Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority

What Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority does

Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) is a public body corporation created by the Georgia Legislature in 1985 and operating since April 1, 1986, as the statutory sole provider of water, wastewater, and stormwater services to Douglas County, Georgia. The authority serves approximately 40,000+ residential and business accounts across roughly 200 square miles, with no taxing powers and no tax revenue dependency. WSA is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors and operates with 51-100 employees, an annual operating budget exceeding $50 million, and over $500 million in net-fixed assets.

WSA's core infrastructure comprises three integrated utility lines: water treatment at the 23 MGD-rated Bear Creek Water Treatment Plant (currently producing 12-13 MGD from the 1.9 billion-gallon Dog River Reservoir), wastewater treatment at the 6 MGD South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (discharging to the Chattahoochee River), and county-wide stormwater management under NPDES Phase II (assumed in 2004). Supporting these are 3,000+ miles of underground distribution pipe, a GIS-based engineering system, real-time ArcGIS outage mapping, and a 60,000-calls-per-hour CodeRED emergency notification capability. Both treatment plants have earned Georgia Association of Water Professionals Plant of the Year recognition (Bear Creek 2022; South Central 2024), and WSA has recorded zero water quality violations since inception.

Revenue is generated entirely through recurring monthly service fees — water base fees scaled by meter size plus usage charges, sewer base fees plus 80%-of-water-usage treatment charges, and a $4.00-per-ERU stormwater fee charged to all Douglas County residents — supplemented by one-time impact fees for new connections. A five-year capital improvements program of approximately $145 million and the in-progress $150M+ Dog River Reservoir Expansion Project (groundbreaking June 2025, targeting 6.5 billion gallons by 2050) reflect a strategy of long-horizon capacity investment aligned with county economic development partnerships.

Name

Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority

Legal name

Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority

Website

https://ddcwsa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority is a Georgia-legislated public authority that provides sole water, wastewater, and stormwater services to approximately 40,000+ residential and business accounts across Douglas County, Georgia, operating on a fee-based model with no tax revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utilities

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater treatment
• Stormwater management
• Municipal water supply
• Sewer collection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Douglasville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Service Fees: Monthly billing for water service including base fees (determined by meter size covering reading, maintenance, and administrative costs) plus usage fees based on meter reads
2. Sewer/Wastewater Service Fees: Monthly sewer base fees plus treatment charges per thousand gallons calculated at 80% of water usage, covering sewer collection system maintenance and treatment costs
3. Stormwater Fees: Monthly stormwater fees charged to all Douglas County residents regardless of WSA customer status, based on $4.00 per equivalent residential unit (ERU) of 2,543 square feet of impervious surface
4. Water and Sewer Impact Fees: One-time connection fees for new water and sewer system connections based on meter size, published in rates and impact fee charts
5. Sanitation Billing Services: WSA serves as billing agent for City of Douglasville sanitation/garbage services, collecting payments on behalf of the city

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WSA is the sole provider of water, wastewater, and stormwater services to Douglas County, Georgia, serving more than 40,000 residential and business accounts. The authority treats raw water from the Dog River Reservoir at the Bear Creek Water Treatment Plant (23 MGD capacity), processes sewage at the South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (6 MGD), and manages county-wide stormwater compliance under NPDES Phase II requirements. Services are billed monthly through base fees by meter size plus usage-based volumetric charges, with no tax revenue dependency.

Product overview

Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) provides essential utility services to Douglas County as a government water authority. The core offerings consist of three integrated services: water treatment (drawing from Dog River Reservoir and treating at Bear Creek Water Treatment Plant, producing approximately 12 million gallons daily), wastewater treatment (at South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant with discharge to Chattahoochee River), and stormwater management (infrastructure, education, and NPDES compliance since 2004). Supporting these core services are customer-facing modules including online bill payment via InvoiceCloud, real-time outage mapping via ArcGIS, emergency alerts via CodeRED, educational programs including the 'Story of Water' journey and Kids Corner, and the Dog River Recreational Complex for community access to the reservoir. The authority currently operates over $500 million in net-fixed assets and serves approximately 40,000+ residential and business accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Treatment and Supply Service Treatment of raw surface water at the Bear Creek Water Treatment Plant and delivery to residential and business customers through more than 3,000 miles of underground pipe. Currently produces approximately 12 million gallons per day against a 23 MGD rated capacity.
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment Service Collection of sewage from residential and business customers and treatment at the South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, with treated effluent discharged to the Chattahoochee River. Plant capacity is approximately 6 million gallons per day.
• Stormwater Management Service County-wide stormwater quantity and quality control, including infrastructure projects, public education, and regulation required to comply with NPDES Phase II. Stormwater fees are charged to all Douglas County properties at $4.00 per equivalent residential unit (2,543 sq ft impervious surface).
• Water and Sewer Engineering and Permitting Services
• Dog River Recreational Complex
• Sanitation Billing Services for the City of Douglasville
• Real-Time Water Outage Map Online interactive map showing current water service disruptions, estimated restoration times, and scheduled maintenance information, accessible to all Douglas County residents and customers.
• CodeRED Emergency Notification Service County-wide emergency telephone notification system delivering recorded messages to homes and businesses in one hour, with up to 60,000 calls per hour capacity and geographic targeting capability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero water quality violations since 1986
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Develop DouglascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-range community planning partnership with Develop Douglas for strategic economic development and ensuring businesses have adequate water resources. WSA works with this economic development organization to support sustainable growth in Douglas County.
• Douglas County Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Douglas County Chamber of Commerce for long-range community planning and economic development initiatives to ensure water resources support for current and future Douglas County businesses.
• City of DouglasvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Douglasville is a key stakeholder; the Mayor serves as ex-officio voting member of WSA Board of Directors. WSA also serves as billing agent for city's sanitation services.
• Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning DistrictcoreTechnology or IntegrationWSA complies with all requirements of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District created by Georgia Legislature in 2001. District oversees preservation, conservation, and use of water resources across 16 metro Atlanta counties.
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationCompliance with federal Safe Drinking Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II requirements. WSA follows EPA standards for lead and copper rules and provides EPA resources to customers.
• Georgia EPD (Environmental Protection Division)coreTechnology or IntegrationState regulatory compliance with Georgia Environmental Protection Division requirements. Service Line Inventory submitted to Georgia EPD 120-water platform.
• GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational partnership providing Camp GPB and Let's Go Enviro! resources through WSA Kids Corner for water education outreach.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cobb County Water System: Most direct geographic and functional peer - a county-level Georgia water and wastewater utility serving hundreds of thousands of customers in a similarly suburban Atlanta metro setting, with comparable rate-funded capital programs and treatment plant footprint.
• Clayton County Water Authority: Atlanta-metro Georgia authority with the closest structural analog to WSA: an independent quasi-governmental water/sewer authority with a board appointed by county commissioners, serving a similar customer-base size and operating both water and wastewater treatment infrastructure.
• Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources: Georgia county-level water utility providing water, wastewater, and stormwater services across the high-growth Gwinnett County suburbs east of Atlanta - similar integrated service model and similar suburban growth dynamics in the same metro region.
• DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management: Adjacent Atlanta-metro county utility managing water, sewer, and stormwater with similar regulatory exposure (Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District) and comparable large-scale treatment infrastructure programs.
• Henry County Water Authority: Independent Georgia water authority serving fast-growing suburban Henry County south of Atlanta with an analogous rate-funded capital improvements model and similar service portfolio (water + wastewater).

Broad incumbents

• City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management: Larger municipal watershed utility inside the same metro regulatory framework - operates two large water treatment plants and a major wastewater system; broader in scale than WSA but comparable in service mix and regulatory regime.

Regional players

• Fulton County Water and Sewer District: North Georgia regional water/sewer utility operating in parts of unincorporated Fulton County adjacent to Douglas - comparable size, suburban service mix, and regulatory exposure under the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.
• Paulding County Water & Sewer Authority: Adjacent Georgia county authority delivering water and wastewater services in the rapidly developing Paulding County - smaller scale than WSA but built on the same independent-authority structure and similar Atlanta-metro demand drivers.
• Fayette County Water System: Suburban Atlanta-county water system serving a comparable size of population and commercial base in Fayette County; operates under similar state and MNGWPD regulatory constraints even if structurally organized as a county department rather than an independent authority.

Others

• Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District: Regional planning body that governs WSA's water resource planning, conservation requirements, and wastewater/stormwater compliance overlay; not a competitor but the overarching regulatory authority whose framework WSA must satisfy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/douglasville-douglas-county-water-and-sewer-authority

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority