Helix Water District

Making Payments & Payment Options
The District accepts in-person payments by cash, check, money order or cashier's check. Payments may also be placed in our drop box which is in the rear of our customer parking lot located at:

7811 University Ave., La Mesa, Ca 91942-4927

Our telephone number is (619) 466-0585

Business hours are Monday thru Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(excluding holidays. See the District's holiday schedule.

Correspondence / Mailing Address:
7811 University Ave., La Mesa, CA 91942-4927

Sign up for Autopay! This service automatically withdraws the amount of your bill from your checking account bimonthly. Your bill is still mailed to you for record keeping and the amount is withdrawn on or about the due date. It is easy, convenient and free. Read more and get an application here.

To pay your bill by debit/credit card call (866) 721-8294. This 24-hour automated service charges a $5.45 convenience fee and accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express debit or credit cards. Before calling, please have your Helix account number and balance. The automated system cannot provide that information to you. If water service has been disconnected please call our Customer Service Department at (619) 466-0585 with the confirmation number for service restoration. Get more info here.

To pay your bill online (a single transaction)
If you would like to have an amount you designate deducted from your bank account and provided to Helix Water District to be applied to your current balance, click here.

Local sewer service contact info

City of El Cajon
200 E Main St.
El Cajon, CA 92020
(619) 441-1668

City of La Mesa
PO Box 937, La Mesa, CA 91944-0937
or
8130 Allison Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941
(619) 667-1126

Padre Dam MWD
PO Box 719004
Santee, CA 92072
or
9300 Fanita Parkway, Santee, CA 92071
(619) 258-4600

City of Lemon Grove (619) 825-3810 *

County of San Diego (858) 514-4990 *

* Sewer bills are paid with annual property taxes.

Temporary / Construction Meters
Please come into our administration office at 7811 University Ave., in La Mesa, to apply for a temporary/construction meter. Please be able to provide the location of the fire hydrant desired, the meter size (low/ medium/high flow), hose size (1, 1 ½" or 2 ½"), hose thread (fire thread or standard thread) and the billing and contact information.

Low flow (up to 50 gpm) 1" maximum
Medium flow (50-250 gpm) 1-1/2" minimum, 2-1/2" maximum
High flow (more than 250 gpm) 1-1/2" minimum, 2-1/2 maximum

Deposit fees are based on meter size. Please call our Customer Service
Department at (619) 466-0585 for a deposit fee quote.

If the meter is to be installed on an existing fire hydrant in the City of La Mesa, a use permit from the city shall be the responsibility of the customer requesting the temporary meter.

When the customer has completed use of the meter, he/she should request its removal. The District will deduct the cost of the final billing from the deposit before it is returned.

GENERAL INFO

Installing new water service at a property never-before served: Customers installing new service at a property should be prepared with the following data when calling or in person: the service address, the Accessor's Parcel Number (APN) for the property, the legal description of the property, the desired location of the new meter, billing information and the size of the meter needed. This will enable us to verify the address is serviced by the District and will allow us to quote proper fees.

Starting or stopping service
If you would like to start or stop service at an address within the District we only need 24-hour notification to do so. Please be prepared to provide the service address, the billing address, current contact numbers and the start or end date of service. There is a start-up fee to begin service. The fee will appear on the first bill. Please note we do not schedule meter reads on weekends or holidays.

Transferring service
If you would like to assume existing service as of the last read date, this is called a "Transfer of Service." Unfortunately, we do not offer "continuity of service" agreements so each party (new/current tenant or new/current owner) needs to call to initiate service and/or to terminate service.

Billing Due Dates
There are 32 cycles within the District, so the meter reading schedule depends on the location of the property. Unfortunately, for this reason, we cannot change the billing due dates. However, we can provide a billing calendar upon request so that you can budget accordingly. This calendar will provide the scheduled meter read date, billing due date, past due date, 48-hour notification deadline and shut-off or follow-up deadlines.

Water Rates
See current water rates here.

Late Fees/ Penalties / Disconnection(s)
If payment is not received by the due date a 5 percent late fee will be accessed. In the event the late payment charge is not included with payment of the past due bill, it will be added to the following bill. If additional attempts are made by the District to receive payment, additional fees will also be accessed. If the account is unpaid after the shut-off deadline (for residential customers) or the follow-up deadline (for multiple-unit dwellings or commercial accounts) service will be disconnected. A service charge will be added and a deposit may be required to have service restored.

Usage on Locked Meters
Any meters that are noted as locked on District records and show usage shall be relocked and the meter removed. A deposit and reinstallation charge will be required before the meter can be replaced and service reestablished.

How we Calculate Your Bill
Helix residential water bills are composed of a commodity charge and a base charge.

A commodity charge is a unit charge for the amount of water used. This charge is made to recover the direct costs of supplying water. The commodity charge includes water purchases, treatment, pumping and other costs attributed directly to the amount of water used. One unit of water = 748 gallons or 100 cubic feet.

A base charge is a standard bimonthly charge that varies with the size of the meter. The charge is made to recover the cost of customer service and the cost of demands upon the system by meters of various sizes.

The base charge for initial bills and closing bills will be prorated on a daily basis.

How to compute daily average usage
To determine the daily average usage within a billing period, subtract the billing's current read from the previous read and divide the number by the number of days within the billing cycle (typically 60 or -61). This will give you the daily average water usage.

Example:

Current Read = 500
Previous Read =- 400
100 units divided by 61 days = 1.63 average daily units

To compute the amount of gallons used, multiply the amount of units by 748. Using the above example:

500 units x 748 = 374,000 gallons

To learn how to read your meter and check for leaks, click here.

To see a short video demonstration, click here.