Frequently Asked Questions

There are a series of questions you should ask yourself:

• Is this the first water bill you've received at this address?
• Did the use of the property change since your last water bill?
• Have you had any leaks or frozen pipes?
• Did you fill your children's pool in the hot weather?
• Are you or your tenants using washing machines or dishwashers?
• Did you install an irrigation system?
• Has your family increased in size?
• Have you recently needed to replace your water heater or boiler?

If you have a multi-family or commercial property, you might also ask yourself:

• Do you have new tenants?
• Did you have problem tenants? 
• Do you have outside faucets that are being heavily used?
• Do you have water cooled air conditioning units?

If you determine there were no unusual high usage events such as filling a swimming pool, starting a new lawn, or having plumbing work done to repair a faulty fixture since your last billing, we suggest you do the following:

1. Check the accuracy of the reading. Your last meter reading is on your bill. Read your meter and make sure the number is higher then the reading on the bill. If the meter indicates a lower number, we may have misread the meter. If this is the case call the office and one of our technicians will come out and reread the meter after which the office will correct your bill.
2. Check the "leak detector" on the meter. The small triangular dial is the low flow indicator that moves when water is passing through the meter. If no water is being used inside or outside your home this dial should be still. If the dial is moving, which indicates water usage, do the following: ► Check your toilet for leaks. The toilet uses approximately 30% of the water in your home and if it is leaking you may not hear it. Do this simple test. Put a couple of drops of food coloring in the tank of the toilet. If, after 15 minutes, the dye appears in the bowl, the toilet has a leak. ► Also check your sinks, bathtubs and showers for leaks.
3. If you can't find any leaks, please call the office for further advice or assistance.

A typical usage bill consists of a Water portion and a Sewer portion. (unless there is a well and/or septic system used by the property). The cost of the water portion is based upon the cost of water purchased from the City of New Britain. The sewer portion is based upon the cost of disposal charged by the Mattabassett District (of which the Town of Berlin and the KFD are a member).

For each billing quarter, our staff reads each meter in the District by means of a MIU (Meter Interface

Unit). This MIU is on the outside of the house or building and staff can drive by and get a reading. The

readings are then downloaded into our billing system and bills are generated.

Usage is calculated by subtracting the previous reading from the current reading. The figure obtained is multiplied by the current rate set by the Commission each May. The Water Rate (per 100 cu/ft)

established in May 2025 is $4.55 and the Sewer Rate (per 100 cu/ft) is $6.41. There is a minimum bill of

$22.75 for Water and $32.05 for Sewer.

Example: Meter reading this quarter is 3449 cu ft

Meter reading last quarter is 3431 cu ft

Water consumption 18 cu ft- please note: 1 cubic foot=7.48 gallons of water

Usage charge- 18x$4.55 = 81.90 water

18x$6.41 = 115.38 sewer

Total due for quarter: $197.28