Water Rates Look Poised to go up – But Not as Steeply as Feared.

Local water bills might not be going up quite as sharply next year as expected.

The County Water Authority’s board tentatively shrank a proposed rate hike for wholesale water from 18 percent to 14 percent on Thursday — despite concerns the move could hurt the water authority’s credit rating. An increase in wholesale rates will force nearly every local water agency to pass on the extra costs to its customers, but just how much gets passed on could vary widely.