Last reviewed and updated: 2026-09-28
A continuous leak on a Cobb County account is billed at up to $11.25 per 1,000 gallons in the top tier, plus $7.51 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater, because the meter cannot tell where the water went. At 2 gallons per minute, a service line leak adds about 86,000 gallons in a month, which is roughly $1,600 on a single bill.
What Cobb County charges per 1,000 gallons in 2026
These are the residential rates from the Cobb County Water System schedule that took effect on 1 June 2026. Consumption is tiered, so the price per thousand gallons rises as you use more.
| Tier | Monthly usage | Price per 1,000 gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 - 3,000 gallons | $3.85 |
| 2 | 4,000 - 15,000 gallons | $5.95 |
| 3 | 16,000 - 29,000 gallons | $7.40 |
| 4 | 30,000 - 49,000 gallons | $8.66 |
| 5 | 50,000 gallons and above | $11.25 |
On top of consumption there is a fixed monthly service charge of $8.00 for the 5/8 inch and 3/4 inch meters that serve most houses, and wastewater is billed at $7.51 per 1,000 gallons.
The part that catches people out. Water that leaks into the ground never reaches the sewer, but it still passes through your meter, so on a standard residential account it is billed for wastewater as well. In the top tier that means roughly $18.76 per 1,000 gallons of leaked water, not $11.25.
What that means for a leak running right now
A leak is measured in gallons per minute. The table below converts common leak rates into a month of wasted water, then prices it at the combined top-tier rate, because a leak of any size will push a normal household's usage into the upper tiers within days.
| Leak rate | Gallons in 30 days | Roughly, at top-tier water + sewer |
|---|---|---|
| A slow drip, 1 gallon per hour | 720 | $14 |
| A weeping fitting, 0.25 gal/min | 10,800 | $203 |
| A running toilet, 1 gal/min | 43,200 | $810 |
| A service line break, 2 gal/min | 86,400 | $1,621 |
| An irrigation lateral, 5 gal/min | 216,000 | $4,052 |
This is the arithmetic behind the case the Marietta Daily Journal reported, where a Cobb County household used 89,000 gallons and received a bill of roughly $1,400. That volume does not come from a dripping tap. It comes from something running continuously for weeks, which is almost always a buried service line, an irrigation lateral, a slab leak or a toilet that never stops filling.
Want the leak found before anything is opened?
Acoustic listening, thermal imaging, pressure testing and tracer gas narrow it to a few inches first, so only that area has to be touched.
Rates are scheduled to keep rising through 2029
Cobb County's Board of Commissioners approved annual 3.5% increases in water and wastewater charges for 2026 through 2029, effective on 1 January each year, to fund infrastructure replacement. Marietta Power & Water raised its own rates from February 2026, adding about $3.05 a month for the average residential customer, citing higher wholesale treatment costs.
The practical consequence is simple: the same leak costs more each year you leave it. Cobb still has among the lowest rates in metro Atlanta, but the tier structure means the cost of a leak rises faster than the cost of normal use.
How much of it can you get back?
Some, not all. Cobb County Water System allows a partial credit once in a rolling 12-month period, across no more than two affected months, and applies it where consumption exceeds 150% of the same month in the previous year. It is explicitly a partial offset rather than full compensation. The leak adjustment guide sets out the documents you need and includes a letter you can copy.
If your bill comes from Marietta Power & Water instead, that is a separate process with separate forms. Check the utility name printed on the bill before applying to either.
The cheapest thing you can do today. Run the water meter test. It is free, it takes twenty minutes, and it tells you whether water is escaping before you spend anything at all.
Where these figures come from
Everything above is taken from a published source. Rates, policies and conditions change, so check the date on each before relying on it.
- Cobb County Water System, Schedule of Rates, Charges and Fees, effective 1 June 2026.
- Cobb County, New Water Rates: Board approval of annual 3.5% increases for 2026-2029.
- Cobb County Courier, Cobb and Marietta water rates increase this month, February 2026.
- Marietta Daily Journal, report of an 89,000 gallon household bill of roughly $1,400.
- Cobb County Water System, Leak Adjustment and Water Leaks pages.
Frequently asked questions
How much is water per gallon in Cobb County in 2026?
Residential water is tiered: $3.85 per 1,000 gallons for the first 3,000, rising through $5.95, $7.40 and $8.66, to $11.25 per 1,000 gallons above 50,000. Wastewater adds $7.51 per 1,000 gallons, and there is an $8.00 monthly service charge on a standard household meter.
Do I pay sewer charges on water that leaked into the ground?
On a standard residential account, yes. The meter measures water leaving the main, not water arriving at the sewer, so leaked gallons are normally billed for both. That is why the effective cost of leaked water in the top tier is closer to $18.76 per 1,000 gallons.
How many gallons does a leak waste in a month?
At 1 gallon per minute a leak wastes about 43,200 gallons in 30 days. At 2 gallons per minute, roughly 86,400. For comparison, the EPA puts the average household's leaks at more than 9,300 gallons a year, so a real pipe leak is an order of magnitude larger.
Will Cobb County refund the whole amount?
No. The credit is a partial offset, available once in a rolling 12-month period and across no more than two affected months, and it requires proof the leak was repaired. Acting quickly matters more than the credit, because the bill accrues every day the leak runs.