Each JWC water customer receives a utility bill from his or her city's finance department. The amount you owe for water depends on the number of gallons you used during the billing period. The water bill reflects three different costs:

• the first is the cost to purchase treated Mississippi River water from the City of Minneapolis

• the second is the cost to purchase and maintain the jointly owned JWC infrastructure and to deliver the water to each member city as needed

• the third is the cost each member city incurs to deliver the water to each customer's tap

 

City utility bills also include charges for other services, such as sewer, street lights, storm drainage, and recycling. Utility bill funds are handled as enterprise funds. This means the amount you pay for those utilities covers the entire cost of providing the service, maintenance and repair of each system, and any improvements to the system.

 

The City is responsible for maintenance and repair of the water system up to the right-of-way line, as well as the water meter itself. The property owner is responsible for maintenance and repair of the water system from the right-of-way line inwards. This includes the service pipe that carries water to the building from the water main service at the street and all plumbing (pipes, fixtures, etc) in or attached to the building. Property owners should occasionally check inside and outside meter readings to make sure there is not a large discrepancy between the two readings.