Filed by KOSU News in State Impact.
March 8, 2013

Municipal Water Rates – 2012

There are more than 750 local water authorities in Oklahoma. There isn’t a comprehensive database of water costs, but data from the Oklahoma Municipal League offers a snapshot of the rates residential and business customers pay each month.

The data, based on surveys the Municipal League conducts every other year, shows a wide range in water costs.

The lowest residential rates were reported in Gage, a tiny town of 440 people in far western Oklahoma, where residents pay $8.60 for 5,000 gallons a month.

Fort Towson, a small town of about 500 in far southeastern Oklahoma, reported the highest residential water rates. Customers there pay $66 for the same amount of water.

The Municipal League survey includes data from 179 of its 462 member communities, says executive director Carolyn Stager. The data is broken down into two categories — residential and commercial customers — and divided by total monthly use of water.

Commercial Users

Fort Supply, a town of about 300 in northwestern Oklahoma, has the cheapest rates for water users in both commercial tiers — 50,000 and 200,000 gallons a month, the data show.

When it comes to high costs for commercial customers, Stratford, a central Oklahoma town of about 1,500, is highest. Stratford businesses pay $750 a month for 50,000 gallons of water. The ironically named Commerce, a northeastern Oklahoma city of about 2,400, is the most expensive for customers in the largest use tier. In Commerce, commercial customers pay $2,451 per month for 200,000 gallons per month.

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