Public Water Authority
Providence Water Supply Board
Serving Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Johnston, and East Smithfield, plus seven wholesale communities including Warwick, East Providence, Lincoln, Bristol, Kent County, Greenville, and Smithfield
Population served
Approximately 600,000 people, or about 60% of Rhode Island, through roughly 80,000 retail service connections and seven wholesale communities.
State system code
FIPS 44
Billing frequency
Monthly. Providence Water moved retail customers to monthly billing and the current rate page presents monthly service charges and monthly consumption examples. Bills carry a current-activity due date, which is shown on each invoice.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Providence Water Supply Board operates as a public water authority serving Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Johnston, and East Smithfield, plus seven wholesale communities including Warwick, East Providence, Lincoln, Bristol, Kent County, Greenville, and Smithfield. 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 Uniform residential volumetric rate per hundred cubic feet, plus fixed meter service charges and state or district surcharges rather than increasing usage blocks. The current 2026 public rate page lists $3.993 per HCF for residential water, where one HCF is approximately 748 gallons, a $0.21842 per-HCF state surcharge, and a $12.42 monthly 5/8-inch service charge. Providence residents also have a $4.14 monthly 5/8-inch fire-protection service charge; Johnston and East Smithfield can have additional district charges.. Bills are generated monthly. providence water moved retail customers to monthly billing and the current rate page presents monthly service charges and monthly consumption examples. bills carry a current-activity due date, which is shown on each invoice., and a typical residential cost reference is For a 5/8-inch residential account using 5,000 gallons per month, 5,000 gallons is about 6.68 HCF. The current base calculation is approximately $26.67 water usage plus $1.46 state surcharge plus $12.42 monthly service charge, or $40.55 before the Providence fire-protection charge, district surcharges, taxes, or wastewater billed by another provider. For a Providence city resident, adding the $4.14 fire-protection charge yields approximately $44.69 per month before other adjustments.. 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
Providence Water is a drinking-water and wholesale supplier; it does not publish one universal residential sewer tariff in the reviewed current materials. Wastewater is generally billed by the local city or sewer authority, and Providence Water’s 2023–2024 reports describe Rhode Island LIHWAP assistance as applicable to water or wastewater accounts. Customers should consult the separate sewer statement or municipality for any metered, flat, or winter-average wastewater calculation; a universal Providence Water sewer tie-in is not published.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Providence Water uses automatic meter-reading equipment that historically provides drive-by reads for approximately 99.8% of customers, allowing actual rather than estimated monthly billing. Current 2026 bills display meter details, read dates, prior/current reads, and a usage-history graph. The reviewed public pages do not identify one AMR/AMI vendor or an hourly transmission interval; customers can request meter appointments and report meter leaks through the customer-service directory.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
Call (401) 521-6300, option 1, for Providence Water’s emergency line, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The water-quality hotline is (401) 521-6303, and the after-hours water-main bypass emergency number is (401) 952-6535.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Johnston, and East Smithfield, plus seven wholesale communities including Warwick, East Providence, Lincoln, Bristol, Kent County, Greenville, and Smithfield
Providence Water Supply Board 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.