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WATER BILLING

DISCOUNT ON WATER BILLS WITH AUTOMATIC BANK PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION!

A discount of $1.00 per customer (per account) is given to each water customer who participates in the Automatic Bank Payment Program. It's quick and easy! Just complete the Automatic Bank Payment Authorization (73k - 2 pages) form, and your discount will begin on your next billing.

The completed form and required documents may be mailed to or dropped off at:

The City of Lake Forest
Attn: Water Billing
110 E. Laurel Ave
Lake Forest, IL  60045

The completed form may also be faxed to 847-615-4295. If you have questions regarding this program, please call 847-615-4226.

Water billing for The City of Lake Forest is done on a quarterly basis. For billing purposes, the City is divided into three sections/cycles and each cycle is billed quarterly. Water meters in Lake Forest are equipped with a Radio Read Meter Transceiver Unit (MXU) which permits meter reading via radio signals. As the Public Works vehicle moves through the section of town to be billed, the MXU connected to your meter receives a wake up signal from the vehicle interrogation unit. The MXU obtains the meter's identification number and meter reading, which are transmitted back to the interrogation unit. The meter readings are then used to produce the water bills.

On the bill is the water charge ($4.25 per 1,000 gallons), city use tax (5% of the water charge), sewer charge ($1.04 per 1,000 gallons), and a water and sewer customer charge which are based on the size of the meter in each home or business. The amount of water used during the winter billing quarter establishes the consumption charged for sewer for the next four bills, i.e. during the winter quarter your usage is 5,000 gallons of water, but in the summer water usage jumps to 48,000 gallons. The sewer charge will be based on a consumption of 5,000 gallons, not 48,000.

Water bills may be paid by dropping them in The City of Lake Forest white drop boxes located in both train station parking lots and on Bank Lane north of Westminster. You may also drop them through the mail slot (right of the door) at the Municipal Services Building after normal working hours or pay for them in person at the Municipal Services Building or City Hall during the regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Residents and businesses can also pay their water/sewer bills through an automatic bank debiting option. Starting May 1st, those who participate in the Automatic Bank Payment program will receive a $1.00 discount per account per bill. To participate in this convenient program, you must complete an Automatic Bank Debiting application that can be obtained at the Municipal Services Building or by downloading this Automatic Bank Payment Authorization form. (73k - 2 pages)

By using this payment method, the amount of your water/sewer bill is automatically deducted from the checking or savings account you have authorized the City to use. Participants in this payment service will continue to receive a water/sewer bill on a quarterly basis indicating the amount to be deducted from their account. On the due date, the water/sewer bill payment will be deducted from the account. There is no fee for automatic bank debiting. Questions? Please call 847-615-4226.

For changes in billing address (selling property, terminating a lease, starting new water service) or to make an appointment to check for leaks, the location or size of water meters, and with questions about a bill, call 847-615-4226. You may also download this Change of Address form. (25k - 1 page)

Water Fees for FY2009 effective May 1, 2008:

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Your water bill should be based on an actual (not estimated) meter reading each quarter. Actual readings produce an accurate usage history and that helps detect leaks. Actual readings are also required by the North Shore Sanitary District (sewage treatment) in order to obtain full summer credit for outside watering.  You will receive a separate bill from North Shore Sanitary District for sewage treatment and disposal. The City of Lake Forest water bill includes charges for the maintenance of the sewer lines from your home or business to the North Shore Sanitary District intercepting sewers.  

IS MY HIGH WATER BILL DUE TO A WATER LEAK?

For more information on higher water bills related to higher water consumption and how to check for a possible leak CLICK HERE (9k - 1 page)

HOW MUCH WATER DO I USE?

Many customers ask the question, "How much water does the average person use each day?" The answer to this question, of course, requires a definition of the "average person." In general, per capita water use ranges from about 40 to 80 gallons per day in the eastern United States. In order to understand the several ways in which each person uses water, we have prepared the following detailed chart:  

It should be noted that certain customers will use more or less than these average values. In addition to these types of in-house usage, the outside uses of water such as washing cars, walks, driveways and lawn sprinkling, irrigation, etc. varies considerably.

For more information:  Water FAQ's (21k - 2 pages)