City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM)
City of Atlanta and the Department of Watershed Management service area, including some customers in surrounding metro Atlanta jurisdictions outside the city limits
Population reference
Approximately 1.2 million customers served each day, according to the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
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; DWM's customer guidance says it strives to read each meter every 28-32 days, with weather, holidays, or service conditions sometimes extending the period.
- Rate structure
- Increasing three-tier CCF block structure for water and sewer, with a $6.56 base charge for water and a $6.56 base charge for sewer inside and outside the city. The current 2026 inside-city calculator shows water tiers of 1-3 CCF at $2.58/CCF, 4-6 CCF at $5.34/CCF, and 7+ CCF at $6.16/CCF; sewer tiers are $9.74, $13.64, and $15.69 per CCF. Rates differ for some outside-city and Fulton County service arrangements. One CCF is 748 gallons.
- Residential cost reference
- For an inside-city single-family customer using about 5,000 gallons (approximately 6.68 CCF), the 2026 calculator rates imply roughly $34.50 for water plus $87.40 for sewer, or about $121.90 per month before any senior discount, stormwater, industrial surcharge, outside-city adjustment, or other account-specific charge. Actual bills use the account's meter size, exact CCF, service area, and current rate schedule.
- Wastewater and sewer calculation
- DWM bills sewer from the same metered potable-water consumption measured in CCF rather than a separate wastewater meter for ordinary residential accounts. The first 3 CCF, next 3 CCF, and usage above 6 CCF are charged at the applicable sewer tier; the current inside-city base is $6.56 and the 2026 usage rates shown by the official calculator are $9.74, $13.64, and $15.69 per CCF. The bill-calculator and customer guide do not describe a winter-average cap; they describe sewer charges as metered water usage, so a leak that passes through the meter can increase both water and sewer charges unless an adjustment is approved.
- Meter reading
- DWM bills on a roughly 28-32-day read cycle and uses a mixed fleet of conventional and electronically monitored meters. The current InvoiceCloud portal exposes smart-meter consumption data, while DWM's smart-utility materials describe leak-sensor deployment and digital monitoring at selected meters, valves, and hydrants. Public material does not establish that every account has hourly AMI or remote reads; the reliable operational statement is monthly/near-monthly billing with smart-meter data available for participating accounts and manual or field-read exceptions when equipment or conditions require it.
- New-account deposit
- DWM's current Start My Service page requires a standard $80 deposit for a residential owner or renter, with the amount varying by meter size, plus a $15 account-establishment fee. The deed holder or lease holder must provide the application, identity document, and ownership or lease evidence; online/fax applications place the fees on the first bill, while in-person applications require payment at application. The current public page does not publish a credit-check waiver, on-time-payment refund date, interest treatment, or universal deposit-return schedule. Commercial and larger-meter deposits may vary.
- Activation or transfer fee
- The published ordinary account-establishment fee is $15, charged with the $80 standard deposit when new water service is opened; rates may vary by meter size. DWM permits new-service and account changes online, by fax, or in person and does not publish a separate universal transfer fee. A flagged or illegal-consumption address can require in-person re-establishment, certified funds, back-bill payment, and a separate three-business-day restoration process.
Context, not a score
How documentation coverage compares
This profile
100%
overview fields with research notes
Georgia
45%
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
- City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) 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.