You can reduce your water charges by conserving water and using it more efficiently. The City has a number of water conservation programs to help reduce water use and improve water use efficiency. Please visit our Water Conservation Webpage for more information. You may also be able to reduce your garbage charges by selecting a smaller cart size for your garbage service.
How can my water use change so much?
Some examples of how changes in your home affect your water use and your bill include: additional guests, people moving-in/out, adding water using appliances (e.g. clothes washer, dishwasher, hot water heater, etc.), change in irrigation schedule (if you have a gardener they might change your sprinkler timer when the weather changes or if new plants were installed), construction work around the house, filling a swimming pool, hot tub, or pond.
How often am I billed for utilities?
Redwood City bills its residential customers for water, sewer, and garbage on a two-month cycle or every other month. Commercial customers are billed monthly for water, sewer, and garbage services.
I had a leak last billing period. I fixed the leak but why is my new bill still high?
Redwood City bills its residential customers on a 2-month cycle, so that means customers pay their bill every other month. Depending on when you found and fixed the leak the issue may span over two billing periods; in other words, your leak may have started on the last billing cycle and by the time you found it it’s already into a new billing cycle. Therefore, the leak will affect the last and current billing cycles.
I have a high bill, but can't find a leak. What's going on?
High water bills may also be caused by frequent watering of a new or existing lawn or landscaping, a faulty irrigation timer, filling a swimming pool, an increase in the number of occupants or employees in a household or business, water theft, and/or open faucets or irrigation systems. If you have checked all these potential causes and are still having trouble call Public Works at (650) 780-7464.
Is there any assistance for low or fixed income customers?
Yes, the City is offering a Utility Rate Assistance Program (URAP) includes assistance for water, sewer, and solid waste (garbage) services. Please visit the program webpage to find information about program eligibility and how to apply.
What are the charges on my utility bill?
Utility bills are comprised of two types of charges: fixed service charges and variable use charges for water consumption. Try our Utility Bill Estimator to estimate your utility bill charges.
If you receive water, sewer and garbage service there is a fixed monthly charge (service charge) on your Utility Bill for each service you receive from Redwood City. For residential customers the service charges are multiplied by two for each month in the billing cycle.
Water consumption is the only variable charge on the Utility Bill. Water consumption is billed for the volume of water used in whole units per billing cycle.
What do water and sewer rates pay for?
SFPUC Water Purchases
Operations and Maintenance
Capital Improvement Projects
Recycled Water
Redwood City purchases all of the community's drinking water from the Hetch Hetchy regional water system, which is administered by the San Francisco Public Utilities Committee (SFPUC).
Funds the day-to-day maintenance and repair of the City's water infrastructure.
Ensures that needed repairs to the City's water system are made so that the system remains seismically sound and dependable.
Funds the City's recycled water infrastructure.
Wastewater Treatment
Operations and Maintenance
Capital Improvement Projects
Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades
The cost of treating the City's wastewater at Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) Wastewater treatment plant.
Funds the day-to-day maintenance and repair of the City's sewer infrastructure.
Ensures that needed repairs to the City's sewer system are made so that the system remains seismically sound and dependable.
Covers Redwood City's share of upgrading aging infrastructure at SVCW.
What is a water unit?
A water unit is equal to 748 gallons or 100 cubic feet of water. Water customers are charged for each whole unit of water used during a billing cycle. The City does not charge for partial units.
Why does my utility bill seem higher than my neighbor’s even though we both live in Redwood City?
One reason may be because some parts of Redwood City are serviced by the County of San Mateo for sewer service. The County bills for sewer service once a year on the property tax bill, whereas Redwood City bills for sewer on the bi-monthly (for residential customers) or monthly (for commercial customers) utility bill. This may be why one bill appears higher.
Why does Redwood City’s utility bill seem higher than other cities in the County?
Each city bills for utilities differently, and it is important to keep in mind who sends the bill and how often. Redwood City bills customers for water, sewer, and solid waste services on one bill. Residential customers are billed bi-monthly (every other month) and commercial customers are billed monthly. In other cities, the city may bill for some, all, or none of the utilities.
For example, customers in San Carlos receive a monthly water bill from CalWater (the water provider), a yearly sewer bill on the annual property tax, and a quarterly (or monthly for commercial customers) solid waste bill from Recology. Because Redwood City bills for all utility services on the same bill, Redwood City’s bill may seem higher than that of other cities. However, Redwood City’s monthly utility bill is competitive with other cities in the area.
Why is the water portion of my bill so high?
An unusually high water bill is most often caused by undetected leaks or a change in water use.
A simple test to check a toilet for leaks is to place dye tablets or food coloring in the tank of the toilet. Wait for approximately 10-15 minutes. If any of the coloring appears in the toilet bowl then the toilet has a leak. Visit Public Works (1400 Broadway) to request dye tablets. Toilets may also make noise when they are leaking. Listen for hissing or water running sounds coming from your toilet. If you hear your toilet filling up even though it was not flushed this probably means the flapper valve is leaking.
How do I get a Smart Meter installed at my home so I can manage my consumption and sign-up for leak alerts?
You can request a smart meter installation by calling Redwood City Public Works, Water Resources section at (650)780-7480. After the installation you will be able to login to http://mywater.redwoodcity.org/ and manage your water consumption and various alerts.
How do I know if I have a leak?
If you have one of our smart meters you can sign up to receive an alert when the meter detects a leak (continuous water use on your property). You can also review your hourly consumption on our customer portal to look for sudden increases in water use at http://mywater.redwoodcity.org/.
If you have a manual meter: Make sure no water is being used in the house or outside on the irrigation system. Look at your water meter to see if it moves. If the meter moves continuously you might have a faulty sprinkler control valve, toilet leak or broken pipe. If the meter moves then stops repeatedly and you are sure no one is using water in the house you might have a leak in your toilet.
The easiest way to tell is by looking at your meter box. Smart meters have an antenna that transmits readings directly to our system.
Smart Meter
Manual Meter
I had a leak last billing period. I fixed the leak but why is my new bill still high?
Redwood City bills its residential customers on a 2-month cycle, so that means customers pay their bill every other month. Depending on when you found and fixed the leak the issue may span over two billing periods; in other words, your leak may have started on the last billing cycle and by the time you found it it’s already into a new billing cycle. Therefore, the leak will affect the last and current billing cycles.
I have a high bill, but can't find a leak. What's going on?
High water bills may also be caused by frequent watering of a new or existing lawn or landscaping, a faulty irrigation timer, filling a swimming pool, an increase in the number of occupants or employees in a household or business, water theft, and/or open faucets or irrigation systems. If you have checked all these potential causes and are still having trouble call Public Works at (650) 780-7464.
I think I have an underground service leak. What should I do?
Please contact Public Works at 650-780-7464, or submit a request on myRWC. We will investigate to determine the location of the leak. If the leak is before the water meter Redwood City will make the repairs. Property owners are responsible for the water service (lateral) from the end of the water meter to the house and all the pipes on the property.
What are other common sources of leaks?
Other common leaks we typically see when helping customers come from: broken irrigation pipes, faulty irrigation control valves, leaky faucets, cracks in swimming pools and water features, stuck water fill valves for swimming pools and water features.
What's the most common cause of a leak?
From our experience the most common leaks in homes are from malfunctioning toilets. A continuously running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day. That can double a family’s typical water use, so it's important to fix toilet leaks as soon as possible.
