Frequently Asked Questions

Accounts must be set up in person at our office at: 1600 13th Ave. S. Kelso, WA 98626

The Water Base charge is a monthly charge that is applied towards the cost of maintenance of the system, operation of equipment and overhead. The Water Consumption charge is for the actual water consumed through the meter.

No. The Water Consumption charge and the Water Base charge are two separate charges.

Your meter is read each month. The difference between your current reading and your previous month’s reading gives us your consumption. Your bill shows both the readings and the consumption, in units. Each unit is 748 gallons. A unit is not billed until it has been fully consumed.

We read the meters as close to the end of the month as possible, and it is billed during the next month. For example, your April reading/April Consumption is billed on your May bill.

Using the example above, your May bill would also include the base charges from April 16th through May 15th.

It is possible to have several bills in a row charge for the same amount of units. You may notice that you used less water in one month and more in the next, but still get billed the same. This is because there are 748 gallons in each unit. Since a unit isn’t billed until it is fully consumed, there is 747 gallons of room for fluctuation. Remember, a unit is not billed until it has been fully consumed.

Yes. A $10.00 late fee will be assessed on your account and a “pink” delinquency notice will be mailed to you with information regarding possible disconnection of service due to non-payment. Please contact our office if you believe you have received a pink notice in error.

You will need to call us at Cowlitz County Department of Public Works with an effective moving out date for the prior address. A final bill will be issued through that date. If a deposit is still on your account, it will be refunded at that time, as a credit against any remaining charges on the account. You will also need to visit our office in person to sign up for service at the new address. A fully refundable deposit may be required.

You need to request your deposit after 12 consecutive monthly payments. A review of your account will be completed. If all payments have been on-time, a refund of your deposit will be applied to your account as a credit. If any of those payments have not been timely, a refund won’t be issued at that time. If you move out before the 12 months, your deposit will be refunded on your final bill as a credit.

Though there is never a guarantee, water connections are usually completed within 24 hours. We require one business day’s notice for connection and disconnection requests.

You will need to call our office to make the required minimum payment before service will be restored. We accept VISA or MasterCard, debit or credit. We can take the payment over the phone. Payments done by you using our online payment system will still need to be called in to us, to let us know the payment has been made. Reconnection of service is usually same day, but there is no guarantee, however, we make every attempt to get an address reconnected. Addresses that have made payment during “shutoff day” are collected and called out to the Utility Operators in the early afternoon. Payments received after the call out have a slimmer chance of same day reconnection.

Just click here on: