Prior to March 2008, storm water services were funded by a stand alone $0.24 per month charge on each MSD sanitary bill, a variety of property taxes, and a subsidy from the District's wastewater rates. This method of funding proved insufficient to meet the storm water needs of our St. Louis community and did not treat all MSD customers fairly. Therefore, MSD took to its independent Rate Commission a proposal to change the method used to charge for storm water services. This new method would use the amount of impervious area on each individual customer's property to calculate storm water charges. (Impervious area refers to land that is covered by features - such as cement, blacktop, or the footprint of buildings - that cannot absorb rainwater.) After a lengthy series of public hearings held over six months, the Rate Commission issued a report to MSD's Board of Trustees recommending that impervious area be used to calculate storm water charges. In December 2007, MSD's Board of Trustees approved this new method. The Rate Commission reviewed another rate proposal in early 2008 and issued a recommendation in April that revised the implementation schedule for the impervious rate. This recommendation was approved by the Board in May 2008. As part of the implementation of the new impervious rate, MSD eliminated the property taxes it charges on an annual basis.

Starting in March 2008, each MSD customer is charged $0.12 for every 100 hundred square feet of impervious area on their property. MSD will gradually increase this per 100 square feet charge until it reaches $0.29 in 2014. This $0.29 per 100 square feet charge is the funding level needed to sufficiently meet the storm water needs of our St. Louis community.

Under the $0.12 per one hundred square feet charge, the storm water charge for the average single-family homeowner will be $3.00 per month. When the impervious rate is fully implemented to $0.29 per 100 square feet in 2014, the average single-family homeowner will pay a $7.25 per month storm water charge. For many residential customers, the $7.25 per month average charge based on impervious area maybe less than what they paid for storm water services through the monthly $0.24 charge and taxes combined. However, as the total amount charged prior to March 2008 was dependent on the specific location of each customer's property within MSD's service area, using impervious area to calculate storm water charges could result in an increase for other customers. (Please note, the $3.00 per month and $7.25 charges are averages that are based on 2,500 square feet of impervious area. Each individual customer's monthly charge will be based on the exact amount of impervious area on their property. Thus, individual customer charges for storm water may vary significantly.)

Property owners were previously charged MSD taxes on their annual Real Estate and Personal Property tax bills. Starting with the 2008 Real Estate Tax Bill issued in late 2008, those taxes are eliminated. An entry on a customer's Real Estate Tax Bill referring to Sewer Lateral is a municipal charge and is not related to MSD. (See Taxes FAQ)

MSD performs three major storm water services. The first is overall storm water management throughout the service area. Some of these activities include enforcement of rules and regulations for storm water improvements that can be made in our community; storm water complaint investigation and logging; evaluation of all storm water issues within MSD's boundaries; and water quality sampling and monitoring of area creeks and rivers. The second storm water service MSD provides is ensuring that efforts are undertaken to comply with our area's Phase II Storm water Permit with the State of Missouri. MSD is a co-permittee with 59 local municipalities and St. Louis County for the permit. Accordingly, MSD performs area wide services as part of that permit. These services include regular inspection of area creeks for illegal discharges; public education on Phase II requirements; and coordination of all permit related activities performed by local municipalities and St. Louis County. The third service is the ownership and maintenance of the hard storm water infrastructure, which includes storm water sewers, inlets, manholes, and concrete channels.

The $0.24 per month charge combined with property taxes and a subsidy from MSD's wastewater rates proved insufficient to meet the storm water needs of our St. Louis community. Under the old storm water funding method, MSD was unable to properly maintain and rehabilitate the thousands of miles of storm water sewers for which it is responsible. Additionally, there were a number of other storm water related issues that MSD did not cover -- such as erosion control, abatement of overland flooding, etc. -- but the District maybe in the best position to address on behalf of its customers and our St. Louis community. As the new impervious storm water rate is fully implemented, MSD will be able to fully fund the storm water services it must provide and provide the additional services that are desperately needed by some in our community.

Beyond the inadequacy of the $0.24 per month charge, property taxes, and the wastewater subsidy combined to properly fund services, there was the question of fairness. First, the $0.24 per month charge was in effect for every MSD customer, regardless of the size of their property or the demand that they put on the public storm water system. A customer that owned a small home with a small cement driveway and a customer that owned a large building measuring several thousand square feet that is surrounded by blacktop parking lots both paid the same $0.24 per month storm water charge. Such a method of charging for storm water services did not reflect the demands that customers owning larger parcels of property put on the public storm water system. Second, property taxes have no linkage to the type and scope of storm water services that are needed in our community. Third, customers that paid only property taxes and/or the $0.24 per month charge were being subsidized by customers that also paid for wastewater services. (In fact, with the elimination of this subsidy, the wastewater portion of MSD bills will ultimately be lower than it would have been if this subsidy continued.)

Across the United States and Canada, hundreds of communities base their storm water charges on impervious area. Impervious area charges have proven to be the most equitable method of charging for storm water services and the best measure of the demand that each individual customer puts on the public storm water system. However, MSD has taken the use of impervious area for storm water charges one step further. Unlike many other storm water utilities, MSD is calculating each individual customer's impervious area. Many storm water utilities don't do this, and base their impervious charges on averages. MSD will use aerial mapping and property tax records on file with the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County to accurately calculate each customer's impervious area. For those customers that may disagree with the amount of impervious area that MSD calculates, there is an appeals process in place.

Though a customer may not receive sanitary sewer service from MSD, all residents and businesses located within the District's service boundaries are customers for storm water services. Prior to this change to the new impervious rate, these customers paid for storm water services through the annual property taxes levied by MSD. These customers should have also received a monthly bill for the $0.24 charge. However, the cost to process and send this bill exceeded the charge and bills were not sent. With the elimination of property taxes and the transition to a new impervious charge, a small segment of MSD customers are receiving bills for the first time.

On December 13, 2007, the MSD Board of Trustees approved Ordinance 12560 describing the impervious-based storm water charges.

Impervious areas are those that don’t allow rainfall the opportunity to soak into the ground like a natural earth surface and result in run-off of almost all rainfall. Impervious areas include:

• Rooftops
• Surfaces paved with concrete, asphalt, or compacted rock
• Surfaces underlain with concrete, asphalt, or compacted rock

A property will not be billed for pervious areas. Pervious areas are those that allow rainfall the opportunity to soak into the ground like a natural earth surface and do not result in run-off of almost all rainfall. Examples of pervious areas include the following:

• Earth areas
• Swimming pools
• Green roofs
• Surfaces paved with concrete, asphalt, or rock that are designed and constructed to allow water to pass through the paved surface to a sub-base that allows water the opportunity to soak into the earth surface below. The determination of this kind of surface usually requires the investigation of an engineer.

Public streets and sidewalks are not included in individual Storm Water Charges. Public airport runways and train tracks are also not billed directly to customers. The cost of managing the runoff from these public conveyance systems is included in the rate charged per 100 square feet.

MSD contracted with a company in 2005 to obtain aerial imagery of the entire metropolitan St. Louis area. The images were used to identify impervious areas: bridge, driveway, out building, parking, patio, private sidewalk, recreation court, shed, structure, tank, private roads which were overlaid to the parcels identified by the City Assessor and County Assessor offices. The impervious areas identified were measured for each parcel.

MSD matched the parcels to the existing accounts or established new accounts as necessary. The total impervious area measured for each parcel is listed on the bill card and is multiplied by the Storm Water Charge rate and included in the calculation of the total monthly MSD bill. Interactive Feature: Demonstrating Impervious Area with Aerial Imagery. MSD reserves the right to make changes to the impervious areas on an on-going basis as needed.

MSD obtains new aerial imagery every two years. In March 2007 new aerial imagery was obtained and is currently being processed. In January 2009 the new imagery will be reflected in the MSD Storm Water Charges. The next fly-over is planned for March 2009.

Look closely at your property; consider the roof of the building, including overhang, the driveway, the sidewalk on your property, the patio or carport and the shed or garage. All of these areas would have been identified in the aerial imagery as impervious area. If your measurement of the impervious area on your property is different than the total impervious area listed on your bill card, contact the MSD Call Center at the toll-free number 1-866-281-5737.

The representative will ask for your MSD account number and your parcel identification number from your real estate tax bill. The Call Center representative will be able to tell you specifically the square footage identified for each attribute on your property to compare to your measurements. If there is a discrepancy between your measurements and those listed on your MSD record, the representative will begin the process for an internal review of the impervious area identified on your property. It may take several weeks for this process to be completed. You will receive a written response with the results of the review.

The storm water charge is based on the impervious area in the metropolitan area and the impact the storm water has on the cost to maintain the entire storm water system. Flows from impervious areas, even if they run over pervious areas, increase runoff resulting in the size of the storm water system the District has to maintain today. Storm water runoff from roofs, patios, sidewalks, etc. contributes to the general storm water system needs of the community.

The storm water charge is based on the impervious area in the metropolitan area and the impact the storm water has on the entire storm water system. Storm water runoff from roofs, patios, sidewalks, etc. contributes to the general storm water system needs of the community. The proximity of existing storm sewers to your home does not affect the amount of the storm water charge billed to you or your neighbors.

A detention pond or basin is used to slow down the flow of rainwater into the storm water sewer system but does not reduce the District’s cost to maintain the existing storm water system. This is the same situation as if we have a drought one year and heavy rainfall the next year, the District’s cost to maintain the storm water system remains the same. The use of detention ponds or basins, rain barrels and partial storm water reuse facilities will not affect the calculation of your storm water charges.

Green roofs and surfaces paved with concrete, asphalt, or rock that are designed and constructed to allow water to pass through the paved surface to a sub-base that allows water the opportunity to soak into the earth surface below should not be counted as impervious surfaces. The determination of this kind of surface usually requires the investigation of an engineer. An appeal form needs to be completed and returned to MSD for consideration.

You may be eligible for a 50% Storm Water Discount. An appeal form needs to be completed and returned to MSD for consideration.

Before basing the storm water charge on the impervious area, the storm water charge was simply added to the Wastewater User Charge. Wastewater User Charges are billed for each water service line. With this change, properties without water lines are being billed for their impervious areas only. If there is no water line, or if the water service is inactivated, an MSD bill will be issued each month for the Storm Water Service Charge based on the impervious area.

A parking lot would be an example of this condition. Or, in the case of a condominium complex or strip mall, the condominium association or strip mall owner may be billed for the impervious area, while the sewer service charges related to the water lines are billed under a separate account to either the unit occupants or the condominium association or property owner.

In the case of an inactivated water line, the bill you receive may include an unpaid balance from before the water was turned off. Your delinquent balance will earn a late charge of 1.5% per month, along with the new charge each month for the storm water charges. In future months, all unpaid charges, Waste Water and Storm Water, will earn a late charge.

If you are the owner of a condominium unit the storm water charges may be billed to the condominium association for the entire complex. The association will probably pass the cost of the storm water charges to you through your condominium fees. How the storm water charges are divided between the unit owners is at the discretion of the association.

If your property is within a levee district, the storm water charges for your property are billed to the levee district through an inter-governmental agreement between MSD and the levee district. Any questions regarding the payments you make to the levee district need to be addressed to them.

Sometimes the payments take more than two days to reach us by mail and be processed by our remittance processing contractor. You also have the option to pay at our offices located at 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 during the day or at the night drop at this location. The cashier's hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

>MSD provides sewer service to the "property." The amount billed becomes a lien against the property until paid. If you are the owner of the property, you are ultimately responsible for the sewer bill even if you have a tenant renting/leasing the property. The owner will be notified if the bill is past due in the amount of $50.00 or more.

A Rate Commission consisting of fifteen individuals who are either independent or are members of various business and civic groups volunteer to a two-year term to hear rate increase proposals from MSD staff. The Commission reviews the proposals, meets with staff to discuss the rates and the need for the increase and hosts public forums to describe and discuss any proposed rate increases. After their review, the Rate Commission provides a recommendation to the MSD Board of Trustees for final approval.

The MSD Rate Commission agreed with staff's recommendation to approve a multi-decade plan to spend a projected $3.7 billion to address regulatory and infrastructure issues facing the metropolitan area. The MSD Board of Trustees approved adding a ballot issue in the February 2004 election to ask voters to decide on a funding plan through Proposition Y. The proposition offered a pay-as-you-go method or authorization for MSD to issue $500 million in revenue bonds over the next several years to finance the initial phases of the project. The voters choose to have MSD issue revenue bonds to fund the Capital Improvement and Replacement Program (CIRP).

The CIRP is designed to ensure future compliance with the Clean Water Act, and to address pressing collection and treatment demands put on the sanitary system by a growing metropolitan area. The issuance of revenue bonds over the course of the plan will allow a manageable level of rate increases to pay for those required improvements.

MSD levies taxes both on a District-wide and subdistrict basis. Effective with your 2008 tax bills, these taxes will be reduced to zero based on the implementation of a new impervious stormwater rate which went into effect March 1, 2008.

MSD levies taxes both on a District-wide and subdistrict basis.

All taxpayers within the District's boundaries pay 2 cents per $100 of assessed value to pay for a portion of the general administration costs of the District. Effective with your 2008 tax bills, this tax will be reduced to zero based on the implementation of a new impervious stormwater rate which went into effect March 1, 2008.

All taxpayers within the District's original boundaries (the western edge was originally bounded by Lindbergh Boulevard) pay 5 cents per $100 of assessed value to pay for a portion of the stormwater operation and maintenance costs of the District. Effective with your 2008 tax bills, this tax will be reduced to zero based on the implementation of a new impervious stormwater rate which went into effect March 1, 2008.

The 5 cent and 2 cent taxes are combined and shown as a 7 cent tax on some taxpayers' tax bills.

The taxes levied by the taxing subdistricts have a specific use for those taxes. Depending on where you live, you can pay as little as one tax or as many as four taxes.

All taxpayers within the Mississippi Subdistrict pay 2 cents per $100 of assessed value to pay off the General Obligation Bonds approved by the voters in 1962.

There are 23 taxing subdistricts in St. Louis County with tax rates ranging from 4 cents to 10 cents per $100 of assessed value. All of the taxes collected within these boundaries must be used only within the particular boundaries to make capital improvements. Effective with your 2008 tax bills, this tax will be reduced to zero based on the implementation of a new impervious stormwater rate which went into effect March 1, 2008.

The subdistrict boundaries are based on drainage basins. When drainage flows from a small creek to a larger creek, overlapping in areas common to both basins may result. Effective with your 2008 tax bills, this tax will be reduced to zero based on the implementation of a new impervious stormwater rate which went into effect March 1, 2008.

For residents without a water meter, the monthly waste water charge is based on the number of rooms, baths, showers and water closets (toilets) provided by your water supplier. The base charge is $10.70 for waste water, plus $1.23 for each room, $4.59 for each water closet and $3.83 for each bath/shower.

For all other residential properties with meters, the monthly waste water charge is based on water usage provided by your water supplier. This reading is based on the previous winter quarter water reading. The base waste water charge is $10.70 and an additional $1.88 for every 100 cubic feet (Ccf) of water used.

The storm water service charge is calculated based on the impervious square footage on the parcel of land. Impervious area will not accept seepage and produces rainwater run-off to the sewer system. The storm water service charge is $0.12 per 100 square feet of impervious surface.

It is a Hundred Cubic Feet of water or approximately 750 gallons.

For commercial properties, the monthly waste water charge is based on year-round water usage at $1.88 per Ccf for waste water (one Ccf is 750 gallons of water) plus a base charge of $38.10 ($10.70 base, $27.40 compliance). These readings are provided by your water supplier.

The storm water service charge is calculated based on the impervious square footage on the parcel of land. Impervious area will not accept seepage and produces rainwater run-off to the sewer system. The storm water service charge is $0.12 per 100 square feet of impervious surface.

The customer should call the District's Call Center at 1-866-281-5737. The employee assisting the customer will gather the necessary information about the situation. An MSD representative will contact the customer and provide advice on how the customer can measure the amount of water being discharged into the system. Then the appropriate billing will be instituted and adjustment made if necessary.

All MSD bills include two charges: a waste water user charge and a storm water service charge.

The waste water user charge includes a base charge and a usage charge. The waste water charge can be determined in one of two ways. It is either a charge per hundred cubic feet (Ccf) of water or a charge based on the number of rooms, baths and water closets in the structure.

In addition, some MSD residential customers have water meters. These bills are based on the winter quarter reading. That's because this reading most closely reflects the amount of water used inside the house and is not affected by activities such as lawn watering or filling a swimming pool.

For multi-family residential properties with a water meter, the sewer bill is based on either the winter-quarter reading or on each water meter reading. The property owner determines which reading is used.

Commercial/Industrial properties are billed on each water meter reading, with additional charges for sewage discharged into the public system that requires specialized treatment. If a product or process uses water, the company can contact MSD for a possible reduction in the water usage. This reduction is based on how much water enters and exits the sewer system.

The storm water service charge is calculated based on the impervious square footage on the parcel of land. Impervious area will not accept seepage and produces rainwater run-off to the sewer system. The storm water service charge is $0.12 per 100 square feet of impervious surface. This service charge is expected to increase to $0.29 per 100 square feet by 2014.

Late charges are calculated on the outstanding principal balance at a rate of 1.5% per month if not paid by the due date.

MSD gets its billing information from two sources: 1) the title insurance company at the time of a home sale, and 2) the water company when the new occupant applies for water service. If you are going through a title insurance company, your balance due is settled at closing. At that time, the new owner's name is given to us and the account is changed.

In order for the waste water billing to stop, you must make a written request to the appropriate water company servicing your area to discontinue water service to the property. Once we receive information indicating the water service has been terminated, the waste water charge on your MSD account will be discontinued but you will continue to receive a bill for the storm water service charge. You will need to provide a valid mailing address for the storm water charges.

Your sewer bill is for the maintenance of the public sewer lines in both St. Louis City and County. We service over 8,585 miles of sanitary sewers used to convey the sewage to a sewage treatment plant. We treat all wastewater at treatment plants located throughout the metropolitan area. The treated wastewater (effluent) must meet state and federal Clean Water guidelines before it is discharged into the rivers and streams.

If your property is not connected to the public sewer system and you are receiving a bill from MSD, you should call the Billing Division at 1-866-281-5737 and provide details about the problem. MSD's Maintenance Department will verify the residence is not connected to the sewer. Any corrective action will be taken following their investigation for the waste water portion of your bill. You will continue to receive a bill for the storm water service charge.

MSD issues mailing labels each year to its customers to mail payments to a post office box. Payments can also be made at area Schnucks and Dierbergs Stores. MSD offers electronic payment options for automatic debits to banking accounts or other electronic payment processes established by the customer.

Contact the MSD Call Center at the toll-free number 1-866-281-5737, Monday through Friday, 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., submit a question to the billing questions portion of the MSD website, or send a letter to: MSD Call Center, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 63103.

In most cases, the seller and buyer do not need to contact MSD. The title insurance company involved in the closing of a sale will contact MSD as part of the closing process. The title company will notify MSD of the pending sale and provide the new owner's name and mailing address. MSD provides the amount due for the sewer bill through the closing date. The title company charges the seller for the MSD bill through the closing date and issues a payment to MSD. After the payment is received, MSD establishes an account for the new owner and begins billing.

However, the seller should discontinue any electronic auto-pay arrangement on the property being sold.

If a title company is not involved, both the buyer and seller should contact the MSD Call Center.

A six-person Board of Trustees governs MSD. The Mayor of St. Louis City and the St. Louis County Executive each appoint three representatives for a six-year term. The Board decides on the annual budget, proposed wastewater and storm water projects, rates, etc. The Board is scheduled to meet at 5 P.M. on the second Thursday of each month at 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 63103.

No. MSD does not report to any credit bureaus and no collection agency contracted by MSD reports our accounts to credit bureaus.

Sometimes payments are misapplied for various reasons. Contact our customer service department at 1-866-281-5737 and a representative will be happy to assist with researching your payment and getting it applied accurately. Please have available your property address, MSD account number, date and method of payment.

Yes. If you have five or more properties and all accounts are current, all of your properties can be summarized on one bill and mailed to you at one address through Group Bill. To enroll, either mail or fax a listing of your property addresses and respective MSD account numbers along with your name, address and telephone number to:

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
Attn: Collections/Group Bill
2350 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
Fax: 314/768-6348

There are several reasons for this. First of all, sewer systems are buried deeper than water mains, which increases the cost of installation and maintenance. Sewer systems also run along streams and must be sloped, while water mains tend to run along streets and highways and don't have to follow streams and drainage ways. Second, wastewater collection systems usually have a greater number of pumping stations than water utilities because wastewater treatment is typically more energy intensive. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to pass these costs on to our customers.