Customer Care » Rate Changes

Rate Changes for 2012

The Macon Water Authority (MWA) strives to provide the cleanest, safest, best tasting and most reasonably priced drinking water for its customers, while assuring their water and sewer services maintain the highest possible quality standards in the industry.  In fact, the MWA provides America’s Best Tasting Drinking Water (as awarded by AWWA in 2009) at less than one cent per gallon – an amazing feat when comparing the value of tap water versus the cost of retail bottled water.

The MWA has adjusted its water/sewer rates for 2012, to maintain its sound financial position and debt-service coverage ratio, while continuing a long-term investment in the renewal of aging infrastructure and accommodating increased costs for water/sewer operations.

Consumption charges for water and sewer increase by 10 cents during 2012

The new MWA rates/fee schedule for 2012 will feature 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 during 2012.  MWA customers will pay no more than $1.82 per CCF for water and $1.96 per CCF for sewer -- which are the top tiers of rates for the highest level of monthly consumption for 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 2012, though there will be no increase to the base fee for water.  The one-time monhtly base fee for sewer services will increase by $1.25.  However, this $1.25 sewer base fee increase only applies to 5/8" and 1-inch service 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 in the 2012 MWA rate structure is the cap the Authority Board has placed on their sewer consumption charges. 

Residential sewer customers without an irrigation meter will pay variable rates based on 80 percent of their water consumption, though sewer consumption charges will be capped at 30 CCF.

Those MWA residential customers with an irrigation meter will pay NO sewer consumption charges for water use metered through their irrigation meter and 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 2012, 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 place a cap on consumption charges, according to a rate comparison study conducted annually 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 water -- which is the equivalent of 5,665 bottles of (16.9 ounce) water -- is $1.72.  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 went into effect on Jan. 1, 2012 and are 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.