Desert Water Agency (DWA)
Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and western Coachella Valley service area
Population reference
74,807 people served according to the EPA queue; DWA provides retail water in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and surrounding western Coachella Valley areas, with wastewater charges applying in portions of the service area.
Billing detail
Broad public detail found
Official destination
Open provider website ↗Provider-specific findings
Billing and account research from public material
Provider-specific research notes are displayed separately from fields that contain only an unavailable-information marker. Read qualifiers in each note and verify current account terms with the provider.
- Billing frequency
- Monthly. DWA's residential discontinuation policy states that water service charges are billed once every month unless the Board changes the frequency.
- Rate structure
- Uniform volumetric rate plus a meter-size fixed monthly charge and zone-specific pumping adders. As of July 1, 2026, potable water is $2.75 per 100 cubic feet (748 gallons), the 5/8 x 3/4-inch fixed charge is $43.27/month, and zone adders are $0.00, $0.32, $0.36, or $0.74 per HCF depending on elevation zone. Chino Creek has a separate $8.46/HCF rate.
- Residential cost reference
- At 5,000 gallons (about 6.684 HCF), a standard 5/8 x 3/4-inch account in a zero-adder zone has an illustrative potable-water charge of about $61.65 ($43.27 fixed plus $18.38 volumetric). Where Cathedral City residential sewer applies, adding the published $8.03 DWA sewer service charge and $20.00-$31.96 treatment pass-through gives an approximate combined monthly range of $89.68-$101.64 before any zone adder; Palm Springs and other service areas use different sewer arrangements.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- DWA does not operate one uniform sewer tariff across every service area. In Cathedral City residential areas, the bill combines a monthly treatment cost of $20.00-$31.96, passed through from the City of Palm Springs or CVWD depending on location, with DWA's $8.03 sewer service charge. Cathedral City commercial, school, and apartment treatment costs vary by property capacity/flow and may include a $14 grease-trap charge; Palm Springs residents receive sewer service from the City of Palm Springs.
- Meter reading
- DWA is deploying an Advanced Metering Infrastructure fixed network with agency-owned AMI towers, remote reads, and an eventual customer dashboard for hourly use data. The agency is replacing aging Badger meters and intends to eliminate routine manual drive-by/walk-by reads as the network expands; the reviewed 2026 pages do not state that every meter has already migrated or publish a universal read day.
- New-account deposit
- DWA charges a $30 account-establishment fee to every new account. Residential owners generally do not have a published standard deposit, but a realtor starting service must pay a $100 deposit plus the $30 establishment fee upfront. Commercial deposits are charged on the first bill by meter size: $100 for 5/8x3/4-inch and 1-inch, $150 for 1.5-inch, and $200 for 2-inch or larger; the reviewed page does not describe a credit-check waiver or refund schedule.
- Activation or transfer fee
- New-account establishment costs $30 on the first bill. Property owners must submit the service application, and tenant billing requires owner authorization; service is turned off the morning of the chosen stop date. The public 2026 page does not publish a separate transfer fee beyond the $30 establishment charge.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
California
67%
records with any overview detail
National index
50%
records with any overview detail
Coverage measures what this directory documented. It does not measure service quality, affordability, or regulatory compliance.
Research record
Broad public detail found
7 of 7 fields in this section contain provider-specific public detail in dataset August 1, 2026.
Documented
100%
Primary verification routes
- Desert Water Agency (DWA) public website ↗
Provider-controlled destination used to confirm current customer instructions.
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System ↗
Federal background on public water-system records and their limitations.