The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD Project Clear) announced today that it will begin a phased wastewater service disconnection program to address chronic nonpayment and help keep rates fair for paying customers.
The first phase will begin no earlier than October 1, 2026, and will focus on commercial accounts with large, long-standing unpaid balances that remain unresolved even after repeated notices and outreach from MSD.
“We are starting with commercial customers because some businesses have gone years without paying for sewer service despite repeated efforts to work with them,” said Bret Berthold, Executive Director of MSD Project Clear. “Service shutoff remains a last resort. We would much rather help a customer set up a manageable payment plan, but when large balances remain unresolved, as a nonprofit public utility we also have a responsibility to customers who pay their bills.”
Unpaid Bills can Shift Costs to Paying Customers
When bills go unpaid, MSD still must operate and maintain the region’s wastewater system. As a nonprofit public utility, MSD uses every dollar it collects to operate, maintain, and improve the system. Service rates are designed to cover those costs, and chronic nonpayment can put pressure on future rates.
Severely delinquent accounts represent well over $100 million in unpaid balances accumulated over MSD’s history, and MSD spent more than $7 million last year alone to collect unpaid wastewater bills. Dozens of businesses have gone years without paying despite repeated outreach.
MSD already uses customer notices, payment plans, collection agencies, legal judgments, and property liens to address unpaid accounts. Those tools remain in place but have not resolved the most serious cases. The phased program adds disconnection as a last resort for accounts that remain unpaid after repeated outreach and opportunities to establish a payment plan.
How the First Phase Works
Before disconnecting wastewater service, MSD will:
- Make repeated attempts over several months to contact the customer and discuss payment options.
- Send a formal written notice giving the customer at least 30 days to pay or establish an approved payment plan.
- Provide a final deadline before taking action.
- Review the account and the property before authorizing disconnection.
- Cancel a pending disconnection if the customer pays or establishes an approved payment plan.
Service to a customer who establishes an approved payment plan and remains current will not be shut off.
“We want customers to call us before disconnection becomes necessary,” Berthold said. “The earlier they contact us, the more options we have to find a workable payment plan.”
MSD Continues Coordination with Area Water Providers
MSD continues to work with drinking water providers across the region on coordinated shutoff options. Those discussions are progressing but involve multiple organizations and take time. Because unpaid balances continue to grow, MSD will use a wastewater service disconnection process it can administer directly during this initial phase. Work on coordinated options will continue.
Customers with Past-Due Balances Should Contact MSD Now
Although the first phase applies to commercial accounts, all customers with past-due balances, commercial or residential, should contact MSD now. Customers can reach MSD’s billing team at 1 (866) 281-5737 or billingquest@stlmsd.com.
Eligible low-income customers, seniors, and people with disabilities may qualify for MSD’s Customer Assistance Program, which can reduce current and past-due wastewater charges by 50 percent. Eligible households may apply even if they have a past-due balance. More information is available at MSDProjectClear.org/CAP.
Additional information about the phased disconnection program, payment options, and customer assistance is available at MSDProjectClear.org/fairshare.