On Etowah Water? What Unincorporated Dawson County Pays

Two utilities, one county

Dawsonville has its own water and sewer system inside the city. Much of the rest of Dawson County, including growth along GA 400, is served by the Etowah Water and Sewer Authority. Dawson County's building permits page lists Etowah Water as the contact for projects on public water and sewer. The name on your bill tells you which one you have.

Etowah's residential rates

The Georgia Municipal Water Rates site, run by the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, publishes rate sheets that utilities submit. Etowah's sheet for the 2025 reporting year, with rates changed January 1, 2025, shows a water base rate plus three increasing blocks, and a sewer base rate plus a uniform rate. The table below copies it. The site invites utilities to submit updates, so ask Etowah whether anything has changed since.

How Etowah's structure differs from the City's

The City of Dawsonville's tiers break at 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 gallons; Etowah's water blocks break at 7,000 and 15,000 gallons. The City's minimum charge covers the first 1,500 gallons; Etowah's sheet lists a base rate and a per-thousand charge from the first gallon. Because the structures differ, the only fair comparison is to price your actual usage under each. The City's adopted residential rates are below for reference.

Leaks on an Etowah account

The same leak logic applies. On a sewer account, each leaked gallon that passes the meter is billed for water and for sewer, and a leak can push usage into a higher water block. Many Etowah customers are on septic rather than sewer, in which case only the water side applies, but the leak still loads the septic drain field. The leak cost article explains how to size a leak from meter readings.

New connections and taps

The rate sheet notes that Etowah has tap fees and miscellaneous fees listed separately. For a new home, an addition of a bathroom group or a change of meter size, ask Etowah for the current tap and connection charges in writing before the plumber prices the job. The County's permit process will not cover those; they are utility charges.

Comparing with the state

For context, here are the 2026 statewide average bills for 5,000 gallons from the Georgia Water and Wastewater Report.

Reading the rate sheet

The rate sheet lists base rates for water and sewer and then per-thousand-gallon charges by block. On the water side, the first block covers usage up to 7,000 gallons, the second from 7,001 to 15,000 gallons and the third from 15,001 to 100,000 gallons. On the sewer side, the sheet shows a uniform rate for the first 7,000 gallons. The sheet also notes that tap fees, fire and hydrant rates and miscellaneous fees exist, without listing them, and that there is no seasonal rate variation.

To estimate a month, add the base rate to the gallons in each block multiplied by that block's rate, for water and, if you are on Etowah sewer, for sewer. Then compare with your actual bill. If they differ, ask Etowah whether its rates have changed since the reporting year shown.

Why many Etowah customers are on septic

Public sewer is expensive to extend into rural, hilly areas, so many homes in unincorporated Dawson County that have public water still use septic systems. If your Etowah bill shows only water charges, you are probably on septic. That means the drain field, not the sewer bill, carries the cost of wasted water: every extra gallon that goes down the drain has to be absorbed by the soil. Fixing leaks protects the field as well as the water bill.

Septic systems are permitted and inspected by Dawson County Environmental Health; see the septic article.

When development brings sewer

Growth along GA 400 has brought public sewer to some areas that once relied on septic. If sewer becomes available on your road, ask Etowah whether connection is required, what it costs, and how the old septic tank must be abandoned. A plumber will connect the house drain to the new lateral, and the work needs a County permit.

Leaks and responsibility on an Etowah account

As with the City, the utility maintains its mains and meters, and the owner maintains the service line from the meter to the house and everything inside. If water is leaking at the meter, report it to Etowah. If the meter keeps turning with the house shut off, the leak is on your side, and a plumber can locate and repair it. Outside the city, replacing buried or concealed pipe is work the County permits, and digging needs a Georgia 811 locate. Keep the repair invoice in case Etowah has a leak adjustment practice; ask Etowah directly what it requires.

Etowah checklist

Check the name on the bill. Price your usage under the current Etowah rate sheet. Ask Etowah about tap and connection fees before new work. Use the County's permit process for plumbing outside city limits, described in the County permit article. If you are on septic, see the septic article.

Sources for this article: Georgia Environmental Finance Authority / UGA Carl Vinson Institute: Georgia Municipal Water Rates, Etowah Water and Sewer Authority 2025; Dawson County, GA: Building Permits; GEFA / UGA Carl Vinson Institute: 2026 Georgia Water and Wastewater Report (PDF); City of Dawsonville: Approved minutes, City Council meeting of June 15, 2026, with adopted Ordinance No. 02-2026 (Exhibit B) (PDF). Checked 2026-10-29.