Understanding Your Bill
Account Number
Medford Water Commission (the Commission) 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 the Commission 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, the Commission 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, the Commission 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: |
Shut-off date included on notice |
Water shut-off:
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Water can be turned back on once charges and fees are paid in full |
Bill Pay Assistance
St. Vincent de Paul, The Salvation Army, and ACCESS are three agencies that receive annual grants from the Commission for water bill payment assistance to qualifying low-income households. If you are having difficulty paying your water bill, give one of these agencies a call to see if they can help you avoid having your water shut off for non-payment.
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. The graph below shows July 2017 through July 2018 for a single person household. 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. Think of ways to conserve water to be more water efficient, thus lowering the water bill.
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 to 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 to 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. For conservation tips and lawn watering info, go to the conservation tab.
Payment Options
There are many ways to pay:
Online through QuickPay - a payment by credit card or checking account without the need to log in
Online through your account - log in to your account to pay by credit card or checking account
By phone through the automated system: (541) 774-2430, or with a customer service technician (option 0)
By mail - include your account number on the check and send with the payment stub in the return envelope provided to Medford Water Commission, 200 South Ivy Street, Room 177, Medford, OR 97501
By Autopay - automatic withdrawal using your Checking Account or a Credit / Debit Card (log in to your account and select "Auto Pay Settings")
In Person were open Monday Friday, 8 a.m. 5 p.m. at Medford Water Commission, 200 South Ivy Street, Room 177, Medford, OR 97501
Drop Box - we have a drop box located in front of our building (do not use drop boxes for late payments), and at various locations around town
Online Bank/Bill Pay Payments - if you pay your bill using your financial institution's on-line service or another on-line payment provider, you must select "Medford Water Commission" as the payee and enter all 15 digits from your bill into the account field, in format XXXXXXXX-YYYYYYY (customer number account number). This will ensure quick crediting of your payment. In some instances, your financial institution may send us a payment by mail. In these instances, a delay of 5-7 days may occur in the processing of your payment.
Questions?
Call 541-774-2430 or email Customer Service with additional questions.
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