Monterey One Water is changing how it bills customers.

Soon, Monterey One Water customers will no longer receive a bill in the mail every other month.

Beginning July 1, wastewater fees will show up on a parcel’s annual property tax bill for the year, eliminating the bimonthly bill.

M1W spokesperson Mike McCullough says once the transition is fully implemented, the agency estimates it will save about $400,000 annually. “The bulk of the savings will be reinvested back into replacing and renewing many of the agency’s aging infrastructure assets,” he says.

Monterey One Water operates the regional treatment plant in Marina, where wastewater transported from 30 miles of underground pipes connected to Salinas, parts of North County and the Monterey Peninsula is cleaned. Some of that is used to replenish local drinking water basins, via Pure Water Monterey. Non-potable recycled water is distributed to irrigate agricultural fields.

M1W estimates about 17 million gallons of wastewater is pumped into the facility every day, with more than 250,000 residents and nearly 7,000 businesses comprising its service area.

The agency’s five-year rate schedule, approved in 2021, predates the switch in billing. Starting July 1, a single-family home will see an annual charge of $611.40 on its property tax bill, in addition to other fees for wastewater collection set by cities.

Property tax bills can be paid monthly via a third-party vendor authorized by the Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Monterey One Water also offers a low-income assistance program to help customers pay the fees.

“This change is possible because we are a public entity with public approval procedures,” McCullough says. “Other private utilities will not ‘be next’ to convert their billing to the tax rolls. Wastewater is also a mandated service that can never be turned off, even with nonpayment, unlike water or power.”

McCullough recommends customers visit montereyonewater.org/billing-change for more information.