About Tacoma Water

We provide clean, reliable water and direct water service to the greater Tacoma community. We have operated and maintained one of the country’s oldest, publicly-owned water systems for more than 100 years.

Quick facts

Aerial view of a forested mountain watershed with a reservoir, dam infrastructure, and access roads beneath cloudy mountain ridges.

What's our water supply?

Up to 150 million gallons per day from the Green River

40 million gallons per day from local wells

Aerial view of a tree-painted cylindrical water reservoir overlooking a dense residential neighborhood.

What’s our water storage?

67.6 million gallons in McMillin Reservoir

69.9 million gallons in 17 other reservoirs and standpipes

A stream of water pours into a nearly full glass on a wooden surface, with blurred green foliage in the background.

How much water do our customers use?

Average annual use per household: 60,256 gallons

Average daily use per household: 165 gallons

Average cost per household: $609 year / $51 month

Total annual use for Tacoma Water: 6.79 billion (6,793,570,872) gallons

Close-up of a mud-covered Sensus water meter displaying approximately 002236895.

Here’s the average water cost per residential customer

City of Tacoma: $51 a month; $609 a year

City of Puyallup: $36 a month; $431 a year

City of Bellevue: $115 a month; $1,380 a year

City of Seattle: $63 a month; $750 a year

Worker in a reflective safety vest and hard hat handling cables and pipe machinery components.

How we serve

119 square miles of service area

521,311 customer meters

1,459 miles of water mains (pipes)

286 employees serving customers

Person operating a black and green lawn mower on a leaf-covered lawn beside a house.

Who and where is the customer?

111,585 direct retail customers (60% are inside city limits; 40% are outside city limits)

103,817 direct retail residential customers

7,768 direct retail commercial/industrial customers

120,498 wholesale customers

101,868 customers within the regional water supply system (RWSS) area

187,360 future customers within the Cascade Water Alliance area

Aerial view of a modern office building beside a curving road, landscaped sidewalks, and a mostly empty parking lot surrounded by trees.

Taxes we pay

Tacoma Gross Earnings Tax: $12.7 million

Federal (Social Security): $2.7 million

Other cities and counties fees: $1.8 million

State: $7.7 million

Tax as a percent of total revenue: $19.31%

People walk through a water treatment facility lined with large blue pipes, valves, and filtration equipment.

Financial breakdown

Value of our fixed assets: $987 million

Total operating revenue: $135.8 million

Bond ratings: Moody’s: Aa1, Standard & Poor’s: AA+

To request a printed copy of the numbers above, please email Communications@tacoma.gov.

2025 data