Your bill from Medford Water contains charges for water service, which provides the means to bring reliable, high-quality drinking water all the way from the source to your tap.
Using the funds from the sale of water service, we construct, extend, maintain, and operate the water system that cleans, treats, and distributes the water from the Big Butte Springs and Rogue River sources. Additionally, we protect and preserve the watersheds upon which these water sources rely.
For information on understanding your bill, click the tab below.
Medford Water wants to make it as easy and convenient as possible for customers to pay their water bill, as well as use less paper to help protect our environment. We encourage you to check out the payment options below and sign up for paperless billing if you haven’t done so already.
In Person
Stop by our office in downtown Medford:
Medford Water
200 South Ivy Street – Room 177
Medford, OR 97501
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday
By Mail
Put your account number on your check and include the payment stub in the return envelope provided, or address an envelope to:
Medford Water
200 South Ivy Street – Room 177
Medford, OR 97501
Payment Drop Boxes
Drop your payment—CHECKS ONLY (no cash)—and payment stub in an envelope into one of our drop boxes. The box outside our building is checked once a day, and your payment will be forwarded to us by USPS mail from the other boxes on the same day; however, please be aware that processing by USPS may cause a delay of more than seven to ten days.
Medford Water – City Hall Lausmann Annex, 200 S. Ivy Street (parking lot entrance)
Albertsons – 910 N. Phoenix Rd., Medford
Albertsons – 113 N. Ross Ln., Medford
Avista Utilities – 580 Business Park Dr., Medford
Account Number
Medford Water customers have two identifying numbers in the format XXXXXXXX-YYYYYYY (customer number-account number), which can be found in the upper right corner of the bill. You will need both numbers to access your online account. The customer number is the first set of 8 numbers (X) before the dash, and follows the individual customer. The account number is the second set of 7 numbers (Y) after the dash, and is specific to the address.
Summary of Charges
This section shows your Previous Balance, Payments, Balance Forward, and New Charges.
What Am I Paying For?
The water bill from Medford Water contains charges for water service, which provides the means to create clean drinking water. The City of Medford bills for sewer, wastewater, and storm drains for their residents; Rogue Valley Sewer Services also bills for sewer for some Commission customers.
Using the funds from the sale of water service, Medford Water constructs, extends, maintains and operates the water treatment plant that tests, cleans, treats, and distributes the water from Big Butte Springs and the Rogue River. Additionally, Medford Water protects and preserves the watersheds upon which such water sources rely, and distributes the water to individual water users and water distributors, both public and private, and to Partner Cities as water distributors.
Late Payments
If there is an amount listed under Balance Forward in the Summary of Charges section of your water bill, these are charges that we have not yet received payment on. Payment is due within 2 weeks of the water bill date, and we provide multiple notices of past due amounts before taking any action.
First Bill: 2 weeks to pay
2nd bill: 2 weeks to pay
Urgent notice: 1 week to pay
Shut-off notice & Late Fee: Shut-off date and Late Fee included on notice
Water shut-off: Water can be turned back on once charges and fees are paid in full
Bill Payment Assistance
Medford Water provides annual grants to St. Vincent de Paul, The Salvation Army, and ACCESS for water bill payment assistance to qualifying low-income households. If you are having difficulty paying your water bill, one of these agencies may be able to help you avoid having your water shut off for non-payment. Go to the Bill Payment Assistance tab above for more information.
Account Information
This section shows the two main parts that monthly water bills are based on. Read more about our water rates on our website.
- Volume charge: This applies to the amount of water used (consumption) per month and is billed in thousands of gallons. For residential customers, this billing is at different rates per tier and is dependent upon elevation. For commercial customers, billing is divided by Summer/Winter charges. When the meter reader records the water consumption, they record how many thousand gallons have gone through the meter for the month, which means that if 5,400 gallons were used, only 5,000 gallons would be on the bill. The remaining 400 gallons will be included in the next bill once the meter reaches the next 1,000 gallon mark. This method may cause your water bill to fluctuate, depending on the timing of your water usage.
- Base charge: This is dependent on the size of the meter and covers the cost of services that must be provided regardless of how much water is used per month. This includes meter reading, billing, customer service, and waterline maintenance.
Some customer groups may receive other charges:
- Backflow Prevention Program: This charge funds inspection and testing of backflow prevention assemblies at single-family residences.
- Elevation charges: If applicable, this recovers the cost of pumping water to serve higher elevation areas.
Important Messages
Pay close attention to this section for important messages regarding your account and your drinking water.
Water Usage Profile
The Water Usage Profile graph displays the water used for the past 13 months, allowing a comparison between the current month and the same month last year. If you see a significant increase from the same month last year, it might be a good time to make sure there are no water leaks in or around the premises.
Our Watersmart account portal has many tools that can help you conserve water to be more water efficient, thus lowering your water bill. We also recommend visiting our Water Efficiency section for conservation tips and lawn watering information.
How do you compare?
In the winter, the typical Medford residential household with an average sized yard uses around 2,000-5,000 gallons per month, or 1,000-2,000 gallons per person per month. In the summer, water usage depends on your landscaping needs, although a typical Medford residential household with an average sized yard uses around 20,000-25,000 gallons per month. For a better estimate of water usage for your landscape, calculate shrubs at 3 gallons per square foot of shrub area, and lawns at 5 gallons per square foot of lawn per month.
Questions?
Call 541-774-2430 or email Customer Service with additional questions.
Need a helping hand? At one point or another, we all need a little help.
Medford Water provides annual grants to The Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul and ACCESS for water bill payment assistance to qualifying low-income families. If you are having difficulty paying your water bill, give any one of these agencies a call; they may be able to help you.
| ACCESS | (541) 779-6691 |
| St. Vincent de Paul | (541) 772-3828 |
| The Salvation Army | (541) 772-8149 |
Applicant screening and disbursement of funds are handled by each agency. Call Customer Service for more information about these agencies, bill payment assistance, and payment options at 541-774-2430 or email customerservice@medfordwater.org.