Due to the recent catastrophic weather event, the Board of Directors of TRAVIS COUNTY WCID NO 17 are aware that many customers are dealing with additional expenses outside of their normal budget. Because of this, customers that have experienced a leak on their side of the meter between the dates of February 14 and February 22, 2021, may request a billing adjustment.

Furthermore, on February 25, 2021, the District Board of Directors adopted a new policy that addresses catastrophic events and defined the recent severe winter storm as a catastrophic event. Under the new policy, for customers who have experienced and repaired a water leak; excess water consumption above a customer’s calculated average usage will be forgiven. To obtain this adjustment, affected customers must report the leak as a written request, within two months of the declared dates, and provide substantiation of the repaired leak. Email communication to our staff will be sufficient to meet this requirement. You can reach our billing staff at 512-266-1111, extension 118 (Carolyn), extension 122 (Lisa) or extension 116 (Eddie.)

Lastly, I have directed that there will be no service disconnections for nonpayment in the months of February and March 2021. There will also be no assessed penalties for late payments in the months of March or April 2021. It is our hope that these actions will help our customers to navigate the recovery process as we move forward from this severe weather event.

Sincerely,
Jason F. Homan
General Manager

Policy As Amended February 25, 2021

3.9.6. Catastrophic Event Billing Adjustments

The District’s General Manager may determine that a catastrophic event (hurricane, fire, severe weather, etc.) has occurred, declaring the date of event, and may authorize the following process.

Customers may request a bill adjustment for excess water use due to a leak on the customer’s side after a catastrophic event. One catastrophic leak adjustment per event, per customer will be allowed. The customer must report the leak within two months of the declared date. To obtain the adjustment the customer must submit:

a. Written Request – The request should provide a brief description of the leak. The consumption will be calculated by the District, based on the dates as determined by the General Manager for the specified catastrophic event. (Email is acceptable.)

b. A copy of the plumber's repair bill showing the leak to be repaired or other substantiation such as a photograph, part receipts, etc. District staff may also verify repairs.

District staff will review the claim and make the appropriate adjustment to the account. The adjustment is calculated by taking the customer’s account average of the three (3) months of water usage prior to the catastrophic event. This figure establishes an estimate of actual usage (“Average Usage”). Regular rates are applied to Average Usage.

Usage will be calculated for the specified timeframe of the catastrophic event as set by the District General Manager. Any usage above the Average Usage calculated will be forgiven. If no historical usage data is available, the District-wide average will be used to determine usage.

The catastrophic billing adjustment will be independent of the normal water leak adjustment process.

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The District General Manager is authorized to allow adjustments for circumstances outside these conditions as determined to be fair and reasonable, however, bill adjustments will generally not be made for water waste, either intentional or unintentional. Examples of water waste include: 1. Overwatering – leaving sprinklers on excessively long, maladjustment of irrigation controllers; 2. Leaving hose bibbs or other fixtures running intentionally or unintentionally; or 3. Failure to promptly investigate and repair a leak after being notified of high usage by District staff.