About your water service

Many of our customers do not have their own valve to shut the water supply off to their property. All supply lines beyond Burton Water’s meter are owned by the customers; a valve to shut your water off on your side of the meter is an essential part of your water system. We have been receiving many calls for water shut-offs; while the Utilities Commission allows BWC to charge for this, we have been providing this service without charge to discourage customers from attempting to shut off the water at the BWC valve, an act that could result in damage to our valve and hundreds of dollars to repair. Every customer should have their own valve and be able to turn the water off in an emergency, or for routine repairs and maintenance. BWC can usually install these valves at a very reasonable cost to the customer. In future, customers calling for shut-off valves will be charged the fee allowed; we will waive this fee should the customer elect to have a valve installed while the water is shut off.

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 requires that all water systems provide their customers with an annual report on the quality of their drinking water. This report is called the Consumer Confidence Report. Its purpose is to assure customers that all federal and state requirements for water quality are met, and that their water is safe to drink. Reports will be posted on-line here in June each year. Here’s a link to the Consumer Confidence Report 2019.

Your water bill includes a base charge for water access and usage fees based on metered usage. We bill every two months on the first of the month, starting with February. Monthly base rates are billed for the previous month and the upcoming month. So, for example, the June 1 bill will include the base rate for May and June, plus the metered usage since the previous bill, which in this example would be usage since the April 1 bill. Depending on the meter installed on your property (3/4″ or 1″ meter), you will be billed according to the following table.

Meter size Base $0.0305 per cu. ft. $0.0540 per cu. ft. $0.061 per cu. ft.
¾" $68.00 0-1,800 1,801-3,400 >3,400
1" $113.56 0-3,000 3,001-5,640 >5,640
Disconnection Fee $37.50
Reconnection Fee $37.50
Late Payment Fee, applied when a billed amount is not paid in 30 days 2% ofthe amount billed for each month it is unpaid
Account Set-up Fee $50.00
NSF Check Fee $40.00
Certificate of Water Availability Fee $40.00

We strive to communicate effectively with our customers. In the event of a water emergency, we need to be able to alert customers promptly. This requires that we have good contact information for all our customers. Please take a moment to update your contact information through our website here. Alternately, please give the office a call at 206.463.0005 and leave your contact information, including name, address, phone number and email, as a voice mail. You are also welcome to include a written note with your email address and phone number when you send in payment for your bill. Many thanks to the people who have already responded.

We will under no circumstances release, give away, or sell any information about our customers. Your contact information will only be used for internal Company purposes.

The Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) regulates the rates and services of private or investor-owned utility and transportation companies. The UTC regulates private water companies operating within Washington state that have 100 or more connections, and thus Burton Water Company is under the jurisdiction of the UTC. At their website, you can find links to laws and rules regulating WA State Public Utilities.

Website: utc.wa.gov

The rules pertaining to Burton Water specifically, including rates and fees, can be found here: Butron Water Tariff

Utilities and Transportation Commission 621 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey, WA 98503 Phone: 360.664.1160