ReWa Approves New Account Fee Schedule

NAF changes apply to multifamily, mixed-use projects
Changes apply to fees paid on or after January 1, 2019

At its regular board meeting in July, ReWa approved changes and increases to New Account Fees (NAF) for mulifamily and mixed-used projects. According to ReWa staff, the new fee schedule better assesses the cost of serving these larger developments, particularly mixed-use developments that include commercial activities.

The new fee schedule does not impact single-family residential developments.

Your home builders association was consulted on the proposal before it was submitted to the ReWa board.

New Account Fees for Multifamily and Mixed-Use ProjectsAll new account fees are currently based on meter size; however, this creates an inequity among customer classes. To address this inequity, ReWa will assess multi-family and mixed use new account fees based on the estimated daily wastewater flows as provided by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Regulation 61-67, Appendix A-Unit Contributory Loadings to All Domestic Wastewater Treatment Facilities (UCL). The estimated daily wastewater flow would be multiplied by the capacity cost per gallon of $8.33, which is based on the current new account fee of $2,500 for single-family homes with a 5/8” meter divided by the 300 gallons capacity per day per the UCL.

The table below shows the flow and the respective proposed new account fees for multi-family housing per unit.

Multi-Family Housing	Flow (gpd)	NAF
Three (3) Bedrooms (Per Unit)	300	$2,500
Two (2) Bedrooms (Per Unit)	225	$1,875
One (1) Bedrooms (Per Unit)	150	$1,250

The table below presents a sample multi-family housing new account fee calculation using the proposed methodology.

Sample Multi-Family Housing	Units	Flow (gpd)	Cost per Gal. per day	NAF
Three Bedroom Apartments	10	3,000	$ 8.33	$  25,000
Two Bedroom Apartments	50	11,250	8.33	93,750
One Bedroom Apartments	30	4,500	8.33	37,500
Total New Account Fee	90			$  156,250

When the multi-family housing project is submitted to ReWa’s engineering department for review, the number of residential units and associated number of bedrooms per unit will need to be clearly identified on the plans and shown in the design calculations. In cases where the bedrooms are unknown, ReWa will charge a $2,500 per unit fee and when the bedrooms are confirmed, the developer or engineer may request a refund, if applicable. The table below shows a sample mixed use property new account fee calculation using the proposed methodology. 

Sample Mixed Use Property	Units	Flow (gpd)	Cost per Gal. per day	NAF
Two Bedroom Condos	12	2,700	$ 8.33	$  22,500
Restaurant w/ 75 Seats	1	2,250	8.33	18,750
Office / Retail w/ 15 Employees	1	285	8.33	2,375
Total New Account Fee	14			$  43,625

When a mixed use project is submitted, in addition to identifying the residential units, commercial sites along with their projected use should also be identified on the plans. In cases where specific tenant information is not known at the time the project is submitted, the developer is to submit his best guess for the tenant and the applicable UCL. Prior to occupancy, the developer or engineer is to coordinate with ReWa’s engineering department to ensure that the original plans and fees submitted still match what is actually in place. At this time, if applicable, ReWa would refund fees or the developer would pay additional fees.

The effective date for these changes is January 1, 2019. Fees on developments previously approved but not yet paid at January 1, 2019 will be calculated based on the above methodology.