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How we calculated this
Extracted by: codex/gpt-5.6-luna · 08/23/2026
Source:
Quality checks: 9/9 passed
  • Monotonic pricing
  • Price range plausible
  • Fixed charge range
  • No zero tier prices
  • Tier count (1–8)
  • Tier boundary scale
  • Residential customer class
  • Effective date parseable
  • Plausible for MD
Fixed: $15.44 quarterly ÷ 3 = $5.15/mo
Volume: 6,000 gal × 3 = 18,000 gal = 24.06 CCF
  Summer: 24.06 CCF × $3.0400 = $73.16 → $29.53/mo

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Utility profile · MD

HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION Water Rates

HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION serves 286,158 people in Columbia, Ellicott City, and 6 more places in MD. The monthly residential water bill at 6,000 gallons is $29.53, 44% below the national average of $53.13.

Updated Aug 2026

Beta. Data is actively being expanded. Results may vary. if something looks off.

How much does water cost provided by HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION?

Standardized to a 6,000 gallon/month residential bill on a 5/8"–3/4" meter.

Monthly Rate peak season

$29.53 / 6k gal
summer: $29.53
-44% vs natl avg

Volumetric Rate

$4.92 / 1k gal

How does HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION's water cost compare to its regional neighbors?

Monthly cost (6k gal) vs up to 10 nearest utilities with published rates. Click to navigate.

Where does HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION provide service?

Population served and the municipalities covered by this utility's service area.

Boundaries from the EPA Water System Service Areas dataset. Not all utilities have mapped boundaries.

Population Served

286,158

Where does HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION's water come from?

Supply and provider classification from EPA records.

Primary Source
SWP
Provider Type
Local Govt
PWSID
MD0130002

Named intake/well source and interconnections (who this utility buys from or sells to) aren't captured yet — tracked separately for a future update.

Is water affordable for HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION's customers?

Annual bill as a share of median household income in the service area.

Water Burden

0.2% of income (annual)
of median area income · affordability threshold: 2%

We don't yet systematically track whether a utility offers income-based or sliding-scale pricing separate from its standard rates — tracked separately for a future update.

Where did this data come from?

This rate was extracted from HOWARD COUNTY D.P.W. DISTRIBUTION's published tariff document by an AI research agent, then checked against a validation checklist before publishing. See the full methodology for how every utility on this site is sourced and scored.

Provenance

Extracted by: codex/gpt-5.6-luna · 08/23/2026
Confidence label: Model estimate

Quality checks: 9/9 passed

  • Monotonic pricing
  • Price range plausible
  • Fixed charge range
  • No zero tier prices
  • Tier count (1–8)
  • Tier boundary scale
  • Residential customer class
  • Effective date parseable
  • Plausible for MD