Prior to 2016, we charged all of our customers the same rate for water and sewer.  Today, our rate structure is designed to better allocate system costs across our three customer classes, Residential, Multi-Family, and Non-Residential.  There is still a uniform rate for sewer services, but each customer class has their own water rate. In addition, for the first time, DC Water now offers residential customers a Lifeline Rate as an incentive to conserve water and reduce your monthly bills.

The Lifeline Rate steeply discounts the first 4 Ccfs of water consumption (approximately 3,000 gallons). For instance, in 2017, you will pay $3.23 for the first 3,000 gallons of water you use each month, and $4.06 for each additional Ccf of water you use.  

DC Water also has a Customer Assistance Program (CAP) that provides eligible customers with a discount on their water and sewer bills. The program is administered by the DC Department of the Environment’s Energy Office (DDOE). Eligibility is based on federal low-income guidelines.