Filling a Pool in Covington, GA? Ask the City to Take the Sewer Charge Off

Why a pool fill shows up as sewer

City of Covington bills sewer on metered water at $6 per 1,000 gallons, with an $18 minimum. That makes sense for a sink or shower, where water goes in and comes back out to the sewer, but not for a pool, where the water stays in the yard.

On a City account, filling a pool adds both the water charge, $6.00 per thousand gallons in the 3,001 to 50,000 band, and the matching sewer charge. The sewer half is what the City's pool form is meant to address.

The City's leak policy forms page puts it plainly: filling a swimming pool, or water bill higher than normal? Review the leak and pool sewer adjustment forms.

What the form asks for

The City's Sewer Adjustment Request Form for Filling of Swimming Pool asks for the date, your name, phone and service address, the type of pool (above ground or in-ground), the size of the pool, the date you started filling with a meter reading, and the date you finished with a meter reading.

Below those fields, the form states that if you fail to provide any of the information, you will not be eligible for a sewer reduction. So the two meter readings are not optional.

Read the meter yourself right before the hose goes in and right after it comes out. Photograph the dial both times, with the date visible, and keep the photos with the form.

Getting the readings right

Meter readings only help if nothing else is using much water during the fill. Hold off on laundry and long showers if you can, or at least note them, so the difference between your readings mostly reflects the pool.

Work out the pool's volume as a cross-check. A plumber or the pool installer can tell you the capacity, and the form asks for the size. If the meter difference is wildly larger than the pool's capacity, something else, possibly a leak, is also running.

If the numbers do not add up, the high water bill guide explains the meter test for leaks.

New pools: permits and codes

A new in-ground pool is a building project. The City's building permit application includes in-ground pool as a project type, lists a residential plan review fee of $75.00, and asks for the contractor's state and business license copies. The City's forms page also lists a separate pool permit application.

The City's construction codes page lists the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia Amendments among the mandatory codes it enforces, along with the 2024 International Plumbing Code with Georgia Amendments.

If the pool equipment needs new plumbing or electrical work, a licensed subcontractor for each trade is part of the application. See the permit guide.

NCWSA and town customers

The form described here is the City of Covington's. If your water comes from the Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority or a town system, ask that utility whether it offers a pool fill sewer adjustment and what it needs.

NCWSA charges sewer at $8.90 per 1,000 gallons above the first 1,000 on a single-family account, so the sewer share of a pool fill is significant there too.

Many homes outside the city are on septic rather than public sewer, in which case there is no sewer charge to adjust.

Keep it simple

Before the fill: read and photograph the meter, note the date, and know the pool's size. After the fill: read and photograph the meter again and note the date. Then complete every field on the form and send it to the City.

If you are filling a pool and a leak is also suspected, keep the two requests separate. The leak policy has its own form and its own rules, explained on the leak adjustment guide.

If pool equipment plumbing is leaking or needs replacing, the Free Quote Request form reaches independent plumbers who work in Newton County.

A worked example

Suppose a City of Covington household fills an above-ground pool and the meter readings before and after show 12,000 gallons. On the City's rates, those gallons add water charges at $6.00 per thousand and sewer charges at $6 per thousand. The sewer half is the part the pool form can address, which is why it is worth the few minutes of paperwork.

Without the start and finish readings, the City has nothing to measure, and the form says you will not be eligible. With them, and with every other field filled in, the request has what it needs.

If the readings show far more water than the pool holds, look for a leak before sending the form. The pool request and the leak request are separate, and mixing them up only slows both.

Spas and refills

The form is written for swimming pools, with a choice of above-ground or in-ground. If you are filling a large spa or topping up a pool after draining it, ask the City whether the same form applies before you start, so you can take the readings it needs.

Sources for this page: City of Covington, GA: Sewer Adjustment Request Form for Filling of Swimming Pool (PDF); City of Covington, GA: Leak Policy Forms; City of Covington, GA: Water Rate Information (rates as of November 1, 2025); City of Covington, GA Planning & Development: Building Permit Application (rev. 12/26/25, PDF); City of Covington, GA: Forms and Permit Applications; City of Covington, GA: Construction Codes (codes enforced by the City); Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority: FYE 2026 Budget & Financial Plan, retail service rates effective July 1, 2025 (PDF). Checked 2026-10-30.