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Sewer Rates
Who's your sewer provider?
We provide sewer service to areas in the city of Charleston, unincorporated areas in West Ashley, parts of Johns Island, and the Cainhoy peninsula.
For CWS water customers outside of these areas, public sewer service is provided by one of these utilities:
- Berkeley County Water & Sanitation >>
- Dorchester County Water and Sewer Department >>
- James Island Public Service District >>
- North Charleston Sewer District >>
- Town of Hollywood >>
- Town of Meggett >>
- Town of Ravenel >>
We're the billing agent for some of these sewer providers (noted on your bill), but we don't set their rates or manage infrastructure.
Sewer Rates
Sewer rates are based on water consumption because the majority of water you use goes down drains/toilets and ends up in the sewer system. We charge a minimum monthly sewer bill for the first 2 Ccf of wastewater volume and a specific rate for each additional Ccf (748 gal).
For single-family residential customers that do not have an irrigation meter, sewer charges are based on 95% of metered water usage. Residential sewer customers who receive their water service from St. Johns Water Company are billed for sewer based on 100% of water usage.
For multi-family residential customers, single-family residential customers with an irrigation meter, and commercial customers, sewer charges are based on 100% of metered water usage
| Inside City | Outside City |
|---|---|
| $35.00 | $49.40 |
Volume Charge
Billable sewer use is calculated at 100% of metered water use for commercial customers, multi-family residential customers, and single-family residential customers that have a separate irrigation meter. Single family residential customers that do not have a separate irrigation meter are billed for sewer based on 95% of metered water use.
The first 2 Ccf of sewer volume is included in the minimum bill. Usage above that is billed per Ccf.
Volume Charge for Sewer Use Above 2 Ccf
| Sewer Use (Ccf)* Based on metered water use | Inside City Rate | Outside City Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Over 2 Ccf | $9.53 per Ccf | $14.10 per Ccf |
| Max charge for single family residential customers that do not have an irrigation meter (17.1 Ccf) | $178.90 | $262.31 |
| Non-metered flat rate (6 Ccf) | $70.26 | $101.57 |
*Notes:
- Volume billed for in cubic feet (CF) for all fractional usage under a hundred cubic feet (Ccf).
- Sewer charges for single-family residential customers that do not have a separate irrigation meter are based on 95% of water use. For example, 7 Ccf of water use would be billed for 6.65 Ccf of sewer use (7 x 0.95 = 6.65).
- Sewer charges for residential customers that have separate irrigation meter and all other customer classes are based on 100% of metered water usage.
- Sewer charges for non-residential or multi-family accounts are based on 100% of water use.
- CWS residential sewer customers who are provided retail water service by St. Johns Water Company are billed for wastewater based on 100% of water volume.
- Sewer cap - Single family residential customers without an irrigation meter will be charged no more than the maximum rate for wastewater service. The maximum charge is based on 18 Ccf of water usage (17.1 Ccf wastewater volume).
Non-metered flat rate
Our sewer customers who do not have metered water service are billed the non-metered flat rate, which is based on 6 Ccf of sewer volume.
Irrigation Meters
We offer separate irrigation meters for customers who use a high volume of water for irrigation purposes. Irrigation meters are not charged for sewer. Learn more about irrigation meters
Purchased Treatment
In addition to retail sewer service, we provide treatment services to municipalities including the James Island Public Service District and the towns of Hollywood, Ravenel, and Meggett.
Wastewater from these areas flows through a master meter and is treated at our Plum Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. We do not provide direct service to these customers.