What is included in a water bill

City of Paris water utility bills include water, sewer, residential solid waste (trash), and applicable sales tax. Water and Sewer rates vary depending on meter size. The information here is for the most common meter size for a house (3/4").

The water portion of the bill includes the production and delivery of treated water to homes or businesses, labor and maintenance of city-owned pipes and facilities, administration and clerical costs, and any debt payments related to the water treatment plant, water lines, pumps, and storage tanks, like water towers.

The sewer portion of the bill includes delivery of sewage to the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), sewage treatment, labor and maintenance of city-owned pipes and facilities, administration and clerical costs, and any debt payments related to the WWTP, including lift stations and sewer lines. The debt associated with the current WWTP rehabilitation project is a significant portion of current sewer rates. Click to view a detailed explanation of the rehabilitation project, a timeline, and efforts to reduce sewer rates is available.

The refuse portion is only charged to residential customers for trash service. The refuse portion includes the collection of residential trash and delivery to the landfill by a third-party company, landfill fees, a street use fee (used for street maintenance in the city), and administrative and clerical costs. Commercial customers purchase trash service directly from the third-party vendor based on how much solid waste the business generates. The residential refuse fee is a flat rate of $18.08 per month. View the Sanitation Division page for more details.

The State of Texas mandates the tax portion of the bill to collect sales tax at a rate of 8.25% on the refuse portion only.

It is important to note that other than the portion of water and sewer rates dedicated to bonded indebtedness for specific projects (ex, WWTP), your water and sewer rates do not cover the cost of extending new water or sewer lines into new developments. The City requires developers to pay for the extension of water and sewer lines into new developments unless the City Council makes an exception on a case-by-case basis or in situations when the City receives grant funding. The City will maintain newly extended water and sewer lines after they are inspected and accepted by the City. Developers provide these upfront installations at their own expense, not City utilities customers.

How water and sewer charges are calculated.

Water charges are calculated based on the actual measurement at the water meter. Water rates vary depending on the size of the meter and other factors. These examples use the rate for the meter size (3/4") most commonly found at a house. Water billing for a 3/4" meter includes a base charge of $13.69, which includes up to 200 cubic feet of water. Water consumption over 200 cubic feet in a given month is billed at a volumetric rate of $5.04 per 100 cubic feet.

Sewer charges for a house with a 3/4" water meter are calculated using a base monthly consumption fee of $27.60, which includes the first 200 cubic feet of sewage sent for treatment. Sewer amounts over 200 cubic feet are charged at the volumetric rate of $13.63 per 100 cubic feet.

It is impractical to meter the sewage when it exits your home and enters the sewer system. The amount of water consumption is used to calculate sewer charges. An average is calculated during cold weather months (November, January, February) when the use of water for irrigation of lawns and gardens isn't likely. This allows consumers to water their lawns in summer months without paying for sewage treatment of the water that was used for irrigation. (December is not included in the average to allow for extra water use that may result from holiday activities). This means that sewer volumes are fixed for 12 months based on the average described above and are typically updated to the most recent winter month average on the April water bill.
 

Rates used in these examples were current as of 10/01/2025.