Usage Bills

The LSDC charges customers based on 100% of their water usage as read from the property's water meter by the Lancaster Water Department. All billing charges are invoiced on a Fiscal Quarter basis.  The fees and rates charged on usage bills are developed as part of the LSDC’s budget and finance process.  Please see our Billing Frequently Asked Questions page for more information on typical billing issues.

Responsible parties
Sewer bills are associated with the real estate served.  The owner of the real estate at the time of bill issuance is responsible for payment of the bill including any outstanding charges. Bills will not be split.

If you are a new homeowner and you have an outstanding balance on your first bill, please review the balance sheet for your property closing or contact the closing attorney for your property. In most cases, a sewer usage closeout bill is not paid to the LSDC but is instead paid to the new homeowner. This should be evident on your balance sheet.

Past due amounts
Charges and fees not paid when due are subject to penalties of $1.00 for demand, 2.5% interest on past due amounts, plus additional charges and fees for distress or lien proceedings.

Charges and fees not paid when due become a lien on real estate at the close of the fiscal year by automatic operation of the Law as provided under Chapter 40 § 42a of the General Laws, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

1. The Service Number and the Customer Number are the  main identification codes used by the LSDC to track your account. When contacting the LSDC about issues related to your bill please be sure to have these numbers at hand.

2. This is the location, by street address, of your service.

3.  This your customer address of record.

4. These dates indicate when the bill was issued and when it is due.

5. This is the total amount that you owe for the current billing period.  This amount includes the current amount you are being billed for your service plus any past due amounts and late fees, less any abated amounts or credits.

6. This describes what the current period being billed is.  Bills are issued by fiscal quarters.

7. This is a breakdown of your metered use and includes the total usage, the average daily use for the period, and the reading date.  All water data is provided in terms of Cubic Feet (CF). One cubic foot = 7.48 Gal.

8.  This is the billing rate that is being applied to the metered use.

9. This section will account for any past-due amounts owed on your account, late fees, credits, and abatements.  The Late Fee includes interest plus demand amount on outstanding amounts owed. These are calculated each billing period and added to the past due amount if not paid.

10. The amount due for the current period - does not include late fees, credits, etc.

11. This section notes the date and amount of your last payment.  Remove and return this portion of the bill with your payment.

1. 
   

Billing Disputes and Abatements
In the event that the amount of metered water use is in dispute the customer should contact the Lancaster Public Works Department first to investigate the reading discrepancy.  Meter readings are performed by the Lancaster DPW - Water District and any corrections to a reading must be initiated by the water department prior to the LSDC considering an abatement.

Any petition for abatement must be filed in writing to the Lancaster Sewer District Commission within 6 months of the date reflected in the "billing date" section from the front of your bill.  The exception to this policy are automatic sprinkler abatements which require no action on the part of the customer once established.  Abatements will be considered by the Commission on a case-by-case basis.  Approved abatements will be reflected in the next billing period.

Change in address
Be sure to notify the Commission of any changes in billing address or real estate ownership to avoid excessive past due balances, late charges, and possible lien proceedings.

Average Daily Use
Your Average daily use (ADU) is provided on your bill to help you track your use and to assist you in calculating an estimated bill should the need arise.  Calculating an estimated bill is done as follows:

(Number of days for estimate) x (ADU) x ($.022/CF) = Estimated Bill

Note that for services receiving a minimum charge, 8 CF/day is used for ADU.

.