Bill Calculator

Use our bill calculator and learn how Moulton Niguel maintains the lowest average bill in South Orange County!

Maintaining the Lowest Average Bill in South Orange County

 

Moulton Niguel Water District continues to deliver the lowest average combined water and wastewater bill in South Orange County.  We constantly strive to control costs and make prudent investments to provide the highest level of service and value to our customers.

Beginning February 1, 2018, Moulton Niguel will send bills with new wastewater rates for 2018, based on a reduced service charge and on your household size. Adopted by Moulton Niguel’s Board of Directors in December 2017, the rate adjustments are necessary to maintain our commitment to a high level of reliable service to you.

Key Rate Drivers:

 

  • Wastewater treatment costs from SOCWA to Moulton Niguel have increased significantly
    • Operating budget for FY 2017-18 increased $1M from FY 2016-17 or about 10%
    • Administrative costs from SOCWA have increased over 80% over the past 3 years

     

  • Investing in infrastructure
    • Over $270 M investment in replacement and reliability over next 10 years

     

  • Imported water costs from Metropolitan Water District are increasing
    • Imported costs expected to increase 4% annually over next 10 years or almost 50% cumulatively

How will this affect me?

 

You can use the Interactive Bill Calculator to see how these changes may affect your monthly bill.

Questions?

How do I calculate my water budget?

Every month, each customer receives a calculated “water budget” that represents an efficient volume of water that meets his or her individualized water needs. There are five customer classes:

  1. Single-Family Residential
  2. Multi-Family Residential
  3. Commercial
  4. Irrigation
  5. Recycled Water Customers

Single-Family & Multi-Family Residential Customers
Total Household water budget = Indoor water budget + Outdoor water budget. All water used by a residential or multi-family customer within his or her calculated indoor water budget is billed at the Tier 1 rate and outdoor water budget is billed at the Tier 2 rate.

 

Public Spaces Irrigation Customers:
Total water budget = Irrigable area (square footage per parcel) x Evapotranspiration x 1.0 plant factor x 0.62 / 748 (conversion factor to calculate budget in HCF). All water used by a public spaces irrigation customer within his or her calculated outdoor water budget is billed at the Tier 1 rate.

 

Recycled Water Customers:
Total water budget = Irrigable area (square footage per parcel) x Evapotranspiration x 0.8 plant factor x 0.62 / 748 (conversion factor to calculate budget in HCF). All water used by a recycled water customer within his or her calculated outdoor water budget is billed at the Tier 1 rate.

 

Irrigation Customers:
Total water budget = Irrigable area (square footage per parcel) x Evapotranspiration x 0.7 plant factor x 0.62 / 748 (conversion factor to calculate budget in HCF). All water used by an irrigation customer within his or her calculated outdoor water budget is billed at the Tier 1 rate.

 

Commercial Customers:
Total water budget = Calculated as a three-year rolling average of daily water use for the respective billing cycle. All water used by a commercial customer within his or her calculated water budget is billed at the Tier 1 rate.

 

How do I calculate my bill?

You can use the bill calculator app to see how changes in your water usage may affect your monthly bill.  For more details of the approved changes and annual rate schedules, please see our 2018 Notice of Public Hearing.

Your wastewater bill is comprised of two components:

  • A fixed monthly service charge representing the share of the District’s fixed costs associated with providing ongoing wastewater service to your property.
  • A per-person charge representing the share of variable costs associated with providing wastewater service to a household of your size to accurately capture the wastewater treatment cost increases from SOCWA.

Your water bill is comprised of two components:

  • A fixed monthly service charge that is designed to recover a significant portion of the District’s fixed costs (e.g. facility repairs and maintenance, meter reading, billing, customer service costs) and is established based on the size of the water meter serving your property.
  • A variable volumetric water consumption charge, which is based on the number of units of water you use (one unit of water is equal to one hundred cubic feet (HCF), or 748 gallons). Each billing unit of water you use is grouped into a tier based on your individualized water budget, with higher rates assessed for usage in excess of your budget.

To see how the changes may impact you, try our interactive bill calculator app.

How do changes to the wastewater rate structure work?

Moulton Niguel performed a detailed review of its rate structure and identified an opportunity to align your monthly bill with your use of the wastewater system. See examples below for a two person household and three person household.

 

Where does my dollar go?