Two Utilities, One Aldea Address: How Water and Sewer Really Get Billed

At about 4:30 on the morning of Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the Santa Fe County utility operator on call started getting calls from dispatch. Customers in Aldea de Santa Fe were reporting low water pressure, and water was coming up through the pavement on Avenida Aldea. A 12-inch water main had broken. Crews shut isolation valves, and Sub Surface Contracting dug out the asphalt and replaced a twenty-foot section of pipe. The county's emergency memo traced the failure to a bell joint on a slight bend in the line and to "inadequate bedding material" under the pipe. Water service was fully restored by 10 p.m., and road paving was to be scheduled later.

Every call in that memo went to the County. The sewer under the same street belongs to a different system and is billed by a different government under a different formula. If you're comparing Aldea with other northwest Santa Fe neighborhoods, that split matters more than any single rate. An Aldea home's water bill rises steeply with summer use. Its sewer charge is calculated in a way that summer use doesn't touch.

The County's Responsibility Ends at Your Meter

Santa Fe County Utilities supplies Aldea's drinking water. The county's 2025 West Sector water quality report lists Aldea by name among the subdivisions it serves.

The county's customer service policy, Resolution 2012-88, puts the "point of delivery" at the meter. The utility is responsible for the system up to the meter, and the customer owns and maintains the water equipment past it. The meter itself still belongs to the county, and only authorized utility staff are supposed to open or handle the equipment in the meter box.

The March break happened on the county's side of that line. Hours earlier the same morning, a 6-inch main failed under Estates Drive in Las Campanas. The county's memo for that break also points to a pipe joint and inadequate bedding material, and crews restored service there by 12:30 p.m. The county paid for both repairs. A leak in the service line between your meter and your house is a different matter.

Sewer Service Comes From the City

Wastewater goes to a different system. The City of Santa Fe's Santa Fe Forward water and wastewater assessment names Aldea among the subdivisions that get city sewer service. It also says the sewage lift station serving Aldea is privately owned and operated by the City. Las Campanas has the same arrangement with its own lift station.

The city's rules for sewer charges changed recently. Ordinance 2025-18, adopted September 24, 2025, amended Chapter 22, Exhibit A of the city code and removed location of service as a factor in sewer charges. The charge now depends on two things: how many units the sewer connection serves and whether the home is connected to city water.

Because Aldea's water comes from the County, the category that fits the code's wording is "not connected to city water," which has a flat monthly usage fee. The sewer line on your own bill shows which category your account is actually billed under. That's worth checking during due diligence.

Two Rate Sheets Side by Side

Here are both schedules as of the rates that took effect July 1, 2026:

The county's FY27 water rate sheet sets these residential prices per 1,000 gallons:

• First 4,000 gallons: $8.69
• Next 4,000: $11.99
• Next 4,000: $18.60
• Next 4,000: $25.09
• Above 16,000: $31.94

The county sheet says its rates don't include applicable taxes, and it lists a separate conservation fee of $0.03 per 1,000 gallons. The county also has its own wastewater rates, a $12.02 monthly fixed fee plus $6.93 per 1,000 gallons over the first 1,000. Those rates are for county sewer customers. Aldea's sewer comes from the City.

What a Light Month and a Watering Month Cost

Here's the arithmetic for a home on the smallest residential meter, before taxes and the conservation fee:

• 4,000 gallons in a month. County water is $22.83 plus $34.76 for usage, or $57.59.
• 10,000 gallons in a month. County water is $22.83, plus $34.76 for the first tier, $47.96 for the second and $37.20 for the third, for a total of $142.75.
• City sewer in either month, under the not-on-city-water category, is $8.14 plus $18.06, or $26.20.

Water use goes up two and a half times between those months, and the water bill goes up about two and a half times too. The sewer charge stays the same. Each extra gallon also costs more than the one before it. In the 10,000-gallon month, the last 2,000 gallons cost $18.60 per thousand, more than twice the rate on the first 4,000.

Homes connected to city water get the same result through a different formula. For those customers, the city bases the sewer usage fee on water meter readings averaged over December, January and February of the prior year. Either way, the city doesn't charge sewer on water used for summer irrigation.

For an Aldea buyer, the useful question is how much outdoor water a property's landscaping needs, because the county's tiers are what make July's bill different from January's. A courtyard with drip-irrigated xeriscape and a yard of thirsty turf have the same sewer charge. Their water bills can end up in very different tiers.

Both Bills Rise on Their Own Clocks

Both bills have built-in increases, and they run on separate schedules. The city's 2027 sewer rate is already set. The county's water rates are recalculated each year.

On the county side, Ordinance 2018-4 adjusts water rates each year by the change in the Consumer Price Index for the Western Region. The county announced a 4.2% increase in water and wastewater rates effective July 1, 2026, which first appeared on August 2026 bills.

A broader change may follow. The county has signed a contract with Raftelis for a comprehensive water and wastewater rate study. Raftelis's best and final offer, dated July 23, 2026, sets a base price of $97,975. The contract calls for cost-of-service analysis, rate design alternatives, estimates of the impact on customer bills, and presentations to the Water Policy Advisory Committee and the Board of County Commissioners.

The city's sewer increases are already written into Ordinance 2025-18. For homes not on city water, the schedule rises like this:

1. July 1, 2026: $8.14 service fee and $18.06 usage fee per unit
2. July 1, 2027: $8.47 and $18.78
3. July 1, 2030: $9.53 and $21.12
4. July 1, 2034: $11.15 and $24.70

At those rates, the flat sewer charge goes from $26.20 a month now to $35.85 in July 2034. Because the full schedule is published, the sewer part of an Aldea budget is predictable years ahead. The water part changes with each year's CPI adjustment and with whatever comes out of the rate study.

FAQ

Who do I call about a leak in Aldea? Under Resolution 2012-88, the county is responsible for the water system up to the meter and the customer is responsible past it. The county's Utilities web page and its utilities line at 505-992-9870 handle water service questions.

Does a guest house change the sewer charge? The city charges sewer per residential unit. The code defines a unit as separate living quarters with independent plumbing and specifically includes a guest house.

Where can I see the full rate schedules? The county's water rates are on its FY27 rate sheet. The city's sewer rates are in Ordinance 2025-18, which amends the schedule adopted in Ordinance 2025-13.

This post is general information, not legal or financial advice. Please confirm the details of your own account with the utility, and your obligations with the right professional, before you rely on them.

If you're weighing a home in Aldea, we'll ask the seller for a year of county water bills and the city sewer statement before you make an offer, so you can see what the landscaping really costs to water. Leland Titus is happy to go through those numbers with you.