Public Water Authority
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water)
Serving Washington, District of Columbia
Population served
DC Water provides retail water and wastewater service to more than 700,000 District residents and approximately 27 million annual visitors. Its Blue Plains system also treats wastewater for approximately 1.8 million people in neighboring Maryland and Virginia jurisdictions; the retail population estimate here is the District customer base.
State system code
FIPS 11
Billing frequency
Generally monthly billing, with the bill's specific service period shown on each invoice. DC Water's payment terms and meter guidance describe monthly invoices, monthly usage histories, and monthly recurring EFT/autopay; an occasional bill can cover a different number of days or use an estimated reading when access or transmission is unavailable.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) operates as a public water authority serving Washington, District of Columbia. 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 Increasing block water rate plus a uniform sewer rate and several fixed or property-based charges. For current FY2026 rates effective October 1, 2025, residential water is $5.78 per CCF for 0-4 CCF and $7.60 per CCF above 4 CCF; sewer is $12.52 per CCF. The bill also includes a 5/8-inch customer metering fee of $7.75, a $6.30 water-system-replacement fee, a Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge of $24.23 per ERU, a $2.67 District stormwater fee, and District PILOT/ROW pass-through charges. Proposed FY2027 rates beginning October 1, 2026 are not treated as current until the Board vote scheduled for September 3, 2026.. Bills are generated generally monthly billing, with the bill's specific service period shown on each invoice. dc water's payment terms and meter guidance describe monthly invoices, monthly usage histories, and monthly recurring eft/autopay; an occasional bill can cover a different number of days or use an estimated reading when access or transmission is unavailable., and a typical residential cost reference is For a 5/8-inch residential account using approximately 5,000-7,000 gallons per month (about 6.7-9.4 CCF), the current FY2026 schedule produces an estimated total bill of roughly $173-$226 per month before any account-specific adjustment, assistance credit, or unusual charge. The official FY2026 typical-bill benchmark is $147.16 at 5.42 CCF/4,054 gallons, including DC Water rates, CRIAC, metering, replacement, stormwater, PILOT, and ROW charges. The higher 5,000-7,000-gallon estimate reflects the increasing water block and additional sewer usage.. 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
Sewer service is billed from metered water consumption at the applicable residential sewer rate; DC Water does not publish a standard winter-average sewer formula for ordinary District residential accounts in the reviewed current materials. The bill separately includes the Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge, calculated from impervious property area converted into Equivalent Residential Units, and the District stormwater fee. A property's meter size affects the customer metering and water-system-replacement fees, while CAP assistance can waive or reduce some of those fixed components.
Meter and infrastructure notes
DC Water has advanced meter-reading infrastructure and My DC Water exposes AMR history, daily usage, leak alerts, and high-usage notification preferences. The utility's current meter guidance says usage is transmitted electronically and bills are normally based on meter data; where the meter does not transmit or the utility cannot access it, DC Water may estimate usage and can charge a manual-meter-read fee after notice. The residential manual-read fee is $25 per month per meter under the FY2026 schedule. Routine bills are monthly, while the exact read date and transmission interval are premise-specific; customers can submit an interior meter reading to Customer Service when requested.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
Call DC Water's 24-hour Water and Sewer Emergency Line at 202-612-3400 for a water-main break, street leak, sewer backup, flooding, or water-quality emergency. Reports can also be submitted through the DC Water problem-reporting service, but a visible main break or active sewer backup should be called in immediately. For a sewer backup, DC Water determines whether the blockage is in the public main; customers are generally responsible for private lateral clearing and cleanup unless an investigation establishes DC Water responsibility.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Washington, District of Columbia
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is listed here as a public water authority. 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.