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The Board of Commissioner have adopted new rates for 2026, 2027 and 2028 for both water and wastewater systems. Effective January 1, 2026 the water system adopted rate increase is 15.50%, and 9.50% for wastewater.
For illustrative purposes, the average single-family account may expect an increase of approximately $29 per billing cycle. To estimate a personalized impact, apply a 15.50% increase to your most recent water bill. For combined service accounts, apply an 11.18% increase to estimate the approximate change to your bill.
FAQ'S
How are rates set?
The District undertakes a comprehensive rate-setting process to determine whether rates are sufficient to meet the operational and capital needs of each system. Costs are allocated to each system based on operational requirements and system investments. Rates are formally approved by the District’s five-member Board.
Why are the rates increasing?
Rates are increasing due to rising costs for products and services, along with necessary investments in capital infrastructure to maintain clean, reliable water and wastewater service. The District anticipates 15-30% increases in cost over the next 3-5 years.
How can I save on my bill?
Your bill reflects a combination of fixed costs for maintenance, operations, and infrastructure, along with charges based on your actual water use. Every drop counts – by conserving water, you can help reduce your water bill. The District also offers a toilet rebate program and other water-saving tools to help customers use water more efficiently.
What goes into my water charges, and how can I better understand my water bill?
Each account’s water meter includes a base amount of water use before volumetric rates apply. For example, a 3/4″ x 5/8″ meter includes 4 CCF of water per bi-monthly billing cycle. Any usage above 4 CCF is billed at the applicable volumetric tier rates. Reducing water use may help lower your overall water charges.
What goes into my sewer charges, and how can I better understand my sewer bill?
For single-family accounts that are individually metered, the District uses a Seasonal Sewer Averaging (SSA) methodology to calculate sewer charges. Water usage from the winter months, based on full 60-day billing cycles dated January 1 through April 30, is averaged and used to set the SSA for the remainder of the year.
The SSA determines the applicable sewer tier for summer billing periods (May 1 through December 31), ensuring that higher water use for activities such as irrigation, car washing, pool filling, or pressure washing does not increase sewer charges.
Reducing water use during the winter billing periods (service dates October 1 through May 31) may result in a lower SSA average and place your account in a lower sewer rate tier for the rest of the year.
For questions about which service periods affect your SSA billing and to learn how much you may be able to save, please contact a Billing Representative at (425) 787-0220 or email Help@awwd.com
Does the District offer customer assistance programs?
We offer a Low-Income Senior and Low-Income Permanently Disabled discount program to those that qualify. These customer assistance programs are established through Board-adopted policy and are developed using benchmarks from similar programs offered by neighboring agencies.
The District periodically reviews these programs to ensure they continue to provide meaningful assistance to our communities while remaining balanced with the District’s administrative and financial resources.
In addition, local charitable organizations may be able to provide billing assistance. Customers may call 211 to learn about programs and resources that may be available to them.
There is a charge on my bill for Utility Taxes, what is this for?
The District provides service in multiple cities, some of which have enacted utility taxes. Under Washington State law (RCW 35A.82), cities are authorized to levy utility taxes on services provided within their city limits.
When the District is notified of an applicable utility tax, it is itemized on each billing cycle. The District does not set or control these taxes; we are required to collect them on your utility bill and remit them directly to the city.
For questions or additional information about utility taxes, please contact your local city government.
A typical household in our service area uses about 7 centum cubic feet (CCF), or 5,236 gallons of water, per month. The charts below show what that household would pay for water and wastewater at the same usage level.
Wastewater rates are higher because collecting and treating sewage is more complex and costly than delivering drinking water. To learn more about how our wastewater system protects public health and the environment, visit our wastewater recovery page.
Effective January 1, 2025
Effective January 1, 2026
For Single Family winter bill cycles, customers will be billed based on actual cycle consumption. For non-winter bill cycles, billing will be based on average winter water use.
The average 2-month Single Family water use is 14 CCF. During winter bill cycles, the average is 11 CCF.
