An Orange County judge has ruled that a local water district could hike its monthly water rates to offset a decline in usage during the drought. The Orange County Register reports that Judge Robert J. Moss on Monday ruled that the Yorba Linda Water District could raise rates to cope with declining revenues as residents heeded state-mandated water use restrictions. Yorba Linda water officials have said the monthly $25 rate increases aimed to deal with a more than $8 million revenue shortfall.