Winter Quarter Average  

The Fort Worth Water Department uses winter quarter averaging to determine the volume charged on residential sewer bills for the 12-month period beginning in April of each year. The amount of water a household uses in the three winter months is totaled and divided by the number of days during that period to obtain a daily average. This daily average is used to get a monthly average volume.

These months are used because water usage is usually low with minimal landscape watering. To compensate for warm, dry winters, the Fort Worth City Council has placed a ceiling of 3,000 cubic feet per month on the residential sewer volume.

The exact three-month period used to determine a household's annual sewer volume charges varies and is based on billing cycles. The months used are December, January and February, with the service period that starts in December considered the December usage. Therefore, the service dates shown on a resident's water bill will provide this information. Typically, these are the bills residents receive in January, February and March.

For more information, please call our 24-hour Customer Service at 817-392.4477.