Sanitation board explains large sewer-credit adjustments and approves consent agenda

At the start of the Nov. 24 session the Daly City County Sanitation District considered consent-agenda items that included large sewer-credit adjustments for customers with anomalous winter water usage.

Board member Cosgrove asked why several accounts showed substantial credits. Utility staff explained the annual sewer charge is calculated from water usage in January and February and that the city multiplies that two-month base period by six to annualize wastewater flow. When a property has unusually high measured water use in the base period (for reasons such as unauthorized access or a temporary leak later corrected), annualized calculations can produce large credits when staff later compare actual annual usage to the inflated base-period estimate. Staff emphasized that credits reflect wastewater that never reached the treatment plant and that utility billing staff contacts customers when meter reads are abnormal and sends free leak-detection kits to help identify problems.

A council member asked how the city notifies customers of potential leaks; staff said utility billing staff reaches out to customers and sends leak-detection kits and that every meter is read every two months across the system. Board members also raised constituent-perception concerns about the aggregate amount of credits; staff responded the adjustments do not represent lost revenue but corrections to billing calculations.

After discussion the board approved the consent agenda and adjourned the Sanitation District portion of the meeting. No formal policy change was proposed; staff noted follow-up customer outreach and continued reporting of billing adjustments.