RiverSmart Rewards provides discounts on the DC Government Stormwater Fee and the Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC) based on how much stormwater your green infrastructure retains. This page explains where your reward is found on your DC Water bill and how reward amounts are calculated. Use this guide to understand your monthly reward and confirm that your bill reflects the correct credits.
FY26 Monthly Reward for Green Infrastructure Practices - Simple Application
|
Green Infrastructure Type |
DC Government Stormwater Fee Discount |
CRIAC Discount (FY26) |
Total Reward Value (monthly) |
|
Rain barrel |
$0.35 |
$1.16 |
$1.52 |
|
Tree (< 40–ft average spread) |
$0.18 |
$0.58 |
$0.76 |
|
Tree (> 40–ft average spread) |
$0.35 |
$1.16 |
$1.52 |
|
Rain garden |
$0.08–$0.21 per 100 sq ft of CDA* |
$0.24–$0.73 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
$0.32–$0.94 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
|
Permeable pavement |
$0.08–$0.21 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
$0.24–$0.73 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
$0.32–$0.94 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
|
Green roof |
$0.08–$0.21 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
$0.24–$0.73 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
$0.32–$0.94 per 100 sq ft of CDA |
*CDA = Contributing Drainage Area
For rain gardens, permeable pavement, and green roofs, the reward is based on the size of the impervious area managed.
Where to Find Your RiverSmart Rewards
Your RiverSmart Rewards are located on the first page of your DC Water bill. The reduction to your DC Government Stormwater Fee is found under the line-item RiverSmart Rewards Discount, while the reduction to your CRIAC is found under the line-item Clean Rivers IAC Credit.
Your RiverSmart Rewards should appear on your DC Water bill 1–2 billing cycles after enrollment. 
Components of your RiverSmart Rewards Calculation
The RiverSmart Rewards you receive on your DC Water bill depends on:
- The green infrastructure installed and associated stormwater runoff retention
- The application type
- The property size
Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Runoff Retention
Impervious surfaces (e.g. concrete, asphalt, or rooftops) quickly create stormwater runoff that pollutes DC waterbodies during rainfall. Learn more about these stormwater challenges.
When DC residents retain stormwater through the installation and maintenance of green infrastructure on their property, they are doing their part to help improve the quality of District waterbodies. Based on the amount of runoff their green infrastructure practice(s) retains, the ratepayer is eligible for a corresponding reduction on their fees. Property owners can get up to 55% off the DC Government Stormwater Fee and 20% off the CRIAC.
Applicants earn the maximum reward amount by installing green infrastructure to retain the full volume of stormwater runoff from a property’s impervious surfaces in a 1.2-inch storm. Green infrastructure that retains the volume from smaller storms will produce a proportionally smaller reward. The calculations assume that 710.75 gallons of stormwater are produced from 1.2 inches of rain for each ERU.
Application Type
The Simple Application is for properties managing stormwater runoff from less than 2,000 square feet of impervious area. Most residential properties qualify to use the Simple Application.
The Standard Application is for properties with green infrastructure managing stormwater runoff from more than 2,000 square feet of impervious area. This application is submitted by businesses, organizations, and large residential homes.
While both calculations are based on the amount of stormwater retained by the property’s green infrastructure practices, the Simple Application makes calculation assumptions in favor of the applicant.
Property Size and Billed ERUs
DC property owners pay fees on their DC Water bill for the amount of impervious area on their property. These fees — the DC Government Stormwater Fee and CRIAC — are used to maintain storm sewers and protect area waterways, including through funding the DC Clean Rivers Tunnel Project.
The amount that ratepayers pay is based on their Billed ERUs, or Equivalent Residential Unit. Billed ERUs are tiered for residential properties and are determined by the square footage of impervious area on your property. One ERU is equal to about 1,000 square feet of impervious surface. Learn more about DC Water’s Billed ERU rates.
A property’s DC Government Stormwater Fee and CRIAC are determined by multiplying the number of ERUs assessed on the property by the fee rate per billed ERU.
DC Government Stormwater Fee = Billed ERUs * Monthly Stormwater Fee rate
CRIAC = Billed ERUs * Monthly CRIAC rate
The FY26 fee rates are:
- DC Government Stormwater Fee: $2.67 per billed ERU
- CRIAC: $24.23 per billed ERU
Single family-homes are grouped into tiers based on impervious area:
|
Impervious Area (Square Feet) |
Billed ERUs |
Monthly CRIAC (FY26) |
Monthly DC Government Stormwater Fee |
|
100–699 |
0.6 |
$14.54 |
$1.60 |
|
700–2,099 |
1 |
$24.23 |
$2.67 |
|
2,100–3,099 |
2.4 |
$58.15 |
$6.41 |
|
3,100–7,099 |
3.8 |
$92.07 |
$10.15 |
|
7,100–11,099 |
8.6 |
$208.38 |
$22.96 |
|
11,100 and more |
13.5 |
$327.11 |
$36.05 |
For all other properties, calculate your billed ERUs by dividing your impervious area (in square feet) by 1,000 and rounding to the nearest tenth. Then multiply by the monthly fee rates.
How RiverSmart Rewards are Calculated*
For the purposes of calculating a property’s RiverSmart Rewards, each green infrastructure practice is converted into a Discountable ERU value.
For Simple Applications, a rain barrel is valued at 0.24 ERUs, a small tree (< 40-foot average spread) is valued at 0.12 ERUs, and a large tree (> 40-foot average spread) is valued at 0.24 ERUs. The discountable ERUs for rain gardens, permeable pavement, and green roofs are calculated based on their square footage.
For Standard Applications, the Discountable ERU value is calculated based on a more in-depth analysis of the green infrastructure practice’s stormwater retention.
$DC Government Stormwater Fee discount = $DC Government Stormwater fee x Total Discountable ERUs x Maximum DC Government Stormwater Fee (55%)
$CRIAC discount = $CRIAC fee x Total Discountable ERUs x Maximum CRIAC (20%)
$Total monthly reward = $DC Government Stormwater fee discount + $CRIAC discount
For a 1 ERU residential home that has installed two rain barrels (0.48 Discountable ERUs) and one large tree (0.24 Discountable ERUs):
$2.67 (DC Government Stormwater fee) x 0.72 (Discountable ERUs) x 0.55 (Max. RSR reward) = $1.06
$24.23 (CRIAC) x 0.72 (Discountable ERUs) x 0.2 (Max. CRIAC reward) = $3.49
Total monthly reward = $4.55
*All monetary values on this page are approximate and may vary slightly from the amount found on your DC Water bill.
Contact
For more information, contact [email protected].