City of Ames

Water & Pollution Control Department

56797 280th Street Ames, Iowa 50010

Phone:
(515) 232-7423

FAX:
(515) 233-0454

Water and Pollution Control Department

Sewer Rates and Billing

Information | Staff | Rates | History | Quality | Security
Pretreatment | Urban Stream Monitoring | Service Sign Up

SEWER RATE
Each user shall pay for the services provided by the City based on his/her use of the treatment works as determined by water meter readings or other appropriate methods acceptable to the City. The minimum charge shall be $6.55. In addition, each user shall be billed $1.68 per 100 cu. ft. of usage. For those users whose wastewater has a greater strength than normal domestic sewage, a surcharge in addition to the normal user surcharge will be collected. The surcharge is as follows:
Oxygen Demand: $0.26 per pound of biochemical oxygen demand $0.10 per pound of chemical oxygen demand Solids $0.40 per pound of suspended solids Nitrogen $0.94 per pound of ammonia $0.61 per pound of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
Any user which discharges any toxic pollutants, as defined in the Sewer Use Ordinance, which cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent or the sludge from the city's treatment works, or any user which discharges any substance which singly or by interaction with other substances causes identifiable increases in the cost of operation, maintenance, or replacement of the treatment works, shall pay for such increased costs. Fees for the Water and Pollution Control Department, including high strength surcharge surcharge rates, are updated annually, usually in May. There is no charge for Ames residents to dispose of RV or camper waste at the Ames WPC Plant. There is also a dump station located at the rest stop just north of Ames on US Interstate 35. The plant also has facilities for commercial waste haulers. The commercial waste hauler disposal rates are as follows:
Hauled Waste - Ames Locations*
Domestic/Residential Waste
	$31.50/load + $20.50/100 gallons
Restaurant Grease Traps
	$31.50/load + $17.50/100 gallons
Non-Domestic Waste
	$31.50/load + $unit rate to be determined/100 gallons
* - Hauled waste from non-Ames locations are assessed a 10% surcharge
The Ames Water Pollution Control Facility does not provide and does not intend to provide a hazardous waste disposal site for the citizens of Ames or the State of Iowa. Other fees
Other fees relating to use of the city's sewers include a charge of $120.00 per occurrence for unauthorized sewer use and $5.00 per day for unmetered sewer use. NOTE: In addition to the rates listed above, water and storm water charges are also added to a water bill.
Typically, wastewater usage is based on potable water consumption. The reading taken from the water meter is used to bill for both water and sewer. There are some exceptions for large customers that install and maintain a separate wastewater meter. Water meters are installed and maintained by the Water Meter Division. Meter reading and billing are handled by the City of Ames Finance Department. Any inquiries about billing, starting or stopping service, or similar questions should be directed to the Customer Service Division of the Finance Department at 515-239-5120.