Public Water Authority
Des Moines Water Works
Serving Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines metropolitan area
Population served
Approximately 600,000 people in the Greater Des Moines area; the utility independently operates the regional drinking-water system while local communities retain their own customer-service and billing relationships.
State system code
FIPS 19
Billing frequency
Monthly. DMWW rules state that meters are read periodically and water bills are mailed or delivered electronically monthly; the customer statement generally provides a due date 25 days after the bill is generated.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Des Moines Water Works operates as a public water authority serving Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines metropolitan area. Customers should use the provider’s current account-specific bill and official customer-service instructions as the final authority for deadlines, balances, and service requests.
The published water-rate framework is described as Increasing-block residential usage tiers plus a fixed monthly availability charge, with separate service-area schedules for Des Moines inside-city, Des Moines outside-city, Polk County, and other contracted communities. A capital-improvement charge may apply to qualifying service areas, and irrigation use is billed under a separate higher schedule. The Board approved a 2026 rate increase; the current bill and board rate schedule control the exact tier dollar amounts.. Bills are generated monthly. dmww rules state that meters are read periodically and water bills are mailed or delivered electronically monthly; the customer statement generally provides a due date 25 days after the bill is generated., and a typical residential cost reference is A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. For a single universal total because DMWW consolidated bills can include water, availability, capital-improvement, sanitary sewer, stormwater, and solid-waste charges imposed by different communities. A 5,000–7,000-gallon residential customer is billed through the current tier schedule and meter-size availability charge; the utility’s public 2026 materials reviewed here do not provide a single all-in average-home total.. These descriptions are useful planning benchmarks; actual charges can change with meter size, usage, sewer averaging, local taxes, drought stages, or account-specific fees.
Wastewater and sewer calculation
Sanitary sewer charges are normally computed from the water consumption recorded by DMWW, plus a fixed sewer customer-service charge set by the applicable city. The City of Des Moines’ July 2025–June 2026 schedule identifies a sewer consumption charge of $9.84 per 1,000 gallons and a $4.40 monthly sewer customer-service charge; irrigation-meter water is not charged sewer for outside use. Charges for customers outside Des Moines can follow the applicable contracted municipality’s schedule, and some outside-city rules authorize higher sewer rates.
Meter and infrastructure notes
DMWW reads meters monthly for billing, with most residential and commercial meters read through remote equipment installed outside the building. The online MyMeter platform exposes usage history, trend comparisons, and alerts. If a meter cannot be read or the remote device has a wiring or equipment problem, DMWW may issue an estimated bill based on typical usage and later correct it when an actual reading is available.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
For water-bill and service assistance, call Des Moines Water Works at (515) 283-8700. The City of Des Moines publishes (515) 283-4950 as a 24/7 sewer emergency contact, and customers with a water main break, active structural leak, or water-quality emergency should use the DMWW number and the city emergency channel as appropriate.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines metropolitan area
Des Moines Water Works is listed here as a public water authority. The profile separates account actions—such as paying a bill or requesting service—from explanatory material about rates, meters, wastewater, leaks, and delinquency.
Because utility rules can vary by account class, meter size, service address, billing date, and local ordinance, treat the published bill and current provider website as the final authority. Use this profile to locate the correct channel and prepare better questions for customer service.
If your issue is urgent, start with the provider’s emergency number or official payment route rather than waiting for an email response. Keep a written record of calls, confirmation numbers, notice dates, and documents you submit.