3.1. Monthly Bills: Bills are sent out monthly.
3.2. Services Appearing on Bills: CFPUA is the billing agent for the City of Wilmington’s storm water and solid waste, so you will see charges for these services along with your water and sewer.
3.3. Utility Rates: Your water and sewer charges have two components. The first will remain the same every billing period. The fixed meter charge covers the cost for building and paying debt service on the plants and pipes used to provide water and sewer service. The second component is the consumption charge which covers the cost of treating the water you use and the wastewater you put into the sewers. Your meter records how much water you use and is basis for the consumption portion of your bill. You can get a copy of the rate schedule from CFPUA Customer Service representatives or on our Rates and Fees page.
3.4. Payment Options: You can pay your bill using cash, check, money order, or debit/credit card (Visa/Mastercard), PayPal, Venmo, and Amazon Pay. You may mail a check using the envelope provided in your bill. You can also make a payment using your credit card, debit card, or checking account over the phone by using our IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system or pay online at www.cfpua.org. You can also create an online account using the Customer Self Service portal at www.cfpua.org, and establish autopay with a checking account or debit/credit card (Visa/Mastercard).
3.5. Starting or Stopping Automatic Bank Drafts: How to start and stop bank draft/autopay can be found on our Applications and Forms page.
3.6. Where to pay: Customers can visit 235 Government Center Drive to make a payment. Office hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Thursday, and Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. CFPUA observes all state holidays.
3.7. Due Date: Bills are sent out monthly and are due in 25 days from the bill date. The due date is printed on your bill. CFPUA cannot be responsible for bills lost or misdirected in the mail. If you have not received your bill, call Customer Service at 910-332-6550.
3.8. Late Fees: Payments not received within 25 days will be charged a late fee of 5% of the outstanding charges. Late fees on disputed bills may be waived if you are following the appeal procedure (see Section 3.13).
3.9. Application of Partial Payment: Application of Partial Payment: In the event payment is made in an amount less than the total due on a bill, any such amount shall be allocated to outstanding charges in the following order: storm water, trash bags, trash services, other charges, sewer, and water.
3.10. Returned Checks and Bank Drafts: If your check or bank draft is returned by the bank, you will be charged a fee to reimburse CFPUA for administrative time. The amount of the returned item plus the returned check fee must be paid in full with certified funds (i.e., cash, money order, certified check or credit card). If the amount of the returned item plus the returned check fee are not paid in full, you are not considered to have made a payment and will be subject to any late fees and procedures for collection of past due charges which could include disconnection of your water services.
3.11. Adjustments for Leaks: You may not receive an adjustment unless all outstanding water and sewer bills owed are paid prior to the unusually high water bill. An unusually high water bill means a water and/or sewer bill for a billing cycle that reflects monthly water usage, that is at least two (2) times the customer’s average monthly usage of the premises as measured during the previous twelve (12) monthly billing periods. The amount of the adjustment for water will be 50% over the average consumption of the previous twelve‐month period and 100% over the average for sewer consumption charges if the leak did not enter the sewer system. If the leak enters the sewer system, sewer charges will be for 50% over the average consumption charges for the previous twelve‐month period. Adjustments for irrigation leaks will be made to water and/or sewer charges depending on whether a separate meter is used for the calculation of water charges associated with irrigating. The amount credited may be 50% of water and 100% of sewer, if applicable, over the average consumption charges for the same billing period of the last two consecutive years. (The full policy can be found on our website under CFPUA Policies.)
(H) Pool Credits. A sewer credit will be considered when filling a newly constructed pool or when refilling a pool that has been completely drained to facilitate a repair. When a customer provides written documentation that a swimming pool has been filled from the internal plumbing system, a sewer credit may be issued based on the metered water volume used to fill the pool. The customer must provide the dimensions of the pool, the volume that was filled, and the dates the pool was filled. For pool fills, your utility account may be credited for wastewater usage based on your average usage for the prior twelve (12) billing cycles. Customers may receive one pool credit per twelve-month period. Credit is not available for the addition of makeup water due to normal routine maintenance (topping off), nor are credits provided for splasher pools (kiddie pools) or hot tubs/spas. The customer must complete the Pool Fill Adjustment Request Form and submit with required documentation, as outlined on the form for a sewer credit consideration.
3.12. Billing Errors: If you believe there is an error in your bill, contact Customer Service within 30 days. Your bill will be adjusted in full for clerical or computer errors. However, if the error was billing for services which were never rendered (for example charging you for water when you were on a well and not required to connect to the water line), an adjustment will be allowed only for amounts you paid within the prior three years.
3.13. Appeal Billing Disputes: If you disagree with a bill or refusal of a credit or refund for disputed water or sewer charges as determined by the Supervisor, you can file a written request for an appeal. Such request should be made within ten (10) days after the bill or notification of an assessment for a violation and/or service termination was received.
3.14. Extension of Payments: You are responsible for paying your bill in full by the due date, or you will be charged late fees, and your water may be turned off. If you cannot pay in full by the due date, call Customer Service to see if you qualify for assistance.
3.15. Discovery of Unbilled Accounts: If we discover that you have received water and/or sewer service, but we have not billed you or not billed you correctly, we may send you a bill for up to three years of service, even if you received service for more than three years and were not billed for it. No interest charges are included for unbilled past service. Of course, if your account has been in your name for less than three years, or if we can determine that the billing error or omission began less than three years ago, we will prepare the bill accordingly. If the amount due is large, you may qualify for installment payments.
3.17. Third Party Notification: If you would like to have a copy of a bill or delinquency notice mailed to another person such as a tenant or relative, contact a Customer Service Representative. There is also a form on the Applications and Forms page that you must complete and submit to Customer Service.
3.18. Deposits: Residential customers with no or a poor credit history and new commercial customers may be required to pay a deposit before receiving service. The full policy can be found on our website under CFPUA deposit policy & deposit policy FAQ.