Customer Care » Rate Changes

Rate Changes for 2013

The Macon Water Authority (MWA), as one of the most fiscally responsible and visionary water utilities in the state and nation, strives to provide the cleanest, safest, best tasting drinking water possible, which is fairly and reasonably priced for all utility customers.  The MWA is an award-winning utility, reflected in the 2012 Gold Award for utility excellence from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and the Best Tasting Drinking Water in North America as judged by the American Water Works Association.  The Authority also meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water quality standards.

Effective Jan. 1, 2013, some MWA rates/fees will be adjusted to maintain the utility's sound financial position and debt-service coverage ratios, while also enabling the Authority to continue pursuit of its aggressive long-term investment in the renewal and replacement of aging infrastructure and to account for the increased costs for water/sewer operations.

Consumption charges for water and sewer increase by 10 cents during 2013

The 2013 MWA rates/fees include a small percentage increase to customer water and sewer variable rates or consumption charges.  Variable rates for both water and sewer will increase by 10 cents for the 2013 calendar year.  MWA customers will pay no more than $1.92 per CCF for water and $2.06 per CCF for sewer; however, these rates/figures are in the top tier for monthly consumption of both water and sewer.  (One unit or CCF is equal to 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons.)

Base fee for sewer increases slightly, but no increase in base fee for water

Most residential customers also will see a slight increase to the base fee for sewer services during 2013, though there will be no increase to the base fee for water.  The monthly base fee for sewer services will increase by $1.25.  However, this $1.25 sewer base fee increase only applies to 5/8-inch and 1-inch service/meter sizes, which are typical for residential (metered) customers.

Cap on sewer consumption charges will benefit customers, as will methodology

A noticeable benefit to residential customers as a result of the 2013 MWA rate changes is the cap the Authority has placed on sewer consumption charges, a policy adopted in 2012 that will continue in 2013. 

In addition, residential sewer customers without an irrigation meter will pay variable rates based on only 80 percent of their water consumption, and these sewer consumption charges will be capped at 30 CCF of monthly use.

Those MWA residential customers with an irrigation meter will pay NO sewer consumption charges for water use metered through their irrigation meter, and they will pay for sewer consumption on only 95 percent of the water registered through their residential water meter each month.

Even with the rate increases adopted by the MWA for 2013, the Authority's water and sewer rates are among the lowest and most competitive in the state, and the MWA is one of the few utilities that discount sewer services at less than 100 percent of meter readings and cap consumption charges.  The competitiveness of MWA rates and the caps and unique discounts applied to sewer consumption charges were highlighted in the recent annual rate comparison study conducted by the Environmental Finance Center on behalf of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA).

When comparing the value of North America's Best Tasting Drinking Water produced by the MWA to the cost of bottled water, the figures are shockingly disproportionate.  The cost of 748 gallons of MWA tap water (the equivalent of 5,665 standard bottles of water) is $11.82 (a $10 base fee plus $1.82 consumption charge).  By comparison, the average retail price ($1.25) of 748 gallons of bottled water is $7,081.

To review all rates for MWA customers, check out the Rates, Fees, and Charges page on this site, or call the MWA at (478) 464-5600.

The following rate changes are effective Jan. 1, 2013 and applicable until the end of the calendary year.  Rate changes impact MWA customers in the City of Macon and Bibb County, as well as customers served through an agreement with Monroe County.