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Fee Schedules

Brookfield WPCA customer sewer rates are based on a “unit” charge to fund operations as provided for by State Statute.  Each household is one unit.  Commercial establishments all have formulas to determine the usage rate according to WPCA Rules & Regulations.  The Plant Charge funds are set aside to cover the Brookfield share of the costs associated with the waste treatment plant upgrade in Danbury. 

For a complete list of Brookfield WPCA Rates, Charges and Fees, please see below:

WPCA Rate Sheet

In 2019 Tighe & Bond published a Sewer Rate Survey for communities across Connecticut.  As stated in their Key Findings, “One of the most commonly reported challenges facing wastewater systems across Connecticut is our aging infrastructure.  A rate structure designed to provide sustainable revenue for operations and capital programs is critical to assure reliable, and environmentally sound sewer service.”

To read the complete survey, please click the link below:

Tighe & Bond 2019 Connecticut Sewer Rate Study

There are several categories of fees that the WPCA collects.
Usage Fees:

User fees are used for the operation of the WPCA and for processing wastewater in Danbury.  The usage fees have remained low throughout the decade of 2000-2008 at $268 per year per household, then at $300 per year for 2008-2010 and at $340 annually from Sept 2010 through August 2012. In 2012, the annual rate was set at $380. That rate lasted for 5 years. For the June 2017 billing, the rate increased to $420 per year or $210 per billing to cover the increasing cost of operations. That was an average increase of less than 2% per year over the previous eight years* [More…]

Fee increases are simply required to operate in the black. Brookfield sewer rates are at or below neighboring towns. The rate of $420/year per household was held for three years from 2017-2020. The current 2022 rate of $440 is still a good value at $1.20 per day, about half the price of a cup of coffee. This is a favorable rate compared to most neighboring towns. The rate is approved to increase to $460/year in 2022 and $480/year in 2023.

Beginning June 2017, Brookfield started to accumulate funds in anticipation of a significant Danbury Waste Treatment Plant upgrade as mandated by the EPA. That amounts to a surcharge of $80 per unit annually.

How Does the Brookfield Usage Rate Compare?

Brookfield does not meter water usage for sewer users. The charge for a homeowner is based on the typical home usage rate of about 100 gallons per day. A 2019 survey of CT Towns by Tighe&Bond reported annual use charges. The graph below is adapted from that report.  [Full Report …] This rate comparison study is conducted every 3-years.

BWPCA Rate Sheet
(Updated October 2022)

Fee & Budget Details

2019 Rates

* Some towns, like Danbury, subsidize sewer operations with town funds. The sewer operation in Brookfield is a standalone operation funded only by sewer users.

Other non-usage fees:

When applying to hook up to any part of the sewer system, there several fees set at the time of application:

  • Commercial application processing fee: $400.
  • Residential application processing fee: $250.
  • Engineering Review Fee (Note 1)
  • Legal review Fee (Note 1)

* Beginning September 2012 the annual rate was set at $380 per unit, then increased to $420 per unit until December 2020. The annual rate is set at $440 in 2021; $460 in 2022 and $480 per unit per year in 2023. A household is one unit. Business and Schools are multiple units. Consequently, some properties pay more, as usage can be set to more than one unit. There is a rather complicated formula to determine the number of units of a property. This is outlined in the Rules and Regulations of the WPCA.

Note 1: The amount of the engineering and legal review fees depend on the complexity of the project and are put on deposit. Any excess is refunded and overage is billed.

Note 2: The Grand List Value (GLV) is the 70% value of a property as determined by the Tax Assessor.

More non-usage fees:

  • Inspection Charge: $75 per hour or part thereof.
  • Private Pump Station Inspection Charge: $80 per year.
  • FOG Interceptor Inspection Charge: $80 per year.
  • Benefit Assessment / Connection Charges (Varies by sub-district):
  • Candlewood Lake Road: 2% of Grand List Value (GLV) (Note 2)
  • Center School Line: 2% of Grand List Value (GLV) (Note 2)
  • Del Mar Drive Area District: 7.95% of GLV
  • Federal Road from Route 133 to New Milford town line: 2% of Grand List Value (GLV) (Note 2)
  • High Meadow/Ledgewood/Newbury Crossing District: 8.8% of GLV
  • Rollingwood District: 2.35% of GLV
  • Sandy Lane District: 2% of Grand List Value (GLV) (Note 2)
  • Southwest (Federal Road from Danbury town line to Route 133) 2% of GLV (Note 2)
  • Three Condo (Cedarbrook/Whisconier Village/Stony Hill/Vale Road): 5.7% of GLV