09 | $4.52 |
| 36 – 50 Ccf | $5.78 | $6.41 |
| Over 50 Ccf | $8.03 | $8.94 |
| Non-Residential Rates – Base Volume Rates |
||
| Multifamily | ||
| All usage | $1.76 | $1.86 |
| Mobile Home Parks with Sub-meters |
||
| All usage | $1.39 | $1.47 |
| Commercial | ||
| All usage | $1.63 | $1.71 |
| Industrial | ||
| All usage | $1.61 | $1.63 |
| Construction Water | ||
| All usage | $1.94 | $1.95 |
| Non-Residential Summer Surcharges |
||
| Tier 1, per Ccf | $.95 | No change |
| Tier 2, per Ccf | $.25 | No change |
Note: 1 Ccf = 748 Gallons
CAP Charge
| Current Charge per Ccf | New Charge per Ccf |
|---|---|
| $0.05 | No change |
Conservation Charge
| Current Charge per Ccf | New Charge per Ccf (effective July 7, 2008) |
|---|---|
| None | $0.03 |
FIRE SPRINKLER RATES
(Fire Protection)
Monthly Service Charge
| Connection Size | Current Rates | New Rates (effective July 7, 2008) | 2 inch | $6.08 | $6.26 | 3 inch | $9.36 | $10.03 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 inch | $13.94 | $15.31 |
| 6 inch | $25.73 | $28.88 |
| 8 inch | $37.51 | $42.45 |
| 10 inch | $56.18 | $63.94 |
| 12 inch | $90.88 | $103.90 |
RECLAIMED WATER RATES
Monthly Service Charge
| Meter Size | Current Rates | New Rates (effective July 7, 2008) |
|---|---|---|
| 5/8 inch | $5.42 | $5.52 |
| 1 inch | $8.17 | $10.07 |
| 1-1/2 inch | $13.31 | $17.65 |
| 2 inch | $19.58 | $26.74 |
| 2-1/2 inch | $27.98 | $38.86 |
| 3 inch | $36.37 | $50.99 |
| 4 inch | $60.31 | $85.85 |
| 6 inch | $120.47 | $173.14 |
| 8 inch | $180.50 | $260.13 |
| 10 inch | $274.49 | $396.53 |
| 12 inch | $451.97 | $654.18 |
Usage Charge
| Current Charge per Ccf | New Charge per Ccf |
|---|---|
| $1.60 | No change |
Most of Tucson Water's customers are in the single-family class. Single-family customers tend to be low-volume water users. In fact, about 78% of customers in this class use 15 Ccf (11,220 gallons) or less of water, on average, monthly. Shown below is the water bill at various levels of monthly use for this customer class.
| Usage (Ccf) | Current Monthly Bill | New Monthly Bill | Dollar Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $5.42 | $5.52 | $0.10 |
| 5 | $11.52 | $11.92 | $0.40 |
| 10 (Winter average) | $17.62 | $18.32 | $0.70 |
| 14 (Summer average) | $22.50 | $23.44 | $0.94 |
| 15 | $23.72 | $24.72 | $1.00 |
| 20 | $44.42 | $47.57 | $3.15 |
| 30 | $85.82 | $93.27 | $7.45 |
| 40 | $144.12 | $157.87 | $13.75 |
| 50 | $213.67 | $235.12 | $21.45 |
All amounts shown are before tax. Taxes billed are turned over to the taxing authority and are not revenues of Tucson Water. Current tax rates: 2.0%, City of Tucson; 6.1%, State of Arizona; 4.0%, Town of Marana; 2.0%, Town of Oro Valley.
Under both the current and new rate schedules, water bills are intended to send a conservation message: use more water, pay more; use less water, pay less.
