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REDUCTION IN UTILITY BILLING FRONT DESK HOURS: Beginning on Monday, April 22 and until further notice, the Utility Billing Office front desk service will be reducing their hours of operation to Monday-Thursday, 8AM to 1PM. For service at other times, e-mail descontactcenter@arlingtonva.us or call 703-228-6570 (8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday-Friday).

Water & Utilities

Notice

NOTICE: March 25 through May 6 — Temporary Switch to Chlorine for Water Treatment Disinfection. Drinking water may taste slightly different as the regional supply system undergoes its annual spring cleaning. Throughout this process, Arlington’s Water, Sewer, Streets Bureau will continually monitor the output for safe chlorine levels as well as conduct system-wide flushing to enhance water quality. For more information, visit: water.arlingtonva.us/water/water-quality-treatment/

Rates

Water, Sewer and Refuse Rates

  • Water Rate: $4.53 per 1,000 gallons of metered water consumption (effective 5/1/2017).
  • Sewer Rate: $9.09 per 1,000 gallons of metered water consumption (effective 5/1/2017).
  • Refuse Rate (residential accounts only): $316.16 annually, billed quarterly $79.04 (effective 7/1/2018).
  • On the first bill, the refuse amount will be prorated since the charge is billed quarterly, in advance.
  • Refuse charges are prorated on initial and final bills based on number of days in the billing period.
  • The rate for new water service accounts or reactivation of service due to repair or delinquency is $25.00.

Billing Schedule

Residential

  • Single-family and duplex homes are billed quarterly for water, sewer, and trash and recycling services.
  • Water and sewer charges are based on water consumption as determined by a meter reading. You must keep the water meter free of obstruction by cars, landscaping or other objects.
  • Your bill may also include charges for service requests such as additional carts, special pickup or leaf mulch/wood chip delivery.

Apartments and Commercial

  • Apartments and commercial businesses are billed monthly for water and sewer services.
  • Water and sewer charges are based on water consumption as determined by a monthly meter reading. Only County staff is authorized to enter meter vaults.

Rate Structure

Rates for water and sewer services are based directly on the number of gallons of water used.

Water usage is measured by a water meter installed adjacent to each residence or business. Sanitary sewer services are charged based on the amount of water used as determined by the water meter readings. We don’t measure sanitary sewer usage as sewer meters are costly, and prone to malfunctions and inaccurate readings.

Information on the addition of a water-only account for irrigation.

Water/Sewer Rate Study

County staff conducted a water/sewer rate study in 2003, working with both a consultant and a resident task force appointed by the County Manager to review the study and make recommendations. The resident task force recommended retaining the current rate structure, which is based directly on water volume consumption. They recommended against giving relief on sewer charges for irrigation water for the following reasons:

  • The current rate is easy to understand and easy to administer.
  • Only a few very high-use residential customers would significantly benefit from a summer sewer rate that removes sewer charges for irrigation water.
  • Giving rate relief for irrigation is contrary to water conservation and promotes increased pollutants in local streams, the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.
  • An alternative, while costly, exists — the water-only account, which provides a second water service and meter exclusively for outdoor use separate from the existing domestic line.

As a result of the study, the County Manager did not recommend any changes in rate structure to the County Board.