Tag Archive for: Rates

Financial Literacy-Financial Wellness-San Diego County Water Authority

Water Authority Board Approves 2026 Wholesale Rates

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The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors today approved wholesale water rates for 2026 following a public hearing and approved the recommended budget for the next two fiscal years. Despite ongoing inflationary pressures and the continued impacts of climate change on the Southwest, the Water Authority minimized impacts on ratepayers through a number of cost-saving actions.

Water Authority staff and Board members collectively reduced the final 2026 wholesale water rate increase to 8.3%, less than half of what was forecasted in early 2025. The reductions were achieved by cutting budgets across the agency, including capital improvement projects, operating departments, the Board of Directors, and equipment replacement. In addition, the adopted rate was lowered by third-party water exchanges and financial benefits from the conclusion of litigation between the Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

“Since I became chair in 2024, I have been laser focused on affordability for ratepayers,” Board Chair Nick Serrano said. “While I recognize the impact of this increase on working families around the region, the Water Authority is now on a path for smoother and smaller rate increases in the future that will provide the financial stability our region needs while still ensuring safe and reliable water supplies.”

SDCWA Board of Directors at the June 2025 meeting.

Homes and businesses will feel the impact of the newly adopted rates differently, based on their water use and how local retail water agencies handle costs.

As the region’s wholesale water agency, 91% of the Water Authority’s costs are driven by just three things: water purchases and treatment, debt service, and infrastructure projects to ensure the reliability and safety of water delivery. During the rate and budget cycle, the Water Authority faced increasing costs related to its main water supplies, along with the need for continued investments in the region’s decades-old water supply and delivery system.

Despite those pressures, the agency’s early investments in climate adaptation mean San Diego County has secure water supplies even though it’s at the end of the pipeline and has few natural water resources. Those investments in reliability, combined with the legal settlement, create the potential for the Water Authority to transfer or exchange some of its water with other agencies to help reduce costs for San Diegans.

“While there’s still work to be done, a future where San Diego County can help other communities improve their water security will be a win for our ratepayers for years to come,” said Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham.

San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors Chair Jim Madaffer-primary-View from the Chair

Help Us Reduce Water Rates

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As my two-year term as the Water Authority Board chair winds down, it’s my pleasure to update you on two important efforts that are underway for the betterment of the San Diego region.

First of all, our Board voted unanimously last week to spend a few more months discussing and assessing a study of a new regional water conveyance system to deliver our high-priority Colorado River supplies from the Imperial Valley. The work we’ve done over the past year shows the project would produce billions of dollars in potential savings over several decades – and we plan to use the next few months to outreach to stakeholder communities about this study, address questions raised in recent weeks and seek Board direction in November.

Ultimately, the questions are bigger than a new aqueduct – they are about how we sustain our economy and quality of life at a reasonable cost. A new multi-benefits conveyance system is one potential solution – but if not that, then we must grapple with equal intensity over whether it makes sense to pay ever-increasing costs (over which we have no control) to the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to deliver our water for generations, or whether a plan based mainly on local water generation is financially feasible.

The other big issue this month is related – my request that MWD adopt rate relief measures this fall that reduce our water costs. Put simply, despite the recession and the COVID-19 pandemic MWD has not enacted the same kind of rate relief as the Water Authority, which froze hiring, deferred non-essential projects and significantly reduced travel – among other steps. In the end, we limited rate increases to 4.8-4.9 % for 2021 – and more than 60% of that is directly attributable to MWD.

Now, we’re asking MWD to take a similar approach, recognizing that we’re all in this together. We aren’t prescribing the strategies for MWD. We’re just asking that the nation’s largest water agency help its customers, and we’re pledging that any rate relief MWD provides will be passed directly to our member agencies. You can view the letter I sent to MWD at www.sdcwa.org/support-rate-relief-mwd.

I invite you to help move this conversation forward by encouraging MWD to find meaningful cost savings this fall that are reflected in its budget. Please take a moment to do so at www.sdcwa.org/support-rate-relief-mwd by submitting a letter of support for rate relief.

View From The Chair represents the viewpoints of Jim Madaffer, Chair of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors.

Water Utilities Pin Hopes on WRDA Bill During Coronavirus Pandemic

/in , , /by /The Bond Buyerby Sarah Wynn Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Senate and House will negotiate soon on robust legislation for water infrastructure projects, which is especially critical for water and wastewater facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter sent to Republican and Democratic congressional infrastructure leadership on Monday, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies urged that the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 authorize strong funding for the public water sector.

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Sweetwater Authority Board Approves $64M Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21, No Rate Increase

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The Sweetwater Authority Governing Board approved the budget for fiscal year 2020-21 at its June 24, 2020 meeting. The budget does not increase water rates for customers and reflects more than $13M in reductions over last fiscal year. To achieve these savings, the Board worked closely with Authority staff to produce a balanced budget that minimizes the financial impact to customers.

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CVWD Approves $376 Million Budget, No Rate Increases

/in , , /by /Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

The Coachella Valley Water District’s board of directors on Tuesday voted to approve a  $376 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. The budget notably will not include rate increases even though CVWD — which has a service area of roughly 1,000 square miles and includes about 108,000 homes and businesses — had planned to implement one this year. The new math comes after the water district ripped up its previously proposed budget in May due to the economic slowdown caused by the response to the coronavirus.

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FPUD Approves 2020 Rates

/in , /by /Fallbrook Village Newsby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Fallbrook Public Utility District approved FPUD rates and other charges for calendar year 2020.

FPUD’s board vote 4-0, Dec. 9, with Don McDougal absent, adopted the 2020 rates and charges for water, recycled water and wastewater delivery and services. Water and wastewater rates will increase by 8% while the increase for recycled water will be 4.5%.

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Flood of Distrust: A Deep Dive into San Diego’s Water Department

/in , /by /NBC San Diegoby Consumer Bob, Tom Jones, Dorian Hargrove, Mark Sackett and Erica Byers

What started as a trickle of billing complaints surged into a flash flood of allegations raised about the city of San Diego’s Water Department. NBC 7 Responds’ investigation into billing errors led to the discovery of faulty water meters and a lack of transparency over the city’s multi-million-dollar smart meter program. Some of the team’s findings have led to the department taking corrective action. “Flood of Distrust” will give you an inside look at the investigative journey from start to finish.

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Otay Water District Board Approves Overall Average Sewer Rate Decrease of Seven Percent for 2019

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Spring Valley, Calif. – At its Oct. 3 meeting, the Otay Water District Board approved an overall average sewer rate decrease of seven percent for 2019. The rate decrease will take effect with sewer service billed on or after January 1, 2019, and may apply to sewer service used as early as the beginning of December 2018.

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