EUGENE WATER  &  ELECTRIC  BOARD

For more than a century, the Eugene Water & Electric Board has provided its customers with high-quality water services at reasonable rates. As Oregon's largest citizen-owned municipal utility, we strive to keep you informed about any changes in your water rates.

EWEB Commissioners in December 2012 approved the 2013 budget, along with an average water rate increase of 20 percent. Read the February 2013 Water Rate Proposal for details.

The primary factors driving the water rate increase include:

• EWEB's overall water sales have declined by about 20 percent since 2008, leaving the utility short of recovering fixed expenses, which account for about 90 of the water utility's costs.
• There is a continued need to replace aging infrastructure in order to reliably deliver safe water to customers. The extensive capital required to operate a large filtration plant and maintain about 800 miles of distribution pipes comes with high fixed costs.

Going forward, EWEB is proposing to rely less on the volume of water it sells to generate revenue, and move to a model that has a higher basic charge. This will put EWEB's rate structure in line with the fixed-cost nature of the water utility. Many water utilities in the Northwest and throughout the country are following a similar trend (see a Northwest utility water rate comparison).

Read the following related news stories:

• Inside Portland's rising utility rates: Less water consumption means higher prices
  (The Oregonian, Feb. 19, 2013)
• Water costs gush higher
  (USA Today, Sept. 29, 2012)

Your monthly water bill is composed of three main parts:

• Basic Charge: This is based on meter size and covers the cost of services that must be provided regardless of how much water you use per month. This includes meter reading, billing and customer service.
• Consumption Charge: This applies to the amount of water you use per month and is expressed in thousands of gallons, or "kgals."
• Elevation Charges: If applicable, this recovers the cost of pumping water to higher-elevation customers.

(Effective Feb. 1, 2013)

• Residential service inside the city limits of Eugene
• Residential service outside the city limits of Eugene
• General service inside the city limits of Eugene
• General service outside the city limits of Eugene
• Water system development charges
• Other water rates

Get answers to some of your frequently asked rate questions.

EWEB is appointed by the City Charter to collect and remit to the City of Eugene all charges for wastewater and stormwater services. EWEB has no relationship with the City's wastewater and stormwater system operation or rates and acts only as the City's billing agent. For more information about these charges, call 541-682-4900 or visit the City of Eugene's website.

The following graph illustrates how EWEB's water rates (as of February 2013) compare to rates in 13 other Northwest communities.

Email our Senior Financial/ Rates Analyst with any further questions.