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Authority to audit large industrial users after review of high-volume accounts
Summary
Staff reported reviewing industrial users and flagged at least six accounts for audit after discovering extremely large water usages among warehouses, data centers, manufacturing and cultivators; staff said billing rules now allow more precise charging and staff will meet with engineers and commissioners to review accounts.
Authority staff described a targeted review of large commercial and industrial sewer accounts and said it identified multiple accounts whose water usage merited audit. Staff said some accounts use very large volumes of water and at least six accounts were flagged for further investigation and potential billing adjustments.
Executive Director Joe Danielson said the authority amended rules in the last three years to give staff authority to pursue appropriate charges, including options to charge per gallon where warranted. The board discussed possible models — per-gallon billing, EDU counts, or metering the sewer line directly — and staff said they will convene a meeting with engineers and interested commissioners to examine a subset of accounts. A commissioner also asked legal counsel whether sewer bills could be adjusted retroactively for up to three years, and counsel said he would check and report back by the next meeting.
"Some of their water usage was stunning," the executive director said while describing the review. Staff suggested auditing the top 15–40 accounts and applying established best practices for account classification before changing billing methods.
