Water rates across San Diego County will soon go up after the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) adopted a $1.58 billion budget and a 3.7 percent rate hike during a public hearing Thursday.
On May 18, the Water Authority announced it would push for the rate hike for 2018 to its 24 member agencies for both treated and untreated water.
The budget for the fiscal years 2018 and 2019 was presented to the Water Authority's board on May 22, along with the proposal for a rate hike.
According to the Water Authority, the hike is partly to offset higher rates and charges from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD).
A Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the Water Authority Wednesday in a key rate case against MWD. The court ruled MWD collected millions of dollars’ in illegal charges from ratepayers in San Diego. The Water Authority is also entitled to tens of thousands of acre-feet more water from the district than it had calculated, according to the ruling.
Currently, the Water Authority still has two lawsuits pending against the MWD.
MWD supplies more than 40 percent of the water in San Diego County.
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The new rates will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018.
According to the SDCWA, the actual increase in rates will depend on its member agencies. The proposed rate hike is the smallest since 2014.
