Wastewater rates

Wastewater Rate Schedule - Effective July 1, 2023

EBMUD provides wastewater treatment services for Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Kensington, Oakland, Piedmont, and parts of Richmond. The wastewater treatment charges are detailed below and are based on the type of customer, and on wastewater strength and volume.

Single Family Monthly Charges (BCC 8800)

A. Service charge $8.56
B. SF Bay Residential Pollution Prevention Fee $0.20
C. Strength charge $8.92
D. Flow charge of $1.55 per unit* of flow up to a maximum of 9 units of wastewater discharge per month.
Maximum Flow Charge
$13.95
E. Total Single Family Charge (A+B+C+D)
Maximum Monthly Charge
$31.63

*1 flow unit = 1 Ccf = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

Multiple Dwelling (2-4 Units) Monthly Charges (BCC 6514)

A. Service charge (per account) $8.56
B. SF Bay Residential Pollution Prevention Fee (per dwelling unit) $0.20
C. Strength charge (per dwelling unit) $8.92
D. Flow charge of $1.55 per unit* of flow per month up to a maximum of 9 units per dwelling unit
Maximum Flow Charge (Duplex)
Maximum Flow Charge (Triplex)
Maximum Flow Charge (Fourplex)

 

$27.90
$41.85
$55.80

E. Total Multiple Dwelling Charge (A+B+C+D)
Maximum Monthly Charge (Duplex)
Maximum Monthly Charge (Triplex)
Maximum Monthly Charge (Fourplex)
$54.70
$77.77
$100.84

*1 flow unit = 1 Ccf = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

Non-Residential Treatment Charges

Non-residential users are assigned typical waste strengths by business classification code (BCC) for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS).

Flow $1.546 per unit of flow*
COD $0.157 per pound
TSS $0.647 per pound

The table below presents the BCC rates. Users whose wastewater strengths exceed the assigned strengths are required to obtain wastewater discharge permits under EBMUD's permit program.

A. Monthly service charge (per account) $8.56  
B. Monthly SF Bay Commercial Pollution Prevention Fee $5.48
C. Strength Charge
 
BCC Business Classification Rate Per Unit* Strength
COD
(mg/l)
TSS
(mg/l)
2010 Meat Products $10.84 7,752 420
2011 Slaughterhouses $10.36 3,230 1,400
2020 Dairy Product Processing $8.50 5,491 390
2030 Fruit and Vegetable Processing $6.84 3,876 370
2040 Grain Mills $6.81 2,196 770
2050 Bakeries (including pastries) $11.77 5,491 1,200
2060 Sugar Processing $6.73 5,168 30
2077 Rendering Tallow $20.42 4,845 3,500
2080 Beverage Manufacturing and Bottling $5.11 3,101 130
2090 Specialty Foods Manufacturing $21.98 15,504 1,300
2600 Pulp and Paper Products $5.84 1,744 640
2810 Inorganic Chemicals Manufacturing $7.51 323 1,400
2820 Synthetic Material Manufacturing $1.76 97 30
2830 Drug Manufacturing $3.79 2,003 70
2840 Cleaning and Sanitation Products $7.67 4,522 420
2850 Paint Manufacturing $14.79 7,752 1,400
2893 Ink and Pigment Manufacturing $5.35 3,553 80
3110 Leather Tanning and Finishing $20.43 12,274 1,700
3200 Earthenware Manufacturing $4.15 388 550
3300 Primary Metals Manufacturing $3.28 291 360
3400 Metal Products Fabricating $1.92 258 30
3410 Drum and Barrel Manufacturing $20.80 13,889 1,400
3470 Metal Coating $2.08 258 70
4500 Air Transportation $2.74 808 100
4951 Groundwater Remediation $1.60 15 2
5812 Food Service Establishments $7.11 1,809 940
6513 Apartment Buildings
(5 or more units)
$3.46 713 300
7000 Hotels, Motels with Food Service $5.11 840 680
7210 Commercial Laundries $4.60 1,841 310
7215 Coin-Operated Laundromats $3.45 1,163 190
7218 Industrial Laundries $13.08 8,721 740
7300 Laboratories $2.47 614 80
7542 Automobile Washing and Polishing $3.27 937 200
8060 Hospitals $3.14 517 270
8200 Schools $2.31 452 80
  All Other BCCs $3.46 713 300
Minimum Monthly Treatment Charge
6513 Apartment Buildings (5 or more units) $53.16  
  All Other BCCs $8.56
D. Total Non-Residential Charge = A +B +C

* Treatment charge per unit of flow: 1 flow unit = 1 Ccf = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

Multi-Use Facility Rates effective July 1, 2023

For any accounts coded with an SD rate 5, if a Multi-Use or MT code is present, then the account will be billed at the metered rate effective 7/1/23 for the MT code as follows:

MT Code Charge per CCUFT*
A $3.460
B $3.825
C $4.190
D $4.555
E $4.920
F $5.285
G $5.650
H $6.015
I $6.380
J $6.745
K $3.460
L $4.291
M $5.122
N $5.953
O $6.784
P $7.615
Q $8.446
R $9.277
S $10.108
T $10.939

*CCUFT = 100 cubic feet = 1 Ccf = 1 flow unit = 748 gallons

Minimum strength and service charges still apply for multi-use facility accounts.

Wastewater Discharge Permit Program Fees

The following fees apply to new and existing permit holders under the provisions of the EBMUD Wastewater Control Ordinance.

A. Discharge Minimization Permit (mostly applies to industrial facilities)
Annual Permit Fee $3,320
Monitoring Fee (for EBMUD inspections) $1,820
Laboratory Testing Fees based on analysis
B. Flow Estimation Annual Permit Fee (when discharge does not match consumption) $1,290
C. Special Discharge Permit Fee (usually for construction dewatering and similar) $3,050

FY24 Rates for Resource Recovery Material Treatment(1)

Material Type Rate(2)
Septage Up to $0.12/gal
Fats, Oil and Grease Up to $0.13/gal
Process Water Up to $0.10/gal
Brine Variable with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
Up to $0.10/gal < 50,000 mg/L TDS
Up to $0.11/gal 50,001 - 100,000 mg/L TDS
Up to $0.13/gal > 100,000 mg/L TDS
Sludge Variable with % Total Solids (TS)
Up to $0.11/gal up to 3% TS plus $0.005/gal
per % TS for TS between 3% to 20%
Clean Liquid Food Waste Slurry(3) Variable with % Total Solids (TS)
Up to $0.07/gal up to 3% TS plus $0.005/gal
per % TS for TS between 3% to 20%
Liquid Organic Material Up to $0.09/gal
Protein Material Up to $0.15/gal
Solid Organic Material $30/ton - $120/ton(4)
Permit Fee $400 (per year)

(1) Payment collection for all Resource Recovery accounts shall follow the payment collection provisions contained in Section 13, Payment of Bills in the Regulations Governing Water Service to the Customers of EBMUD and Items C and K, Returned Payment Charge and Late Payment Penalty and Interest, of Schedule C of the Water System Rates and Charges.

(2)For special accommodations, additional charges for actual personnel costs, equipment costs, and lab costs associated with the special accommodation will apply. Special accommodations include services provided by the District above and beyond what is typical, such as evaluation and testing of a unique material stream, special equipment to receive and process material, accommodations for large volumes, special off-hour deliveries that require additional staff support, or special treatment requirements.

(3)Clean liquid food waste slurry must behave as a liquid and contain minimal amounts of contamination. Food waste slurries that require additional contamination removal do not qualify for this rate.

(4)Based on treatment costs (residual solids dewatering and disposal), gas production, volumes and other costs or benefits to the District.

Wastewater Capacity Fee

A capacity fee is assessed to each new customer or each existing customer who increases demand for treatment processing on or after July 1, 1984, measured in wastewater volume and strength.

The capacity fee is a one-time charge based on the maximum monthly wastewater volume and average strength calculated at the following rates. The Wastewater Capacity Fee for a Single Family residence (BCC 8800) is $3,170. The fees for Multi-Family units (BCC 6513 and 6514) are $1,730 per dwelling unit 500 sq. ft. or less and $2,220 per dwelling unit greater than 500 sq. ft.

Flow (volume) $15.94/unit*/year
COD $1.67/pound/year
TSS $7.66/pound/year

*1 flow unit = 1 Ccf = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

Wet Weather Facilities Charge*

The Wet Weather Facilities Charge (WWFC) was established in 1987 (Resolution No. 31890) to recover the ongoing capital costs of implementing the District’s wet weather program. The program provides storage, conveyance, and treatment facilities for the excess wastewater flows that enter the sewer collection system during wet weather in order to prevent the release of untreated wastewater to San Francisco Bay.

The WWFC funds capital expenses associated with wet weather flows, including maintenance, replacement and rehabilitation of the District’s wet weather facilities. The WWFC is assessed on every developed parcel within the boundaries of EBMUD’s Special District No. 1 (Wastewater Service Area) that has a connection to a community sewer collection system.

The WWFC is billed annually in two stages, first on taxable parcels and later on tax-exempt parcels (mainly public agencies). The charge on taxable parcels is billed on property tax bills through the Tax Collectors’ offices in the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. While not a tax, the WWFC is collected on property tax bills under agreements with the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa in order to separate it from regular sewage treatment charges. For tax-exempt properties, that do not receive tax bills, the charge is billed during the April to June billing periods directly to the exempt property owner by the District. Property owners on taxable properties whom the District is unable to charge via tax roll are also billed by the District at the same time as exempt parcels.

Assessor Parcel Lot Size Amount (FY 2024)
Small Lot (0-5,000 sq ft) $135.82/year
Medium Lot (5,001-10,000 sq ft) $212.12/year
Large Lot (>10,000 sq ft) $484.78/year

*Collected on the property tax bill. For properties that do not receive a property tax bill, charges will be billed directly to the property owner.

SF Bay Commercial Pollution Prevention Fee

All non-residential customers in EBMUD's Wastewater System are billed a monthly SF Bay Commercial Pollution Prevention fee to fund the EBMUD Pollution Prevention Program. The monthly fee is $5.48. A separate fee is applicable to BCC 8800, BCC 6513, and BCC 6514, the residential BCCs, as noted below.

SF Bay Residential Pollution Prevention Fee

All residential customers in EBMUD's Wastewater System, including BCC 8800, BCC 6513 and BCC 6514, are billed a monthly SF Bay Residential Pollution Prevention fee to fund programs to reduce residential pollutant loadings to the treatment plant and San Francisco Bay. The monthly fee is $0.20/month per dwelling unit up to five dwelling units.