User Fee Structure:
There are two classes of users: Residential and Commercial (including industrial). The WSA sewer user charges include fixed fees and consumption-based fees. See Changes to sewer usage charges & Sewer user fee history
Authority: Rhode Island Public Law 1962, Chapter 254 (as amended) created the Warwick Sewer Authority
(WSA) and directs the WSA to:
“provide that annual charges shall be made upon the owners of the lands using the sewer works and that sewer assessments shall be made upon the owners of lands for which the use of sewage works is available. The sewer authority may further provide that connect capable charges shall be made upon property owners whose property is abutting on that portion of any highway in which a common sewer is laid, while said property remains unconnected to the city’s sewage system.”
In addition, the Law states:
“Annual charges shall be levied upon every property owner or institution whose property is connected to the City’s sewage system. The charge will be computed based upon water consumption or other factors deemed equitable by the sewer authority. The annual charge should be set at a level sufficient to support operation and maintenance costs of the wastewater treatment plant, the renewal and replacement fund and the principal and interest for any bonds or notes issued for the sewage works.”
The WSA enabling legislation is included in the City of Warwick Code of Ordinances.
In addition, the WSA has adopted Rules and Regulations that govern sewer use and user and assessment and other fees and charges. Specifically, Regulations 37, 38, 39, 40, 43 and 52 define the sewer user charges and their requirements. A copy of these Rules and Regulations are available from the Warwick Sewer Authority.
Purpose: Customers of the Warwick sewer system are charged a sewer user fee by the Warwick Sewer Authority. This fee is to support the operation and maintenance of the Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, located at 125 Arthur W. Devine Blvd, over 48 wastewater pumping station and nearly 300 miles of sanitary sewers. The WSA operates as an Enterprise Fund within the City of Warwick. Fees, charges and assessments levied by the WSA are used only for the operations, programs and activities of the WSA.
Deduct Meters: Customers that use water that is used outside an not discharged to the sewer system may have a “Deduct” meter installed to define the amount of water not returned to the facility for treatment.
To have a Deduct meter installed, contact the Warwick Sewer Authority at 401-468-4710 for more information.
Frequency of Billings:
Kent County Water Authority customers: User fees are billed on a quarterly basis, generally in July, October, January and April.
Warwick Water Customers: bills are generated in March, June, September and December.
Minor Corrections to Billings: Minor corrections, such as meter reading errors, may be corrected by providing the basis for the correction to the WSA. Call 401-468-4731.
Appeal of Billing: Sewer Assessment bills may be appealed to the Warwick Sewer Board of Review, 3275 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886. For an appeal to be heard, it must be filed within 60 days of the date of the assessment notice.
Late Payments: Payment is due and payable within 60 days of receipt of the sewer usage bill. Payments received after that are assessed an interest penalty at the rate of 12% per year.
The Warwick Sewer Authority has drafted proposed Regulations which include a new sewer assessment methodology. A public hearing to introduce the Regulations is scheduled for September 25th.
Approved Regulations and sewer assessment methodology will be posted to the WSA website following Board approval.
1. What is my Assessment Fee?
Your assessment fee is based on Equivalent Dwelling Units or EDUs. A single family home would be considered one (1) EDU. A table follows that includes an EDU description and the associated assessment fee. The cost per EDU is calculated for each project and based on the project cost.
2. What does the Assessment Fee include?
The assessment fee includes engineering costs for sewer project's design and construction administration, as well as materials (including grinder pumps if a low pressure system), construction, paving and labor costs. It is important to note, as per RI General Law, a public utility is required to pave curb to curb after construction.
3. How long do I have to pay my Assessment Fee? What is the interest rate?
Sewer assessments may be paid in 20 annual payments. Alternatively, you may pay your assessment in full without penalty. In the case of installment payments, interest at a rate not to exceed a maximum rate of 1.25% above the average interest rate the WSA is charged on the loans used to fund the construction of the sewers shall be charged annually on the unbilled balance of the total sewer assessment.
4. Does the assessment include connection from my home to the sewer service connection?
No, the property owner is responsible for the cost of connecting to the sewer system. The cost to connect to the sewer will vary from home to home. The fee may be dependent on several factors, including, but not limited to, the distance from the foundation of the residence to the sewer service connection provided at the property line. The WSA strongly advises that all residents obtain more than one (1) quotation in order to receive the most reasonable sewer connection fee.
5. Do vacant lots receive an assessment fee?
Yes they do receive an assessment fee. Undeveloped residential or non-residential lots that can be developed will be assessed at one (1) EDU.
If, at the time the parcel is developed, those improvements result in a change of use or additional structures, the WSA will reassess the parcel with the additional assessment(s). The WSA reserves the right to reassess parcels for an increase in EDUs based on the residential and commercial rates set forth in the Regulations that are in effect at the time of development.
6. What happens if I sell my home? Will I still be responsible for paying the assessment?
If you sell your home prior to paying off the sewer assessment, the buyer assumes the responsibility for the remaining years of the assessment. The seller is responsible for only those amounts that have been billed prior to sale.
7. Do I have to connect to the sewer system if I have a functioning septic system (OWTS, On-site Wastewater Treatment System)?
As long as your system is functioning properly, you would not need to connect to the sewers.
A property owner is mandated to connect only under the following conditions:
* If the OWTS/septic system fails.
* If the property sells or transfers ownership, then the buyer is mandated to connect within one year of sale. If the buyer doesn't connect, then they will be charged a mandatory connection penalty.
* The property is serviced by a cesspool and is within 200 ft. of a coastal feature, drinking well, or other body of water.
8. I recently installed a new septic system. Does the WSA have a program that would provide for a delay in starting assessment payments?
Yes, the WSA has an Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS) Deferment that you may qualify for. The deferment is only for new systems. Repairs or upgrades to existing OWTS' do not qualify for the 20 year deferment.
Per section 9.2.4.b of the Warwick Sewer WSA's (WSA) regulations as follows:
"The WSA may defer sewer assessments against any parcels if the owner of a parcel has installed a RIDEM-permitted OWTS within twenty (20) years of sewer service initially becoming operational, provided that such parcel shall remain subject to assessment and shall begin paying such assessment twenty (20) years from the date of the installation of the OWTS or upon connection to the sewer system, whichever occurs first."
For example, if you installed a new OWTS in 2013. Your assessment would be deferred for twenty (20) years from date of installation, regardless of when the property was originally assessed. With an installation date of 2013, the deferment would end in 2033. When the deferment ends you would receive the first assessment bill the following year. As with this example, if your deferment ends in 2033, you would receive your first assessment bill in 2034. Once the deferment ends, you would be billed the same amount, and at the same interest rate, you would have been billed if you didn't receive the deferment.
In order to request an OWTS deferment, the WSA requires the following information:
* A request, via email or regular mail, requesting the deferment. This letter should include your name, the property address, and the date that the system was installed.
* A Certificate of Conformance from RI DEM for the installation of the new OWTS. If you do not have a copy, it can be obtained from https://www.ri.gov/DEM/owts/permits.
Once this request is received, it will be reviewed by the WSA. Confirmation will be sent, in writing, regarding the details of the assessment.
Please know, if you connect your property to the sewer system during the deferment period, your deferment ends. At that time you would start receiving your annual assessment bills. You would also receive a sewer usage bill as part of your quarterly water/sewer utility bill.
9. I received confirmation from the WSA that I qualify for a deferment, however I've decided to sell my home. Does the deferment pass to the buyer of my home?
If you sell your property, it is mandated that the buyer connects to the sewers within one year of sale. The buyer would start receiving the assessment bills as soon as they connect. The buyer would also receive a sewer usage bill as part of their quarterly water/sewer utility bill.
If the buyer does not connect to the sewer within one year of purchase they will receive a mandatory connection penalty equivalent to sewer usage fees as if the parcel were connected to the sewer system.
For more information you can call the
Warwick Sewer Authority
Tel. 739-4949, 468-4731 or 468-4710
Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Warwick Sewer Authority