Municipal Department
Cambridge Water Department
Serving Cambridge, Massachusetts
Population served
118,214
State system code
FIPS 25
Billing frequency
Quarterly. Cambridge Water Department and the Tax Collector's Office issue quarterly water bills, and bills are due within 30 days of the billing date.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
Cambridge Water Department operates as a municipal department serving Cambridge, Massachusetts. 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 Annual-consumption block rates measured in hundreds of cubic feet (CCF), with separate water and sewer rates. FY26 rates effective for consumption as of April 1, 2025 are $3.84/$4.10/$4.36/$4.63/$5.03 water and $17.12/$18.10/$19.45/$20.93/$22.25 sewer across the five annual blocks, with 100 cubic feet approximately 748 gallons.. Bills are generated quarterly. cambridge water department and the tax collector's office issue quarterly water bills, and bills are due within 30 days of the billing date., and a typical residential cost reference is Approximately $173 per month for a 6,000-gallon-per-month home using the FY26 annual block schedule, before any other municipal charges: 72,000 gallons is about 96.3 CCF annually, producing approximately $31.90/month water and $141.20/month sewer when the first 40 CCF use block 1 and the remaining annual usage uses block 2. Actual quarterly bills, meter class, and current rate-year changes may alter the 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
Water and sewer charges are shown on the same bill where applicable. The City applies the same annual-consumption block concept to sewer, so the annual CCF usage moves through sewer rates separately from water rates; the FY26 sewer rates are $17.12 for block 1, $18.10 for block 2, $19.45 for block 3, $20.93 for block 4, and $22.25 for block 5 per CCF.
Meter and infrastructure notes
Cambridge's Administration Division installs and maintains Automated Meter Reading (AMR) devices and issues high-read notifications. Bills show previous and current meter readings and a read code; meters are read for quarterly billing. The City does not describe hourly AMI transmission in the reviewed pages.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
Cambridge Water Department emergency line (617) 349-4770, available 24 hours a day. The same department handles water-service emergencies, main breaks, high reads, and water-quality concerns.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge Water Department is listed here as a municipal department. 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.