Municipal Department
Las Cruces Utilities - Water and Wastewater
Serving City of Las Cruces and Las Cruces Utilities service area
Population served
98,175 people (EPA SDWA active CWS queue estimate)
State system code
FIPS 35
Billing frequency
Monthly; LCU's wastewater explanation states that the annual sewer average is applied and billed monthly, and the billing regulations refer to monthly utility bills and monthly access charges.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Las Cruces Utilities - Water and Wastewater operates as a municipal department serving City of Las Cruces and Las Cruces Utilities service area. Customers should use the provider’s current account-specific bill and official customer-service instructions as the final authority for deadlines, balances, and service requests.
The published water-rate framework is described as A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. For a complete current 2026 water tariff because the City's public rate page links older water schedules and does not expose a consolidated current residential table. Las Cruces uses fixed access charges and consumption charges for utility services and has conservation-oriented administration; the exact water usage blocks should be confirmed from the current tariff.. Bills are generated monthly; lcu's wastewater explanation states that the annual sewer average is applied and billed monthly, and the billing regulations refer to monthly utility bills and monthly access charges., and a typical residential cost reference is A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. The reviewed official public pages did not expose a complete current 2026 residential water tariff sufficient to calculate a defensible 5,000-7,000 gallon water total. The City does publish current wastewater components of $13.60 monthly access charge, $2.85 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000 gallons, $3.73 over 3,000 and $5.23 over 23,000, excluding applicable tax and franchise fee.. These descriptions are useful planning benchmarks; actual charges can change with meter size, usage, sewer averaging, local taxes, drought stages, or account-specific fees.
Wastewater and sewer calculation
Residential and small-commercial wastewater volume is updated annually using a Winter Quarter Average based on potable-water consumption in the December, January and February billing months. A November 2025 City notice explains the practical calculation as the next three billing cycles, multiplied by 90% to determine the average volume, with the new rate billed monthly beginning in March. New accounts use the existing route average until the next annual average is calculated, subject to a 1,000-gallon minimum.
Meter and infrastructure notes
LCU uses Advanced Metering Infrastructure for usage visibility, continual-flow alerts and leak-adjustment verification. The public regulations also permit field staff access for readings and equipment service; the reviewed material does not establish a universal hourly transmission interval, but the UtilityHawk portal exposes graphical usage history and alerts.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
575-526-0500 for Las Cruces Utilities Emergency Dispatch, monitored 24 hours a day including holidays.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for City of Las Cruces and Las Cruces Utilities service area
Las Cruces Utilities - Water and Wastewater is listed here as a municipal department. The profile separates account actions—such as paying a bill or requesting service—from explanatory material about rates, meters, wastewater, leaks, and delinquency.
Because utility rules can vary by account class, meter size, service address, billing date, and local ordinance, treat the published bill and current provider website as the final authority. Use this profile to locate the correct channel and prepare better questions for customer service.
If your issue is urgent, start with the provider’s emergency number or official payment route rather than waiting for an email response. Keep a written record of calls, confirmation numbers, notice dates, and documents you submit.