Where Do Wastewater Rates Go?

Pipeline May Jun 2019 Banner 2

Update: On Tuesday, June 11, 2019, the EBMUD Board adopted new rates to support water and wastewater system upgrades, environmental protection, and financial stability. Learn more about bill impacts and budget priorities here. 

EBMUD processes about 56 million gallons of wastewater every day for 685,000 customers from Richmond to San Leandro. EBMUD captures wastewater collected by other municipal sewer systems and cleans it—extracting energy in the process—before releasing it to San Francisco Bay. Over time, EBMUD has improved the process so that the district generates more power than necessary to operate the entire Oakland Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

Rate dollar at work 

Proposed rate increases for the EBMUD Wastewater System will go toward:

Budget and rates resources

  • Attend the public hearing on Rates and Charges at the Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, June 11 at 1:15 p.m. at EBMUD, 375 11th Street in Oakland. The Board will hear comments and vote on the proposed rates and budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
  • You may also listen to Board meetings  here.
  • You can also follow us on Twitter  and Facebook for budget updates.  

46¢  Infrastructure Improvements 

Cash funding and repayment of bonds that finance long-term infrastructure investment at wastewater treatment facilities.

33¢  Wastewater Service 
Operations and engineering at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Laboratory, which processes more than 20,000 water quality samples per year; wet weather facilities that prevent untreated sewage from flowing into San Francisco Bay. 

12¢  Pollution Prevention 
Education programs, outreach and environmental services to reduce pollution by industrial, commercial and residential customers. 

  Administration 
Human resources, finance, information technology and other support services.

  Customer Service 
Billing and collection services. 

= $1 Total

Proposed Wastewater Rates and Fees

As a result of a 2019 cost of service study, some wastewater rates and charges for Fiscal Year 2020 will decrease and some will increase. For FY2021 the rates would increase an additional 4%.

Wastewater Infrastructure

$70 million:

Along the East Bay waterfront EBMUD will rehabilitate large sewer interceptors, pump stations, and make improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oakland.