New rates take effect January 1
Rates have changed every year since 1990. Here’s why, what to expect, and how we can help in 2025.
January 1 marks the fourth year of our current five-year rate schedule, an increase in sewer rates and stormwater fees and additional outreach to support customers seeking utility assistance.
An average customer’s charges for sewer and stormwater management services from NEORSD, combined with water charges from Cleveland Water, will see an increase of about $6 a month. The average NEORSD sewer and stormwater bill will increase about $3 a month. These calculations are based on the average customer consumption of .5 MCF (one thousand cubic feet of water), equivalent to 3,740 gallons.
Here’s a look at out 2024 rates, the 2025 rates taking effect January 1, and the final year of our current rate schedule, 2026.
How our rate schedules work
Typically, sewer rates change every year. At the Sewer District, sewer rates have increased every year since 1990. There are several reasons why, but basically it’s because construction and environmental obligations have gone up and federal grants have gone away, leaving customers as the sole funder of an expanding sewer network serving more than a million residents across the region.
“While federal sewer and stormwater infrastructure funds were prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s, they are non-existent today, so minimizing costs and expanding savings is critical,” our CEO Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells has explained previously.
We conduct rate studies every five years. They help us prioritize our projects, personnel, and obligations required to maintain operations and protect our environment. We weigh those costs against factors like the cost of resources and population and income trends across our service area.
The result is a five-year rate schedule adopted by our Board of Trustees that allows us to do the work we set out to do.
How we reduce rate increases over time
The largest obligation affecting rates since 2011 is capital construction on our federally mandated construction program known as Project Clean Lake, a 25-year commitment to reduce combined sewer overflows.
At a $3 billion price tag, according to early estimates, most Project Clean Lake work between 2011 and 2036 would not be paid for with cash on hand. Instead, they are paid for with long-term low-interest loans, lowering the burden on customers and spreading the pay-back obligation out over time.
As we pass Project Clean Lake’s halfway point, we’ve realized significant savings to date (more than $570 million) and managed loans responsibly to reduce some of our debt service obligations, reducing some of our increases over our previous and current rate cycles.
Supporting customers and utility assistance
We offer numerous cost-saving programs including crisis assistance and rate reduction for eligible customers. Apply online at https://www.neorsd.org/save or try our quick and easy online Discount Calculator to see which programs might be right for you.
In 2024 we also opened our Customer Relations department for in-person and by-phone support on the first Saturday of every month to increase our opportunities to serve you. Visit us on the first Saturday of any month, 8:00–11:00 a.m. in person and until noon by phone, at 3900 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Free parking, and no appointment necessary.
Beyond your sewer and stormwater bills, we know other utility payments can become overwhelming and finding help isn’t always easy. We partner with Tri-C to host Utility Assistance Resource Fairs throughout the year where customers can apply for or seek in-person assistance from utilities like Cleveland Water, Cleveland Public Power, and more.
