Rates and Fees

Collier County Public Utilities is proud to serve our community with safe, reliable water and wastewater. With a commitment to innovation, environmental stewardship and public health, we invest in advanced infrastructure and treatment technologies to ensure high-quality service for every customer.

At Collier County Public Utilities, our mission is to deliver effective, efficient, responsive, reliable, and high-quality utility services guides every decision we make. To uphold this mission, our strategic priorities are staying in compliance, meeting demand with reliability, focusing on the customer, building the team, and posturing for the future. Public Utilities provides support in planning and project management, finance and operations of the Collier County Water Sewer District.

The Collier County Water Sewer District (CCWSD) was established in 1969 as a special district utility under Florida’s Uniform Special District Accountability Act (Chapter 189) to serve the public and meet the needs of the community.

CCWSD is legally and ethically bound to set rates that are fair, reasonable, and based on the cost of providing service. The governing body of CCWSD, the Board of County Commissioners, is responsible for setting the rates necessary to operate and maintain the utility system. Because the utility is publicly owned, rate-setting is a fiduciary responsibility that ensures sustainable and reliable water and sewer service. Rates must be sufficient to cover costs including:

  • Operations and routine maintenance of utility assets

  • Infrastructure rehabilitation, improvements and replacement which guarantees stability and the future security of utility infrastructure

  • Debt service on bonds or loans to meet bond covenants, especially critical to maintain AAA bond rating to meet future funding requirements

  • Reserves for emergencies which help avoid rate spikes

  • Current rates represent the payment plan for a system designed and built to withstand challenges

Financial Oversight and Budgeting

CCWSD is required to adopt annual budgets that reflect actual operating and capital expenditures with anticipated revenues. The utility must submit annual certified financial reports and undergo audits by Collier County’s external auditors, ensuring that revenues are aligned with expenditures. Any surplus must be reinvested into the utility system. Customers are encouraged to provide input and participate in discussions during public budget meetings held annually. Unlike private, for-profit utilities which are overseen by the Florida Public Service Commission, CCWSD’s governing body is the Collier County Board of County Commissioners. The Special Act forbids any entity other than the governing Board from establishing rates.

By aligning with our mission and priorities, we ensure that every dollar supports a utility system that’s built to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s growth. CCWSD relies on two distinct but complementary revenue mechanisms: user fees and impact fees. No funds are received from other sources. User fees keep the system running, while impact fees pay for the system’s growth.

User Fees

User fees are paid by current customers and are carefully structured to support the daily operations of our utility systems. These rates ensure we can maintain compliance, respond quickly to service needs, and deliver consistent, high-quality, regulatory-compliant services.

Who pays: Current utility customers

Purpose: To cover the day-to-day operational costs of running the utility system.

What they fund:

  • Electricity to run pumps and treatment plants

  • Chemicals to provide drinking water, wastewater treatment and odor control

  • Routine maintenance and repairs

  • Rehabilitation and replacement of aging infrastructure

How they’re calculated: Base charges to recover fixed costs for routine, regulatory testing plus actual usage charges calculated on gallons of water consumed.

Impact Fees

Impact fees, by contrast, are paid by developers and are essential for expanding infrastructure to meet future demand. They allow us to grow responsibly, build capacity, and invest in the systems needed to serve a growing community without shifting the cost burden to existing customers.

Who pays: Developers or builders of new homes and commercial buildings.

Purpose: To fund infrastructure expansion needed to serve new growth.

What they fund:

  • New water or sewer transmission mains

  • Expansion of treatment plant capacity

  • Increased storage or pumping capacity

How they’re calculated: Based on the anticipated demand the new development will place on the utility system.

The Cost of Water

Collier County’s unique geography and water sources contribute to the overall cost of providing safe, reliable drinking water. As one of Florida’s largest counties by land area, we operate nearly 3,000 miles of water and wastewater pipelines, far more than utilities serving smaller, denser cities. This extensive network  requires ongoing investment in maintenance to ensure consistent service across a wide region. In addition, we draw water from both fresh aquifers and deeper, saltier aquifers which require more advanced treatment technologies to meet strict water quality standards. These added complexities mean we invest significantly in infrastructure and innovation to protect your health and deliver high-quality drinking water every day.

Collier County Water Sewer District has experienced rising costs across several critical areas:

  • Electricity costs have increased, affecting the energy needed to treat and distribute water.
  • Chemical prices used in water, wastewater and odor control treatment have risen significantly.
  • Parts and materials required for maintenance and repairs are more expensive and harder to source.
  • Contractual services, including specialized labor and support, have increased in cost.
  • We’ve been assessed higher contributions to the County’s General Fund for indirect services and administrative functions.
  • There’s also an increase in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT).
  • Regulatory compliance demands continue to grow, requiring investment in monitoring, reporting, and infrastructure upgrades to meet state and federal standards.

How We’re Working to Keep Costs Down

While rate increases are necessary due to rising costs, we are actively taking steps to control expenses and operate as efficiently as possible. Our top priority is strong fiscal stewardship. By managing resources wisely and investing in smart technologies, we’re working every day to deliver high-quality service while keeping costs as low as possible for our customers.

Here’s how we’re working to reduce costs:

  • Reducing lost water through leak detection programs and system monitoring to minimize waste and improve efficiency.
  • Replacing aging meters with modern, accurate technology to ensure fair and precise billing.
  • Improving billing accuracy by integrating data systems and enhancing customer service tools.
  • Recovering full costs of damages through proactive claims management when utility infrastructure is impacted by third parties.
  • Modernizing plant processes to improve energy efficiency, reduce chemical use, and streamline operations.
  • Controlling parts inventory to avoid overstocking and reduce waste while ensuring critical components are available when needed.
  • Expanding automation and remote monitoring to reduce manual labor, improve response times, and enhance system oversight.
  • Maintain AAA bond ratings to secure the most favorable borrowing rates for future investment.

 

 

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