Covington, GA Leak Cost Calculator: City of Covington and NCWSA Rates

How the City of Covington numbers work

City water is simple compared with most utilities. The first 3,000 gallons or less carry a minimum of $18.05, and every thousand gallons from 3,001 to 50,000 costs $6.00. Sewer is $6 per 1,000 gallons with an $18 minimum. For a household already past 3,000 gallons, each extra thousand gallons of leak adds $6.00 of water and $6.00 of sewer.

The City's leak policy changes the water side once an adjustment is approved. Water used above your twelve-month average is charged at a discounted rate, currently $3.00 per thousand. On the sewer side, the result depends on where the water went. If it never reached the city sewer, the sewer charge is brought back down to an average; if it did, there is no sewer adjustment.

The calculator shows both the raw added cost and the approximate adjusted cost, assuming all the leaked water sits above your average.

Worked City scenarios

The table below runs five leak sizes through the City rates. A 5,000-gallon leak adds about $60.00 to the month before any adjustment. After an adjustment, it drops to about $15.00 if the water went into the yard or crawlspace, or about $45.00 if it went down a drain, because the sewer part stays.

At 20,000 gallons, the raw cost is about $240.00. The adjusted figure is about $60.00 for a leak that did not reach the sewer and $180.00 for one that did. The gap between those columns is why the location of the leak matters as much as its size.

Remember that the City adjusts only the two highest months involved. A leak that ran across three or four billing periods keeps full charges on the others.

How NCWSA numbers work

The Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority uses tiers. A single-family account pays a $13.63 water base charge, then $3.34 per 1,000 gallons up to 3,000, $7.54 from 3,001 to 8,000, $9.16 from 8,001 to 15,000, and $10.92 above that. Sewer has a $6.59 base charge and $8.90 per 1,000 gallons above the first 1,000.

A leak lands on top of normal use, so it climbs into the higher tiers fast. On 4,000 gallons of normal use, a 10,000-gallon leak adds about $174.12, and a 20,000-gallon leak adds about $370.56.

NCWSA's own leak adjustment rules were not part of the documents we checked, so the calculator does not estimate an NCWSA credit. Ask the Authority directly.

Getting your inputs right

Normal monthly use should come from a month before the leak, ideally the same month a year earlier. The City's policy measures the discount against your twelve-month average before the leak occurred, so averaging a year of bills yourself gives the closest estimate.

For the leak itself, the most accurate number is the difference between meter readings. If you do not have them, enter a gallons-per-day estimate. A toilet that runs constantly and a pinhole in a supply line can both waste a surprising amount over a month.

Whether the water reached a drain matters for the City adjustment. A running toilet or dripping faucet sends water to the sewer; a broken yard line or crawlspace pipe does not.

What to do with the result

If the estimate is small, fix the leak anyway; slow leaks under floors rot wood and grow mould long before they cost much on the bill. If it is large, the high bill guide lists the checks to run before calling, and the emergency guide covers the first steps if water is visibly escaping.

City customers should read the leak adjustment guide before the repair, so the plumber's invoice says what the City needs. NCWSA customers should call the Authority and ask how it handles leaks.

Keep the calculator result with your bills and repair paperwork. It gives you a number to compare with whatever adjustment you are offered.

Two quick examples in words

Say a City of Covington household normally uses 5,000 gallons and a toilet runs quietly for a month, wasting about 6,000 gallons. Before any adjustment, those gallons add about seventy-two dollars in water and sewer together. After an approved adjustment, the water part is charged at the discounted leak rate, but because the water went down the drain, the sewer part stays.

Now say the same household has a broken line under the yard that loses the same 6,000 gallons into the soil. Before adjustment, the cost is the same. After adjustment, the water part is discounted and the sewer part is brought back to an average, so the leak costs far less.

Run your own numbers in the calculator above; the scenario tables show the same pattern at five leak sizes.

Limits of the estimate

The calculator assumes your normal use is already past the City's 3,000-gallon minimum, uses single-family NCWSA tiers, and treats the whole leak as falling in one billing month. Real bills split by meter-reading dates, so a leak spanning two cycles will show up in pieces. Use the result as a scale, not a prediction.

Sources for this page: City of Covington, GA: Water Rate Information (rates as of November 1, 2025); City of Covington, GA: Leak Policy and Leak Adjustment Request Form (PDF); Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority: FYE 2026 Budget & Financial Plan, retail service rates effective July 1, 2025 (PDF). Checked 2026-10-30.