What is a Tiered Water Rate Structure?

Many of our customers have expressed confusion about their water bills, and the Department of Watershed Management would like to clear it up. DWM uses a tiered rating structure, which means that what you pay for water and sewer services increases as your usage increases. The unit of measure used is the ccf. One ccf equals roughly 750 gallons of water.

A customer who uses 3 ccf pays $2.58 per ccf for water service and $9.74 per ccf for sewer. Sewer charges are higher than water charges because the process used to treat wastewater to levels where it can be safely released into waterways is expensive.

A customer who uses 4 ccf will pay $2.58 per ccf for the first 3 ccf, then $5.34 per ccf for the fourth ccf. He/she will pay $9.74 per ccf in sewer charges for the first 3 ccf and $13.64 in sewer charges for the fourth ccf.

The same principle applies when a customer uses 7 ccf or more. For first 1-3 ccf, the customer will be charged $2.58 per ccf for water and $9.74 per ccf for sewer. For the next 4-6 ccf, the customer will be charged $5.34 per ccf for water and $13.64 per ccf for sewer. For 7 ccf and above, customers will be charged $6.16 per ccf for water and $15.69 per ccf for sewer. This rate structure is commonly referred to as conservation pricing because customers who use less water are rewarded with lower rates.

All DWM water customers also pay a base water charge of $6.56 and a base sewer charge of $6.56 each month.  The Department of Homeland Security requires that we add a 15-cent security surcharge to each customer's monthly bill.  This requirement was instituted in 2004 and is scheduled to end in 2011; the surcharge provides funds to help DWM ensure its facilities are secure.

For more information about DWM’s water and sewer rates, click here or call 404-658-6500.