DC Water pauses the stormwater re-measurement that would reset condo bills
DC Water pauses the stormwater re-measurement that would reset condo bills
2026-09-09 · District of Columbia · Compliance
DC Water has stopped, for now, re-measuring how much impervious surface each property has for stormwater billing purposes. The Authority's own explanation is direct: “In January 2026, DC Water paused the rollout of new Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC) Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) measurements in response to concerns about bill impacts and the clarity of our communications.”1
It adds two things that matter to a District association's budget. Changes to ERU measurements “will not begin before Fiscal Year 2029 (October 1, 2028).” And “Annual CRIAC rate adjustments will continue.”
The measurement and the rate are separate levers
A property's stormwater bill is the number of Equivalent Residential Units attributed to it multiplied by the monthly rate. The pause freezes the first number. It does nothing to the second.
The monthly rate per ERU was $21.23 in fiscal year 2025, effective October 1, 2024, and $24.23 in fiscal year 2026, effective October 1, 2025 — a rise of $3.00 a month, roughly 14 percent, in a single year.2
All residential, multifamily and non-residential customers are billed on impervious area, so a condominium with a large footprint, surface parking and hardscape carries a substantial ERU count.
What relief exists, and who it is for
DOEE administers the relief programmes: CAP+ and CAP1 at a 75 percent reduction, CAP2 at 50 percent, CAP3 at 75 percent for income-qualified households, plus a Nonprofit Relief Program.3
These are household- and nonprofit-facing. DOEE's CRIAC page does not list condominiums or multifamily associations as a distinct eligible category. A District association looking for a discount on its own account will not find one designed for it.
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