Western Municipal Water District board to consider average rate increase of about 13 percent

From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

Western Municipal Water District customers could see higher bills starting in October. The district’s board on Wednesday will consider a proposed water rate increase at a 6 p.m. public hearing. The proposed increase will vary depending on the area, but on average customers in the Riverside area will see an increase of about 13 percent.

Customers in the Murrieta area will see an average increase of 5 percent, said General Manager John Rossi. The increase in the Murrieta area is significantly lower because customers there are already paying more for water, he said. The district serves about 20,000 customers in the Riverside area and 2,400 customers in the Murrieta area. Last year, the district raised rates for the first time in nine years, Rossi said.

As the state faces a water shortage, Western is paying more for its water. Western buys most of its water from the Metropolitan Water District, which raises its rates every year, Rossi said. In January, MWD’s rates will increase by 14 percent partly because the district has to purchase additional water supplies. A judge cut water supplies from the Sacramento Delta by about one-third last December to protect a threatened fish. Another key supply for Southern California, the Colorado River, is experiencing an eight-year drought.

“It’s not business as usual with our water supply,” Rossi said. “In dry times, water is worth a lot more and is sold at a higher price.”

Read the rest of this article from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.

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