The Sweetwater Authority Governing Board voted 5-1 Monday night to raise water rates over the next six years.
Rates will increase every year from starting on Jan. 1, 2019 until 2024.
The last time the water authority raised their rates was in 2015. Since then, the cost of water has increased by about 17 percent, the Sweetwater Authority said in a memo to the governing board.
The utility company said they have reduced staffing by about 10 percent over the last 10 years and used other cost-saving measures to avoid adding approximately $1 million annually to ratepayer costs.
They also said the cost to maintaining pipes, which next year was expected to take up one-fifth of their budget, has increased 42 percent since 2013.
Because of this, to maintain existing infrastructure and invest in new infrastructure a rate hike is necessary, the Sweetwater Authority said.
Even with the rate hike, the South Bay district, which encompasses National City, Bonita and part of Chula Vista, still has some of the lowest water rates in San Diego County.
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Water rates will also increase for San Diego city residents this month.
