Department of Environmental Services

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Department of Environmental Services

Ka ʻOihana Lawelawe Kaiāpuni

Frequently Asked Questions

How are sewer charges calculated?

Residential properties are billed in two parts:  a sewer base charge and a sewer usage charge. Commercial or non-residential properties are billed at water consumption multiplied by a rate per thousand gallons. See a detailed explanation of sewer charges at our Sewer Service Charges Information web page.

Base charge represents the fixed cost associated with operating and maintaining the municipal sewer system. 

Volume charge represents the variable cost of transporting and treating the wastewater. Volume charge is based on water consumption.  Water consumption is reduced by a twenty percent (20%) irrigation factor. 

Irrigation Factor – The City has determined that about 20% of the water used by a household goes to watering yards or plants, washing cars and other water use that does not go into the sewer. 

The total sewer service charge reflects the cost to collect and treat an average return of 80% (of the water used) back to the sewer system in the form of wastewater flow.  These charges are computed to make them as fair as possible with a “pay-for-what-you-use” philosophy.

If you have any questions or need further information, please write us at envsewerinfo@honolulu.gov, Department of Environmental Services, Office of Administrative Support, 1000 Uluohia Street, Suite 308, Kapolei, Hawaii 96707, or call (808) 768-3330.

A dwelling unit has its own entrance or access.  It has its own kitchen or food preparation area.  It has its own sleeping area separate from another unit.  And, it may have its own mailbox or separate address at the same structure.  It should be able to stand alone and not depend on any other part of the structure to reside at this location.

In general, a multiple-unit property is best defined as a single structure having three (3) or more dwelling units.

A food preparation area is an area containing fixtures, appliances or devices for:  (1) heating, preparing or cooking food; (2) refrigerating food; and (3) washing utensils used for dining and food preparation and/or for washing and preparing food.  The permanent removal of two-of-the-three above numbered elements is required to eliminate a food preparation area for sewer service charge assessment purposes.

There are three (3) ways you can reduce the number of units billed or stop sewer charges.

1. If a unit is vacant, unlivable or under renovation, removing the items mentioned above from the food preparation area is the easiest way.

2. If a unit is being demolished, you or your contractor must contact our office at the time the work is being done so our investigators can verify the demolition has been done and that the sewer line to the property has been capped.  As long as there are no sewerable facilities on your property, your sewer charges will be stopped.  This will suspend sewer charges until you rebuild.

3. If you do not require water service, contact the Board of Water Supply (BWS) at (808) 748-5030 to stop service.  This will suspend water and sewer charges. You may also initiate the process by submitting a stop service request online to the BWS.

You have the following options to pay your bills:

In Person:

At the Board of Water Supply (BWS) office or via the night deposit box at the BWS Public Service Building at 630 South Beretania Street.  The regular business hours are 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday – Friday except holidays; or

At any Satellite City Hall (click on the link for locations and hours of operation).

By mail:  Please allow sufficient time for your payment to reach BWS by the “PAYMENT MUST REACH US BY” date as indicated on your bill.

Via Automatic Bill Payment:  You may sign up to have your bill automatically paid from your checking or savings account by enrolling with the Board of Water Supply (BWS). For more information and to download the enrollment form, go to the BWS Payment Options page.

By Phone: To make a credit or debit card payment over the phone, call the Board of Water Supply (BWS) at (808) 748-5020, Monday through Friday, 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM.

Payment using Online Banking Services.  Contact you bank for information.

Payment at Bank of Hawaii Branches.  You will need to present your payment coupon along with your payment.

The billing process is handled through the Board of Water Supply (BWS).  Payment arrangements must be made over the telephone and cannot be arranged through email. Please call (808) 748-5030 to speak with a BWS customer service representative, Monday through Friday, from 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM.

The Board of Water Supply (BWS) is responsible for the billing and payment process for the City’s water and sewer system.  Please contact the BWS customer service office at (808) 748-5030, Monday through Friday, from 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM. You may also initiate the process by submitting an online request form to start or stop service.

For problems with the sewer system, please call ENV’s Collection System Maintenance (CSM) Division at (808) 768-7272.

For problems with water service, please contact the Board of Water Supply (BWS) by calling the 24-hour water trouble hotline at (808) 748-5000, ext. 1.

For Cesspool pumping, please contact one of the private companies listed in the yellow pages or on the cesspool page on this site.  ENV’s Collection System Maintenance Division does accommodate cesspool pumping, but it may take much longer than a private company.  To schedule an appointment with ENV’s cesspool pumping, call (808) 768-7232.  This service is handled on a per-call basis, and you will be billed for each service you receive.  Presently, the rate for cesspool service is $132.90 per truckload or fraction thereof.

The Wastewater Branch of the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) maintains the maps and records of the City’s sewer system.  If you are seeking information as to the location of your lateral, location of a sewer easement through your property, verification of your connection to the City sewer system, etc., please contact them at (808) 768-8210.

You will be given a credit based on the volume (in gallons) of your pool. To receive this credit, please submit the information requested on our Pool Adjustment web page.  The adjustment will be credited to the monthly statement you receive from the Board of Water Supply (BWS) for water and sewer services.

You may request an adjustment for a new lawn by writing to our department. Please refer to our Lawn Adjustment web page for the mailing address and information required. The adjustment will be credited to the monthly statement you receive from the Board of Water Supply (BWS) for water and sewer services.

The City and County gives all residential users an 20% credit for water that does not go down the sewer.  This is reflected in the water usage fee portion of your sewer bill.

Residential customers have the option to install a submeter.  If your discharge into the municipal sewer system is not proportionate to the amount of water used, you may elect to install a private submeter.  Due to irrigation and/or other factors, your sewer discharge may be substantially less than 80% of your total water usage.

All costs to install the submeter are the responsibility of the customer.  It is important that you weigh the cost of installation of the submeter against the amount you will save on your sewer bill.  This will give you an idea of how long it will take for you to recoup the investment of the installation of a submeter.

Submeter Program Information

If you are served by the Board of Water Supply (BWS) and you don’t pay your sewer bill the Department of Environmental Services (ENV) will request the BWS to turn off your water. For customers not served by BWS (e.g., Laie) ENV will terminate the sewer service by plugging the sewer at the connection to the public sewer system.  ENV will provide at least one month’s notice that the sewer service will be severed in order to give time to pay the full outstanding balance, or to make other payment arrangements.

Submeter readings must be submitted within five (5) days of the due date given to you when you are first entered into the submeter program. For instance, you may be responsible to send in your readings on the 14th of the month.  If you don’t submit your readings by the 19th of the month, you will 1.) get no credit for that month and 2.) be billed sewer cost at 100% of your water usage.

If you don’t report your submeter readings for two (2) months in a row, you may be dropped and taken off the submeter program.  No back credits will be given and you will be billed at 100% of your water usage for the two months.

After you are removed from the program your sewer billing will revert to 80% of your water usage.  If you wish to get back on the program you must reapply by sending in a Re-application Form.

If you are removed from the program for a second time, you will not be eligible to reapply for a period of one year from when you were removed from the program.

No.  Accessory Dwelling Units and Ohana units are considered separate dwelling units and are charged a base charge and volume charge just like the main unit.

Organizations such as Helping Hands Hawaii (http://helpinghandshawaii.org/), and The Queen Liliuokalani Trust (http://www.qlcc.org/), offer financial help in some situations.  Contact them to find out more.

For residential properties, the number of dwelling units on a property is the largest factor in cost.  For each dwelling unit, there is one base charge.  For commercial properties, the base charge is calculated based on the number of ESDUs (Equivalent Single Dwelling Units).  A commercial property may have more ESDUs than you expect.  The number of ESDUs will NOT be reduced even though you may have a different use of the property from the previous occupant.  Therefore, the number of dwelling units or ESDUs on the property may influence your decision to buy or rent it.

No. 

For pool adjustment requests, processing time is two months after receipt of the request. This allows for at least two billing periods to complete since the date the work was done. The lawn adjustment requests require a three-month period. We use a formula that allows for a 42-day grow out period for the lawn.

A complete submeter application has many variables and can take up to six months depending on whether the application and plans require amendments.

Multi-unit and non-residential units require a building permit.  That permit needs to be closed by Department of Planning and Permitting before the application is submitted to the Department of Environmental Services. The timeframe for these applications vary widely in range up to several months.

$10.57 per 1,000 gallons.

Requests for credit will be considered for up to three years past the billing date.  For any consideration beyond that time customers must provide documentation (bill prints, canceled checks, etc.) or no credit will be given.

ENV is focused on controlling costs by operating efficiently, reducing energy use and investing in long-term solutions that lower expenses while maintaining safe and reliable service.

                Our efforts include:

  1. Lowering energy costs by installing solar panels, upgrading to high-efficiency equipment and using automation to optimize operations.
  2. Turning waste into resources by selling methane gas, expanding compost and biosolids programs and developing projects to generate electricity.
  3. Improving efficiency through real-time system monitoring, managing chemical use and upgrading infrastructure.

               These actions help us reduce operating expenses, limit future cost increases and they support a more sustainable future for Honolulu residents.

For any other inquiries, please call our Customer Service Section at (808) 768-3300.

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