FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

To qualify, you or your spouse must be low-income, 62 years of age or older, or on SSI Disability. Your maximum gross income must not exceed the limits noted on the rate Discount form. Look for the application form in your March bill. Annual renewal is required.

The following is a list of agencies that may be able to provide assistance in your time of need:

• SKYWAY/SALVATION ARMY'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CAP) Skyway Water and Sewer District and the Renton Salvation Army are working together to provide utility bill payment assistance to all qualifying Skyway customers. The Salvation Army will administer the program and screen all applicants for eligibility. If you are in need of help in paying your water or sewer bill, please give us a call at 206-772-7343. We will provide you with necessary account information and refer you to a Salvation Army social service representative for screening and assistance. To reach the Renton Salvation Army directly, you may call 425-255-5969.

• CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVICES (253)854-0077 www.ccsww.org

• CENTRAL AREA MOTIVATION PROGRAM (206)329-4111

• COMMUNITY INFO LINE-CRISIS CLINIC (Information Resource Agency) (206)461-3200 www.crisisclinic.org Crisis Clinic offers an array of support services available to everyone in King County. Their telephone services provide immediate, confidential assistance for people in emotional distress, as well as those needing information on health and human service organizations. Crisis Clinic's online resource database has comprehensive information on over 7,800 services in King County.

• ST. VINCENT DE PAUL (206)767-6449

• SOUTH KING COUNTY MULTI SERVICE CENTER (Energy Only) (253)854-3437 ext. 106

• Customers may also be eligible for assistance from the Office of Community Services Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) by contacting the following Community Action Agency: Multi-Service Center LIHEAP/LIHWAP 253-517-2263 or mschelps.org

• The Department of Health (DOH) serves as a point of contact for information sharing, guidance, and technical assistance for community water systems and their customers.  You can reach DOH at 800-525-0127 or see Frequently Asked Questions for Water System Customers at DOH.WA.GOV  and for Customer Assistance Programs

• The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Disaster Cash Assistance Program helps people with their basic needs during this emergency.  Apply online at www.WashingtonConnection.org and then call the Customer Service Contact Center at 1-877-501-2233 to complete the required interview. Or call 877-501-2233 to complete the whole application process. For more information, visit: DSHS Disaster Cash Assistance Program (DCAP)

When seeking agency assistance in paying your utility bills, please remember these helpful hints:

• Please be aware that agencies may be able to help on a one-time basis only.

• Have all your information current; outstanding utility bills; account numbers, etc.

• Be pleasant (do not be impatient or rude). These people also want to help you out of your difficulties. Sometimes you will have the wrong agency for your problem. (Keep trying, with a smile.)

• DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Most help will involve an appointment and this could take several weeks.

• ON YOUR OWN, ASK EACH COMPANY where you are BEHIND IN YOUR BILLS if they have a budget plan or a plan that lets you pay a small amount of cash on a consistent basis. THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

• If you find a helpful person, THANK THEM. Do not talk negative about any organization.

• Learn to budget and set aside moneys for utilities ALL YEAR LONG. Even if you don't use heat in the summer, you can set aside some extra cash for fall and winter.

• SET A GOAL. A DOLLAR A DAY SET ASIDE WILL ADD UP TO PAY YOUR UTILITY BILL. YOU CAN DO IT!! START NOW! ONE DAY AT A TIME! GOOD LUCK!! 

Unlike other utilities, water and sewer charges are associated with the property rather than with the occupant who incurs the charges. Although a final bill is generated for the previous owner, if left unpaid, this responsibility is inherited by the new property owner (RCW 57.08.080).

Leaks that occur on the customer side of the meter are the property owner's responsibility to repair. However, you may be eligible for a one-time partial adjustment to your water bill. Adjustments will be calculated on the difference between the wholesale and retail water rate of the excess (above average) water consumption for the billing period in which the leak occurred. ***No Toilet Leaks will be considered***

Download a Leak Adjustment form

The sewer charges on your Skyway bill are for maintenance of the District's sewer lines and for treatment and disposal at King County Wastewater Treatment facilities. To keep up with growth, protect public health and the environment, King County must expand its infrastructure by building more pipes, pump stations, and treatment plants. Capacity charge helps evenly spread these costs and ensures that "growth pays for growth". In addition to your Skyway bill, customers who connected to the sewer after February 1, 1990 are billed by King County for capacity charge.

For more information, CLICK HERE

In the Seattle area, sewer rates are complex as they include both local and regional components. Water quality standards in our region are some of the highest in the country. Sewage and wastewater is collected, transported, treated several times over, and emptied into Puget Sound at drinking water quality. Additionally, all bi-products of the sewage collection/treatment process (methane gas, reclaimed water, etc.) are harnessed and recycled for reuse and/or resale, including energy production and the like. All of this comes at a cost, and protection of our public health and environment is something that residents/voters in the Northwest take seriously. Most are willing to pay for the quality of life/environment that we enjoy in our region.

For more information: CLICK HERE

Is your property going to be temporarily vacant for a long time (minimum of four months)? If so, you may qualify for the District's Vacancy Rate. Click on the link below for more information and to download the application form.

Download a Vacancy Rate Application form

It is Skyway Water & Sewer District's policy that all properties be listed and billed to the legal property owner. However, as an additional service for our owner/tenant customers, the District can send a duplicate bill to the tenant for $1.00 per copy and a one-time setup fee of $5.00. This is also beneficial to the property owner so they may monitor all activities that transpire on their accounts.

Download Duplicate Billing Request Form

Here are some more helpful tips.

• Use screens to keep hair, fruit stickers and other stuff out of drains and pipes.
• Scrape out greasy bowls, pots and pans before washing. Keep fatty foods and meats out of the garbage disposal, and put cooled, solidified grease in the trash.
• Don’t put unwanted medications down the toilet or sink. Worried about keeping discarded meds away from kids or pets? Many pharmacies across King County now take back expired or unwanted medications for safe disposal.
• Got paint, pesticides and other household chemicals you no longer need or want? King County’s Wastemobile and Household Hazardous Waste Dropoff sites are a much safer alternative to putting these things down the drain or in the trash.

1ccf = 100 cubic feet. 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

Link to Calculator

When all water is off, observe the needle located on the face of the water meter. It should be stationary. If the needle is moving, this indicates a leak on your side of the meter.

If you need the assistance of a District representative, you may call us to set-up an appointment at 206-772-7343 between 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM.

To protect property and prevent personal injury, Washington State Law (RCW 19.122) requires that you notify the Underground Utilities Locating Center (UULC) at 811 or 1-800-424-5555 if you are planning to dig a depth of 12-inches or more. Under state law, if you fail to call before you dig and damage any utility lines as a result, you may have to pay a fine of up to three times the cost of repairing the lines. You must call at least two business days before you dig. UULC will obtain information from you regarding your location and project. They will then notify Skyway Water & Sewer District and other utilities in the area. District field staff and/or other utility representatives will come out to your site and mark the location of the underground lines for you, free of charge. Once the site has been marked or you have been notified that the utility has nothing at your dig site, you can begin to dig safely.

Visit https://www.washington811.com/ for more information.

Residents should notify the District by calling 206-772-7343 during office hours or 207-842-4719 after hours. A District representative is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for water and sewer emergencies. For more information on what to do during a sewer back up, CLICK HERE

Skyway Water and Sewer District is a conglomeration of several previously separate water systems, there are three separate water sources of supply to the system. They are:

• Cascade Water Alliance
• City of Renton
• District Wells

Depending on where you live, you may receive water from one or more of these sources.

Services for garbage and recycle collection in the unincorporated area of King County are provided by Waste Management.

If you notice discolored water or air within your system, there may be some activity that has disturbed the flow in the District's water main - use of fire hydrant or water main valve near you. Please run an outside hose bib or your cold water supply at your bathtub to flush your system.