Utilities FAQs

The stormwater fee ensures that we're meeting federal and state water quality mandates, protecting and improving our water quality, and funding upgrades and improvements to stormwater infrastructure to alleviate flooding throughout Shelton.

Specifically, the stormwater fee pays for activities such as:

• Monitoring water quality of local waterways to control potential discharge of pollutants
• Identifying and eliminating improper connections that illegally dump waste, instead of stormwater, directly into our rivers and streams
• Developing plans to properly address stormwater runoff throughout the existing stormwater system
• Performing regular system maintenance and state permit compliance reporting
• Upgrading, repairing, and replacing the existing stormwater infrastructure to reduce flooding and pollution
• Removing stormwater from the sanitary sewer system (also known as inflow & infiltration)
• Providing public outreach and education opportunities

Impervious area refers to surfaces that minimize the ability of rainfall to soak into the ground, causing runoff (ex: roofs, garages, carports, storage sheds, sidewalks, roads, parking lots, patios, etc.).  The runoff can cause flooding and drainage issues.

When billing for stormwater, we consider the amount of impervious area on each property. The stormwater fee reflects the amount of stormwater runoff that each individual property contributes to the community’s overall stormwater runoff.

The more impervious surface area a property has, the greater amount of stormwater that runs into our conveyance system and streams, thus the greater demand on the drainage infrastructure.

An Equivalent Service Unit (ESU) is the unit of measurement we use to bill the stormwater fee.

The ESU was developed by reviewing the impervious surface area of residential properties located within Shelton city limits. Each property was measured, and a median (average) impervious surface area was determined to be 2,900 square feet. 2,900 impervious square feet equals one ESU.

Our former rate structure had been in place since 2005, and the fees had been the same since 2009. The revenue generated by the former fees was not enough to pay for necessary operations, maintenance, upgrade projects, or new state regulatory requirements.

The former rate structure also didn't equitably charge customers since customers were charged based on tiers of impervious surface area. Many customers at the tier edges paid a significantly higher stormwater fee for just a few more square feet of impervious surface. Also, capping the amount of impervious square feet at 55,000 means that a customer with 600,000 impervious square feet would pay the same amount as a customer with 55,001 square feet.

We recognized these inequities and commissioned a rate study, which determined the best route to remedy this issue and equitably balance the rate structure would be to move to an ESU (equivalent service unit) rate structure.

You can find more information on stormwater utility rates on our Utility Rates webpage.

Sewer charges are based on actual consumption for the November through May bills.

For the summer billing months (June through October bills), your sewer consumption charge is based on the average water use for the billing months of November, December, January, February, and March. This is known as summer sewer averaging. We use summer sewer averaging to allow for common outdoor activities like car washing, lawn and garden irrigation, etc. where wastewater won't enter the wastewater (sewer) system.

Summer sewer averaging is in effect from June 1 - October 31 of each year.

Sewer rates consist of a base charge, plus a consumption charge based on your water use. As with water rates, the sewer consumption charge differs depending on the end-user type (single-family residential, multi-family, industrial or commercial).

You can find more information about sewer utility rates on our Utility Rates webpage.

Water rates are calculated based on a flat charge, determined by meter size, and a per cubic foot consumption charge. There are differing rates per cubic foot of consumption depending on the end-user type (single-family residential, multi-family, industrial or commercial).

You can find more information about water utility rates on our Utility Rates webpage.

There are multiple ways to pay your utility bill.

Online: Use municipalonlinepayments.com/sheltonwa to pay your utility bill online. You can find more information on our Pay My Utility Bill Online webpage. 

Note: The Municipal Online Payments link above is the only official website to pay City of Shelton utility bills.

Dropbox: Utility bill payments (non-cash) can be dropped in the Civic Center's dropbox, located in the front parking lot.

Mail: Payments (non-cash) can be mailed to Customer Service at the Shelton Civic Center, located at 525 West Cota Street. 

In-Person: Customer Service, located on the second floor of the Civic Center, can process utility bill payments during their regular operating hours, Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Closed from 1 - 2 p.m.) and Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Yes, the City offers some different assistance programs for utility customers. We also have contact information for local organizations that may be able to help.

You can find more information on our Assistance Programs webpage or contact Customer Service.

Yes. The City no longer directly provides garbage service, but it is required to have garbage service if you're within City limits. To learn more about garbage service or set up an account, please contact Mason County Garbage & Recycling at masoncountygarbage.com or call 360-426-8729.