Sewer Fee Abatement Policy  

Abatements of sewer fees are formal requests to waive or reduce one or more sewer bills.  These abatements are usually due to an “extraordinary event” such as a water tank failure, a pipe bursting, or a fire where water is used but not discharged into the sewer system.  A sewer fee abatement request shall be submitted, evaluated, and granted or denied in accordance with the following policy:

1. Applicant must send abatement request to: 

   City of Manchester – EPD
   Abatement Request
   300 Winston Street
   Manchester, NH  03103-6826

2. The applicant must complete the Abatement Request Form in full
3. Attach to the Abatement Request Form any documentation to support the “extraordinary event” and subsequent repair such as a plumber’s bill, contractor’s bill, building permit, and/or inspector’s report.  For toilet leaks repaired by the homeowner, a copy of the receipt for parts must be included.
4. The abatement form shall be submitted within ninety (90) calendar days of the date of the sewer invoice in question.
5. EPD’s investigation shall consist of, but not be limited to, review of last five (5) years of sewer billings, review of supporting documentation, and, if required, a site visit.
6. EPD shall have the authority to recommend abatements for excessive water usage in excess of 250% of the average usage of the previous five (5) fiscal years.  These abatements shall be for accidental discharges of water that has entered the sewer system. 
7. This abatement policy is governed by RSA 508:4 which specifies the statute of limitations as three (3) years for reimbursement requests.
8. Property owners who install a deduct meter are not eligible for a retroactive abatement for excessive season outside water usage for three (3) years and until the completion of their deduct meter installation process as outlined in Condition No. 4 of EPD’s Residential Deduct Meter Rules and Regulations.
9. The Public Works Director or their designee, in consultation with the Highway Commission, will review the investigation, make a recommendation, and then send the recommendation and supporting documentation to the Community Improvements Committee (CIP) through the City Clerk.  The CIP committee shall then forward their recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) through the City Clerk.  The BMA will make the final abatement decision and forward it back to EPD.
10. EPD will then notify the customer of the BMA’s decision and their accounting staff will make any required adjustments to the customer’s account if an abatement is approved.

Please note 

Sewer abatements can take several months to process and get through the various governing bodies.  Please continue to make payment against your water and sewer bill during this process or contact Manchester Waterworks to set up a payment arrangement.  If an abatement is approved, credit will be entered against the water and sewer account and a refund will be issued for any resulting credit balance on the account.

Sewer abatements are only be granted once in any five (5) year period.

Sewer abatements are not granted for filling of swimming pools or ice rinks.

• Abatement Request Form
• Deduct Meter Rules and Regulations