The San Diego County Water Authority today increased its water rates by 11.9 percent for its treated water deliveries and by 15 percent for untreated water.
The rate increase comes as water is increasingly scarce — and increasingly more expensive — to deliver to Southern California. The decision follows a recent hike by the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District, which provides the authority with a majority of its water.
The authority’s increases, which take effect Jan. 1, will likely cause water agencies, such as the city of San Diego, to also increase rates. The authority said this in a release:
Rate impacts to individual retail water agencies will vary based on their water purchases in 2009. Regionwide, the Water Authority estimates that the rate increase’s impact on the average household’s monthly water bill will be $3.42.