Mid-Atlantic Rate Watch8 min read2026-07-01

DC Water FY2027 Proposed Rates: Commercial Water, Sewer, CRIAC, and Stormwater Bill Checks

DC Water proposed FY2027 and FY2028 rates include non-residential water, sewer, PILOT, right-of-way, Clean Rivers, stormwater, customer metering, and water system replacement fees that commercial accounts should model separately.

Quick Answer

DC Water proposed FY2027 rates, effective October 1, 2026 if approved, list non-residential water at $8.66 per CCF and sewer at $12.91 per CCF, plus PILOT, right-of-way, Clean Rivers, stormwater, customer metering, and water system replacement fees that commercial accounts should separate.

$8.66

Water

FY2027 proposed non-res per CCF

$12.91

Sewer

FY2027 proposed per CCF

$25.50

Clean Rivers

FY2027 proposed per ERU

$2.67

Stormwater

Per ERU pass-through

What changed in DC Water proposal

Source-reported facts: DC Water published proposed FY2027 and FY2028 rates showing current FY2026 rates, proposed FY2027 rates effective October 1, 2026, and proposed FY2028 rates effective October 1, 2027.

The table lists proposed FY2027 non-residential water at $8.66 per CCF and sewer at $12.91 per CCF. It also lists pass-through and fixed-style fees that should be modeled separately.

Who may be affected

Office buildings, hotels, restaurants, multifamily properties, schools, healthcare sites, industrial facilities, campuses, and mixed-use assets should review the proposal before budget assumptions are locked.

Commercial accounts with large impervious areas should pay special attention to Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge and stormwater ERU lines, because those are not simple water-consumption lines.

Why DC bills need more than a water and sewer rate

The proposed FY2027 table lists non-residential PILOT at $0.62 per CCF, right-of-way at $0.20 per CCF, Clean Rivers at $25.50 per ERU, and stormwater at $2.67 per ERU.

Customer metering and water system replacement fees vary by meter size for multi-family and non-residential accounts, so a property team needs meter size and ERU details before modeling payback.

What a 20 percent usage reduction could mean

Directional estimate: assume a DC non-residential account uses 300 CCF per month and a proposed FY2027 reduction of 60 CCF affects water, sewer, PILOT, and right-of-way lines only.

At $8.66 water, $12.91 sewer, $0.62 PILOT, and $0.20 right-of-way per CCF, those 60 CCF represent about $1,343.40 in monthly variable exposure. CRIAC, stormwater, meter fees, and replacement fees are excluded because they are not modeled as usage-reducible here.

What to check first on your bill

Confirm CCF, customer class, sewer linkage, meter size, ERU count, Clean Rivers line, stormwater fee, customer metering fee, water system replacement fee, and whether any groundwater or high-flow filter backwash charges apply.

If the bill includes ERU or meter-size lines, keep them outside a usage-reduction estimate unless DC Water documentation or the bill proves they vary with consumption.

Where Smart Valve fits

Smart Valve may fit when a DC commercial property has controllable metered water use and sewer charges follow the same CCF. It cannot reduce ERU-based Clean Rivers or stormwater fees.

A good assessment should isolate the variable water/sewer/PILOT/right-of-way exposure before estimating whether usage reduction changes the payback picture.

What to Do Next

Track the FY2027 proposal through adoption before treating rates as final.

Separate CCF-based charges from ERU-based and meter-size charges.

Model Clean Rivers and stormwater as fixed or property-based unless the bill proves otherwise.

FAQ

What is DC Water proposed FY2027 non-residential water rate?

DC Water lists proposed FY2027 non-residential water at $8.66 per CCF, with the proposal showing an October 1, 2026 effective date if approved.

What is DC Water proposed FY2027 sewer rate?

The proposed FY2027 sewer rate is listed at $12.91 per CCF for residential, multi-family, and non-residential classes.

Can usage reduction lower DC Clean Rivers charges?

Do not assume that. Clean Rivers is listed per ERU, so it should be modeled separately from water and sewer CCF charges.

Sources

Related Commercial Water Resources

Model This Market Against Your Actual Bill

Use your local rate, current monthly bill, and billed usage to estimate how much controllable volume reduction could offset this market pressure.

Stop Paying For Air in Your Waterline

Get a free consultation to see how much you could save with the Smart Valve. Average return on investment in just 1.4 years.