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Environmental Services has about 1,500 customers located in one of four Drainage Districts. Drainage Districts help manage the flood control and levee system for the Columbia River. Drainage District customers are currently billed about 35 percent less than customers in the rest of Portland for stormwater services. This is due to agreements with the Drainage Districts extending back many years.
Over the next three years, Environmental Services is adjusting stormwater rates for Drainage District customers to more closely match rates in the rest of the city and align with the cost of providing services.
Portland City Council directed Environmental Services to phase in rate changes for Drainage District customers over the next three years. The changes will start with 50 percent of the approved charge going into effect beginning July 1, 2024. The remaining increase will be phased in over the next two fiscal years (July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026), until customers inside the Drainage Districts are paying the full cost of service rate as all other customers pay, adopted by City Council.
In previous years, properties inside the Drainage Districts were not eligible for Clean River Rewards discounts. Under the new rate structure, properties in Drainage Districts that safely manage all or some of the stormwater that runs off their property are eligible to apply for these discounts. Depending on the stormwater management on your property, you may be eligible to apply for up to a 35 percent discount on your stormwater charges.
The impacts of the rate changes depend on the type of customer and the characteristics of each property. You can find out more about the upcoming changes for different types of customers here:
- Customers with houses (includes duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes)
- Multifamily and mixed-use residential customers
- Commercial and industrial customers
New Stormwater Billing Method
Environmental Services will no longer use “on-site” and “off-site” stormwater charges. Instead, you will be billed using a combination of “stormwater billable area” and “service units.” Stormwater billable area is calculated by adding up the developed area of a property (roofs, patios, driveways, etc.) This new billing method will help ensure that Environmental Services is more accurately billing each customer based on the cost of serving that customer, as well as bring Environmental Services’ billing practices more closely in line with other sewer and stormwater utilities across the country.
Stormwater billable area
Stormwater billable area is the developed area of a property. Development prevents stormwater from flowing naturally or soaking into the ground. This includes areas like rooftops, porous pavement, patios, and driveways. Please note: Overwater structures, such as floating homes and docks, are not included as stormwater billable area.
Stormwater service units
The number of service units refers to the number of dwelling units on the property. Stormwater service units will be billed differently for customers with homes, multifamily and mixed-use customers, and for commercial, industrial, and other non-residential customers.
Expanded Clean River Rewards eligibility
Prior to these changes, customers in the Drainage Districts were not eligible for Clean River Rewards discounts. Drainage District customers safely managing some or all of their property’s stormwater runoff on their properties can now register for the Clean River Rewards discount program, offering up to a 35 percent discount on your stormwater charges. Find out how you can participate in the Clean River Rewards stormwater discount program.
Changes to sanitary sewer rates
The way sanitary sewer charges are billed will remain unchanged and not appear different on your bill. However, we're adjusting rates so that a larger portion of your bill goes towards stormwater services and a smaller portion goes to sanitary sewer services. Residential customers will see a decrease in their sanitary sewer rate, while non-residential customers will see a small increase in their sanitary sewer rate.