Sewer bill credits for lawn and pool water, by city
Sewer charges are usually based on how much water passes through your water meter, even though lawn and pool water never reaches the sewer. Some utilities let you install a second meter, called a deduct or irrigation meter, so that outdoor water is not billed as sewer. Others already solve it by basing summer sewer charges on winter water use, so no meter is needed.
26 cities and utilities in 15 states, each checked against official sources in November 2026.
Deduct meter savings calculator
Estimate what you pay in sewer charges on outdoor water, and how long a deduct meter takes to pay for itself.
Enter your numbers to see the savings.
Your sewer rate is on your bill, sometimes per 100 cubic feet (748 gallons). If your utility uses a winter average, summer watering is already excluded and a meter saves little.
| City | Rule | Key detail | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | January through March bills. | Phoenix bases the monthly sewer charge on a percentage of your average January to March water use, recalculate | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Enfield, CT | No additional WPCA fee. | Enfield's Water Pollution Control Authority allows deduct water meters with no extra WPCA fee. | Deduct meter allowed |
| Bettendorf, IA | $100 a year, taken from the credit. | Bettendorf's Sewer Credit Program adjusts the account based on a deduct meter reading, minus a $100 annual fee | Sewer credit program |
| Waukee, IA | Portable, $150 at City Hall. | Waukee sells a portable irrigation meter at City Hall for $150 and gives a sewer credit for each 1,000 gallons | Deduct meter allowed |
| Lebanon, IL | Approved design, bought from the city and registered before use. | Lebanon, Illinois lets customers buy an approved deduct meter from the city for an outside faucet, and deducts | Deduct meter allowed |
| Johnson County, KS | Commercial and industrial customers only. | Johnson County Wastewater's sewer use credit with a deduct meter is for commercial and industrial customers | Sewer credit program |
| Marblehead, MA | Applied to the sewer portion of the quarterly invoice. | Marblehead credits water that passes through a sewer deduct meter on the sewer portion of the quarterly bill. | Deduct meter allowed |
| Minneapolis, MN | Residential buildings with 3 or fewer units. | Minneapolis bills residential sewer for buildings with three or fewer units on average winter water use, so su | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Cincinnati, OH | January to March average is the monthly maximum for April to December. | Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati caps April to December sewer usage at your January to March | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Greene County, OH | Water-only billing, $8.33 a month, irrigation water at a 25% higher rate. | Greene County, Ohio offers separate irrigation meters billed for water only, with no sewer charge, for a $8.33 | Irrigation meter option |
| Marysville, OH | Summer credits replaced by deduct meters (reported 2019). | Marysville, Ohio replaced its summer sewer credits with deduct meters, so outdoor water is only credited if it | Deduct meter allowed |
| North Canton, OH | None. | North Canton allows deduct meters for irrigation and sprinkler water, with no retroactive credit for water use | Deduct meter allowed |
| Tallmadge, OH | Credit applies only above the 2,000 cubic foot minimum. | Tallmadge offers sewer deducting meters, but the credit only applies when usage is above the 2,000 cubic foot | Deduct meter allowed |
| Portland, OR | The lower of the winter average or actual use. | Portland charges residential sewer on your winter average or actual water use, whichever is lower. | Winter average, no meter needed |
| East Providence, RI | Licensed plumber and a city plumbing permit; owner pays the meter and installation. | East Providence allows a sewer deduct meter installed by a licensed plumber with a city permit | Deduct meter allowed |
| Austin, TX | December through March bills. | Austin Water bills residential wastewater on your winter average, set from the December to March billing perio | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Dallas, TX | December, January, February and March bills. | Dallas Water Utilities bills residential sewer on the average of your December to March water use, or the curr | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Fort Worth, TX | December through February. | Fort Worth sets residential wastewater volume from your December to February water use, applied starting with | Winter average, no meter needed |
| San Antonio, TX | Mid-November to mid-March sets the sewer charge for the rest of the year. | San Antonio Water System sets residential sewer charges from average winter water use, mid-November to mid-Mar | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Grantsville, UT | 5,000 gallons a month until the next winter average. | Grantsville uses a winter average for sewer charges | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 70 percent of average winter consumption. | Salt Lake City charges residential sewer on 70 percent of your average winter water use, at $10.97 per CCF plu | Winter average, no meter needed |
| South Salt Lake, UT | November through April. | South Salt Lake bills sewer on your November to April winter average at $14.00 per 1,000 gallons. | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Fairfax County, VA | Lower of current period or the preceding winter quarter. | Fairfax Water bills residential sewer on the lower of current use or the preceding winter quarter, at $9.88 pe | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Seattle, WA | May through October sewer bills use the November to April average. | Seattle bases summer residential sewer bills on average winter water use, so summer irrigation is not charged | Winter average, no meter needed |
| Union Grove, WI | Credits through an approved sewer deduct meter, for April 1 to September 30 billing period | Union Grove gives sewer credits for lawn irrigation through an approved deduct meter, and a one-time credit of | Sewer credit program |
| Watertown, WI | Sewer portion only. | Watertown offers a deduct meter credit on the sewer portion of the bill, but deduct meters may not be used to | Deduct meter allowed |
Step by step
- Check your bill: if sewer is based on a winter average, you already avoid most summer sewer charges.
- If not, ask the utility whether it allows a deduct or irrigation meter and what it charges.
- Hire a licensed plumber and pull the permit. Many utilities also require a backflow preventer.
- Credits usually start only after the utility inspects and registers the meter, never retroactively.
What it costs
Installation by a licensed plumber often runs several hundred to over a thousand dollars, plus any utility fees. Use the calculator below to see how fast it pays back.
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