EBMUD Proposes 19 Percent Water Rate Increase Over Two Years

East Bay water customers would see rates rise 19 percent over the next two years under a proposal announced Tuesday. The East Bay Municipal Utility District said the increase is needed to more quickly replace old pipe, upgrade treatment plants and offset reduced water use by customers. The district proposes a 9.25 percent increase to take effect July 1 and another 9 percent increase to go into effect on July 1, 2018. Compounded, the increases amount to nearly 19 percent over two years for the district’s 1.4 million residents in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.