Wastewater abatement
There’s a small difference between the amount of water you use and how much wastewater returns to our sewers. For example, water used in gardening won’t be flushed down your drain.
As we can’t measure the exact volume of returned wastewater, we don’t base your bill on it. Instead, we reduce our wastewater charges to allow for the mismatch. We assume that only 90% of your clean water goes back to our sewers. The 10% difference, known as a wastewater abatement, is applied to your charges.
To reduce the cost of your bill even further, you need to prove that over 10% of the water you use does not go back into a sewer.
Why water may not return to a sewer
If more than 10% of the water you use is not returning to our sewers, it may be because you’re:
- Using a large amount of water to look after lawns, crops, or plants
- Keeping a swimming pool/pond and losing water through evaporation
- Draining water to a private watercourse or soakaway. This can divert some of the water you use away from the public sewer.
Eligibility
You’ll qualify for a reduced wastewater bill, if you:
- Are the person named on the account
- Have a water meter and at least 12 months of meter readings
- Can show that more than 10% of the water we supply to your property does not flow back into the public sewer
Apply for a wastewater abatement
To complete our form, you’ll need your:
- Account number (you can find this at the top of your bill)
- Your water meter details
- A calculation, based on our charging scheme, of the value of any water that is not returned to our sewer
We’ll get back to you within six working days of receiving your request. If you have more than one property, please use a new form each time you apply.
Related topics
We go through other topics you may be interested in.
Surface water drainage
Apply for a reduction in your wastewater charges if you have a separate surface water drain.
Financial support
If you’re struggling to pay, we have a range of financial support schemes available to you.