In a twist of fate, the very water conservation efforts that have been widely promoted and adopted across Southern California are now contributing to huge rate hikes for the region’s 19 million residents.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the largest water supplier in the area, has announced that it will raise water rates by 8.5% in both 2025 and 2026, with potential additional increases of 11.5% in 2027 and 2028.
These rate adjustments are a direct result of declining water sales, which have left the agency facing financial challenges.
MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil explained that the rate increases are a “fiscally responsible step” in response to rising costs and falling revenues.
Ironically, the success of water conservation initiatives has led to a decrease in water consumption, with the district now projecting to sell only 1.2 million acre feet of water in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, down from the anticipated 1.54 million.
MWD will hike water rates and taxes to cover rising costs and conservation efforts https://t.co/lgcufHeZHC
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 10, 2024
This drop in sales has forced the agency to withdraw $247 million from its reserves to cover daily operations, as the rates adopted for the current fiscal year did not fully recover costs.
To further address the financial strain, MWD is also doubling the property taxes it levies from 0.0035% to 0.007%.
For a typical Southern California homeowner, this means their contribution will increase from approximately $30 to $60.
The irony of the situation is not lost on many residents, who have diligently worked to reduce their water consumption in response to calls for conservation.
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However, the unintended consequence of these efforts has been a reduction in revenue for the water district, necessitating the very rate hikes that will now impact the same conservation-minded consumers.
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