The average D.C. household will pay about $9 more per month for water and sewer service starting Friday, Oct. 2.

DC Water announced Wednesday, Sept. 30, that rates will increase by just under 6 percent, according to the utility's statement first reported by DC News Now. The average residential bill will climb from about $147 to roughly $156 per month.

The increase was trimmed before it reached customers. DC Water's Board of Directors initially proposed a 6.6 percent average bill increase for fiscal year 2027, according to the board's Finance and Budget Committee meeting package from July 23. Resolution 26-45 shifted $12.2 million from projected cash reserves into a rate stabilization fund to bring the final number below 6 percent.

The board voted on the new rates at its Sept. 3 meeting, after a public hearing June 23 and a comment period that ran from March 20 through June 29.

Where the money goes

DC Water said the higher rates will cover rising costs for materials, fuel, electricity, treatment supplies and construction. The revenue also feeds a 10-year, $9.6 billion Capital Improvement Program that includes:

  • $1.1 billion for the Lead Free DC program, which replaces lead service lines at no cost to homeowners. The program, launched in 2019, uses ratepayer funds for the public side of the pipe and federal and District money for the private side.
  • $1.34 billion for full rehabilitation of the Potomac Interceptor and trunk force sewers. The 54-mile interceptor carries about 60 million gallons of wastewater daily from near Dulles Airport to the Blue Plains treatment plant. A section collapsed along Clara Barton Parkway on Jan. 19, spilling sewage into the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimated the interceptor rehab alone will cost about $625 million and take roughly 10 years.
  • Aging water mains: The median age of D.C. water mains is over 80 years, with some pipes dating to the 1860s, according to DC Water's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. The capital program funds more than 150 miles of small-diameter water main replacement.

Matt Brown, then DC Water's chief operating officer and now its interim general manager, said in a June 9 statement about the Potomac Interceptor emergency repairs that the utility "moved quickly to put monitoring and protective measures in place and advance an emergency repair" after identifying the severity of the deterioration.

Help with your bill

DC Water offers several assistance programs for residents struggling to pay:

  • Customer Assistance Program (CAP): Income-eligible customers can receive discounts of $18 to $131 per month, or $218 to $1,572 per year. Applications go through the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) at doee.dc.gov/udp.
  • SPLASH: The emergency assistance program, run by the Greater Washington Urban League, helps customers keep service during financial hardship. Call 202-265-8200, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Payment plans: Customers can call 202-354-3600 to set up a flexible plan. DC Water also offers a payment plan incentive that credits back 50 percent of the last three payments for customers with balances of $500 or more outstanding for 60 days or longer.

DC Water's next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 8, at 9:30 a.m.