The Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO) is a registered company wholly owned by the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and has the mandate to provide potable drinking water and sewerage services. The company was established by an Act of Parliament – Water and Sewerage Act#17 and incorporated in 1989.
As the water authority, DOWASCO has the right to recover adequate rates for its services. The last comprehensive Tariff Study carried out for DOWASCO was in 1998 and its last tariff increase was in 2011.
Over the past two decades, the company’s cost structure has evolved, necessitating consideration of future operational resilience following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Recognizing this imperative, DOWASCO identified the necessity for a thorough service costing and tariff-setting initiative, thus launching the Cost of Services (CoS) and Tariff Study in 2018. The Service and Tariff study for DOWASCO conducted by World Water and Wastewater Solutions LTD (WWWS) was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The study was the Technical Assistance component of the Water Area 1 Upgrade Project.
Following the review of a range of proposals and scenarios from DOWASCO to justify the need to increase the tariffs for its services, the Government of Dominica has approved a Water Access Charge which will incur a flat monthly rate to customers (depending on their category).
The Water Access Charge is as follows:
| Large Businesses | $800 per month |
| Medium Businesses | $175 per month |
| Small Businesses | $100 per month |
| Domestic customers | $15 per month |
These charges are in addition to the customers’ regular tariffs. The charge will be added to the consumption charge.
These charges take effect June 1, 2024.