An updated map created by Newsweek shows where millions of residents in southern California counties can expect their water bills to leap by substantial amounts after another water bill rate hike this week.
The San Dieguito Water District Board approved an increase on Wednesday that will take effect over the next three years, just a week after the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) passed a budget that solidified rate and property tax increases for its customers over the next two years.
For the MWD, years of drought in California contributed to the increase, as the district battles revenue declines following widespread conservation efforts related to climate change.
In Encinitas, a failing dam is causing limited capacity at the Lake Hodges Reservoir, ABC 10 News reported, requiring officials to source their water elsewhere, such as from the MWD, which is more expensive than local options. Water bills will jump by 9 percent on July 1. Subsequent spikes will follow over the next two years.
For customers of the MWD, water rates will increase by 8.5 percent in 2025 and another 8.5 percent in 2026. The rate increase will be reflected on the monthly water bill received by the 26 public water agencies the district serves. It delivers water to 19 million people in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.
In addition to the rate increase, the budget doubles the MWD's property tax assessment.
An MWD spokesperson told Newsweek that water rates will change depending on how the district's member agencies receive their water.
"Some of our member agencies get all their water from Metropolitan, so our rate increase may be directly passed on to their consumers. Other member agencies get water from other sources that may or may not also have gotten more expensive, so their rates for consumers will be affected in other ways," the spokesperson said.
"For example, if a member agency buys very little water from Metropolitan and gets most of their water from groundwater, their rates won't likely be as affected by the Metropolitan increase."
"Consumers can always help lower their water bills by using less water," the spokesperson added. "Even if rates go up, reduced use means a lower bill compared to what it would have been had their usage not gone down."
Newsweek reached out to the San Dieguito Water District Board by email for comment.
However, for some businesses in Encinitas, water bills are already thousands of dollars a month. For Jolly Clean Giant Laundry manager Jerry Johnson, water bills can cost between $2,300 and $3,200 monthly, according to the ABC 10 News report. Unfortunately, Johnson said, a portion of the increased rates may have to be passed on to the laundry company's customers, many of which are low income.
The Encinitas spike will be an expensive one, adding thousands of dollars to Johnson's water cost over the course of the year.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
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