MCES Rates and Charges
1. Municipal Wastewater Charges (charged to local government units):
The charge to communities for sewer service treatment. All 105 customer communities pay MCES an allocated portion of MCES Municipal Wastewater Charges based on the proportion of each community's volume of wastewater treated to total system flow. Most cities cover their own sewer costs by charging a higher "retail" rate to residents and businesses. Those rates are specific to each city.
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Total MCES Municipal Wastewater Charges: | $173,649,000 |
| Total system flow (July 1 to June 30 flow period): | 93.68 BG |
- Municipal Wastewater Charge Fact Sheet (PDF)
- 2012 Municipal Wastewater Charges by City (PDF)
- 2010 Municipal Residential Wastewater Rates (PDF)
- Dispute Resolution - A summary of the steps required for resolution of a disputed bill.
2. Metropolitan Sewer Availability Charge (SAC) (charged to local government units and other communities with building authority):
A one-time fee for new connections or increased capacity demanded of the metropolitan wastewater system. One SAC unit equals 274 gallons of maximum potential daily wastewater flow volume. Communities are charged one SAC for a single-family residence. Local governments pay a prorated SAC fee for all other types of buildings or wastewater demand based on the estimated capacity of wastewater they may demand. Additional information is on the SAC Program website.
Metropolitan Sewer Availability Charge
| 2012 SAC | ||
|---|---|---|
| Base Unit Fee: Single-Family Dwelling | $2,365 |
|
| Apartment (without individual laundry facilities) | 20% discount |
|
| Multi-Dwelling Public Housing (without garbage disposals nor dishwashers) | 25% discount |
|
| Multi-Dwelling Public Housing (without individual laundry facilities, garbage disposals nor dishwashers) | 40% discount |
|
| Qualified Outdoor Spaces (effective 10/1/09) | 75% Discount | |
| Commercial: Base unit fee times number of residential equivalent units (REUs) where the number of REUs is based on an estimated maximum potential flow | ||
| Industrial: Based on fee times number REUs where the number of REUs is based on maximum normal flow volume | ||
3. Industrial Strength Charges (charged directly to industries):
Fees for additional treatment costs caused by industrial wastewater that has more pollutants than typical residential wastewater. Industrial strength charges are based on the concentration of pollutants (as measured by Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)) and the volume of the discharge. Strength charge rates are set by the Council based on expenses at wastewater treatment plants for treating TSS and COD in excess of normal residential wastewater. Industrial users are also subject to normal municipal wastewater (volume) charges. Of the approximately 850 permitted Industrial Users in 2010, about 325 pay strength charges to MCES.
| Industrial Strength Charges - within Council Region | 2012 Rates |
|---|---|
| Cost per excess pound of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) | $0.160 |
| Cost per excess pound of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) | $0.080 |
4. Liquid Waste Hauler Load Charges (charged directly to haulers):
Liquid waste haulers pay MCES for septage, leachate, and other hauled wastes that are discharged to approved MCES disposal sites. The load charge combines a strength charge component, a facilities component and a volume component. The volume component is based on the MCES municipal wastewater rate. In addition, a $15.00 per 1,000 gallons Service Fee applies to hauled wastes originating outside the Region. Load charges are different for holding tank, portable toilet waste, septage, and industrial wastes.
| Load Charges (per 1,000 gallons) | 2012 Rates |
|---|---|
| Standard Load Charge | $49.97 |
| Holding Tank Rate | $6.78 |
| Portable Toilet Waste Rate | $63.73 |
| Collar County Load Charge (Includes $15.00 per 1,000 gallons service fee for waste from outside the region) | $64.97 |
5. Industrial Discharge Permit Fees (charged directly to industries):
Industrial Users of the system must apply for a permit from MCES to discharge wastewater. Those Industrial Users issued a permit are subject to annual permit fees, which recover a portion of the costs to administer the industrial pretreatment program. Permit fees are based on permit type, annual volume of wastewater, Significant Industrial User (SIU) status, and reporting frequency.
6. Temporary Capacity Charge (formerly "Add-on-Service Charge", which is charged to local government units or to industries):
Assessed to special discharge permittees for disposal of treated, contaminated groundwater. Charge is assessed in lieu of SAC due to the temporary nature of a service. The 2012 rate is $1.18 per thousand gallons.
7. Self-monitoring Report Late Fees (charged to industries):
Assessed to permittees who fail to submit a complete self-monitoring report on a timely basis. The late fee amount is based on the frequency and severity of late reports.
8. Stipulation Agreement Payment (charged to industries):
Negotiated monthly payments and daily penalties intended to negate the economic advantage of noncompliance with federal pretreatment standards or local limits.
9. Industrial Waste Cost Recovery Fees (charged to responsible/requesting parties):
Used to recover MCES costs from any responsible party associated with spill or enforcement responses, non-routine data requests, special discharge requests, orders to appear, or notice of violations.
10. Inflow/Infiltration Surcharge (charged to local government units):
Surcharge adopted by the Metropolitan Council in February 2006 to reduce the impact of I/I on wastewater capacity and to insure that the wastewater capacity of the system is available for future development. The program began 1/1/2007. For additional information, view the I/I Program web pages.
11. Encroachment Application Fee (charged to private parties that propose to encroach):
The fee recovers administrative costs for time spent by MCES staff developing and processing encroachment agreements. It covers the average costs associated with reviewing the application and preparing the agreement. Additional information may be found on the interceptor web pages. The Fee (per easement impacted) is $600 in 2011 and 2012.
12. Direct Connection Application Fee (charged to local government units):
This fee, which is billed to the city or township, applies when a request is made to connect directly to an MCES interceptor. It recovers administrative costs for time spent by MCES staff on a connection request (an of average 16 hours is spent permitting, reviewing, modifying, drawing and inspecting). Since about half of MCES staff time spent on a request is done before the actual connection is made, half of the fee will be refunded if MCES does not approve the connection. This fee, which became effective 1/1/08, is $1,000 in 2011 and 2012. Connection Application Form link can be found on the interceptor web page.