Tens of thousands of South Bay residents will pay more for water next year.
The Sweetwater Authority approved a .5% rate hike beginning Jan. 1 and another 6% hike the following year. By 2026, rates could go up another 6.5%, according to the agency.
Bluefield Research has announced some of the findings in its new report on water and sewer utility rates in U.S. households.
For local breweries in San Diego, it’s becoming increasingly complex to brew beer due to a recent surge in water rates.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Detroit residents got a break from water shut-offs.
In March 2020, just after the coronavirus made hand-washing a matter of public health, the City of Detroit announced a plan that kept water services on for residents for US$25 a month, with the first payment covered by the state.
California’s biggest water supplier is hurting for cash this year as the recent record-breaking rainy winter means its customers need to buy less water.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is facing a more than $300 million budget shortfall – about a quarter of its normal revenue from selling water.
The Elk Grove Water District is putting together a free sign-up event Friday that will provide a leg up for low-income households struggling to pay bills. The event will help residents apply for assistance through the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), a federally funded program operated by California Department of Community Services and Development.
Oceanside residents will soon see a double-digit increase over the next two years after two years of no increase to their rates at all.
“Anytime we see something like this come forward, especially when cost-of-living generally is going up across-the-board and people are really struggling to make ends meet, this is considered very heavily,” Councilmember Eric Joyce said.
Councilmembers unanimously approved the new rates Wednesday.
Years of complaints about billing mistakes and hours-long customer-service hold times have prompted San Diego officials to make sweeping changes to the city’s Water Department.
The changes include a new billing system, switching customer service software, new call routing, more payment options and a new policy alerting customers when their bill is being withheld for a leak investigation.
The city is also hiring more customer service workers, paying them more, expanding their training and putting new leaders in charge of their efforts.
The cost to bring Anderson Dam, which holds back the largest reservoir in California’s Santa Clara County, up to modern earthquake standards has increased to $2.3 billion, water officials said Monday. That’s double what was estimated a year ago, triple the price tag from two years ago, and nearly certain to drive water rates higher next year across Silicon Valley.
Customers in two North County water districts overwhelmingly voted to leave a regionwide agency for a simple reason: They can get less-expensive water elsewhere.
But the broader dynamics that led to this moment are complex — and are expected to increase costs for years to come for ratepayers remaining with the San Diego County Water Authority, an umbrella organization currently with 24 member agencies.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
