Water Rates

Western's Board of Directors held a public hearing Sept. 3 to consider a proposed increase to water rates. The Board unanimously voted to approve the rate increase which takes effect Oct. 1, 2008.

Western Municipal Water District has very limited local groundwater sources and therefore relies on imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. As the entire state faces water cutbacks, Metropolitan is experiencing an increase in the cost of acquiring water and delivering that water to member agencies, such as Western. Metropolitan also recently issued a “Water Supply Alert” to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves by urging cities, counties and local public water agencies to achieve extraordinary conservation by adopting and enforcing drought ordinances, accelerating public outreach and messaging, and developing additional local supplies. In 2007, the cost for water increased to a point where Western was purchasing water from Metropolitan at a higher rate than it was charging its customers for water, leaving a significant gap.

Proposed Rate Increase FAQ

Notice of Public Hearing - Customer Outreach

Power Zones Map

Rate Adjustments by Area

1 Riverside Service Area Full Service Treated Water

*Please note: the first Power Zone listed in the rate sheet mailed to you was listed as Power Zone 5; it should have read Power Zone 1.

2 Riverside Service Area North Full Service Untreated Water

3 Riverside Service Area South Full Service Untreated Water

4 Riverside Service Area Agricultural Treated Water

5 Riverside Service Area North Agricultural Untreated Water

6 Riverside Service Area South Agricultural Untreated Water

7 March East Service Area Full Service Treated Water

8 Murrieta Service Area Full Service Treated Water

9 Rainbow/Rock Mountain Service Area Full Service Treated Water

Financial Justifications for Proposed Rate Increase

The numbers above - for the various rate areas - correspond to the rate sheet numbers below:
Rate Sheets 1 and 4
Rate Sheets 2, 3, 5 and 6
Rate Sheet 7
Rate Sheet 8
Rate Sheet 9

The current water situation
In June, Governor Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought. This declaration is a result of an eight-year drought on the Colorado River, two years of below-average rainfall in California and low snowmelt runoff from the Sierra Mountains. Add to that a recent court ruling that limits the amount of water imported from Northern California to Southern California, and the result is a very critical water situation.

The drought and water rates

Western Municipal Water District has very limited local groundwater sources and therefore relies on imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. As the entire state faces water cutbacks, Metropolitan is experiencing an increase in the cost of acquiring water and delivering that water to member agencies, such as Western. Metropolitan also recently issued a “Water Supply Alert” to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves by urging cities, counties and local public water agencies to achieve extraordinary conservation by adopting and enforcing drought ordinances, accelerating public outreach and messaging, and developing additional local supplies.

In 2007, the cost for water increased to a point where Western was purchasing water from Metropolitan at a higher rate than it was charging its customers for water, leaving a significant gap. This trend has continued into 2008, therefore the Western Board of Directors will consider raising water rates on Sept. 3, 2008.

Are there other factors?
Property tax revenue fills some of the gap between the amount Western pays Metropolitan for water and the price it’s sold to Western customers. However, a significant portion of this revenue source was temporarily shifted to the state two years in a row due to the state’s budget crisis. Therefore, Western can no longer rely on this revenue source to fill the gap in the long term. Western’s Board of Directors believes it’s prudent financial management to continue to move away from reliance on property tax revenue to subsidize the rising cost of purchasing and delivering water to its customers. This reduction in Western’s dependency on property taxes began in 2007 and will continue for several years. As revenue from ratepayers increases to cover purchased water and operating expenses, an increasing portion of Western property tax revenues will be set aside for critical infrastructure investments benefiting all of Western’s customers with improved system reliability.

How does this affect you?
Because each of the communities Western serves has different water sources, uses and infrastructure, the adjustments will affect each separate rate classification differently. The enclosed insert provides the proposed rate adjustments to your area, as well as the current water rate, pumping rate and fixed monthly system charge. An example of how a typical customer in your service area will be affected by the proposed rate adjustments is also highlighted. Actual billing will vary with usage.

What is Western doing about the water situation?

The District is working with its member agencies to prepare and enact Drought Allocation and Water Use Efficiency plans that will identify how to best allocate our limited imported water supplies within the general district as well as how to utilize innovative emerging technologies and practices and develop proven and cost effective conservation measures.

Western also provides incentives, or rebates, to customers for being more water efficient in and around homes or businesses. Western offers rebates for water-wise products such as “smart” irrigation controllers, low-flow nozzles and high efficiency toilets. We’re also implementing innovative projects that will target high-volume water users; these projects include the direct installation of “smart” irrigation controllers.

Utilizing the appropriate water source for the right purpose is also essential in stretching our limited supplies. Western will be increasing its use of recycled water – treated wastewater – for large landscapes such as golf courses, school fields and at Riverside National Cemetery.

For the future, Western is also working toward establishing an allocated tiered rate structure where each customer will receive a personalized allocation of water based on household and landscape size. The District is also expanding the production and use of desalted water at its Arlington Desalter and via partnership at the Chino Desalter. A hallmark project that would help to drought-proof the region is Western’s Riverside-Corona Feeder, a storage and pipeline system that would deliver water conserved in San Bernardino County groundwater basins in wet years to our service area in dry times.

What can I do to lower my bill?
Conservation is one way to reduce your bill and preserve the water supply. Providing our customers with the means to utilize each and every drop of water that comes into your homes and businesses is a priority. Since more than half of all residential water use and a significant portion of commercial water use is used on outside landscaping, it’s important for consumers to look at ways of reducing outdoor water use and thus their water bills. We offer free “California Friendly Landscaping” classes and the opportunity to see how to incorporate water-efficient plants and products into landscapes with our water conservation garden, Landscapes Southern California Style— a renowned center that opened in 1989. For more conservation tips please visit www.wmwd.com. For additional information on specific ways to save water, please call 951.789.5036 or e-mail water@wmwd.com.

Where does Western’s water come from?
Western provides water to more than 24,000 customers in Riverside County. The majority of that water is imported from Metropolitan and delivered to Western’s service areas either from Northern California via the State Water Project’s California Aqueduct or by way of the Colorado River Aqueduct. Even in Western’s Murrieta service area, which has its own local water supply, over half of the total water used is supplied from an imported source.

How are water rate increases calculated?
Water rates are calculated based on the cost and use (domestic or agricultural) of the water, pumping costs required to bring the water to a customer’s service address, labor costs, water quality testing, materials costs and other operating expenses associated with maintaining the water system. The proposed increase in the rates enables Western to recover increasing operating expenses, while freeing up property tax revenue to be used for major capital improvements to the water system’s infrastructure, allowing Western to operate in a financially prudent manner.

Want to know more? For more information about the water rate changes or to view a copy of Ordinance 370 please contact the Public Affairs Office at 951.789.5055. A copy of the proposed Ordinance is also available for review at Western’s offices located at 450 E. Alessandro Blvd. in Riverside.

We apologize for any duplicative mailers your household or business may have received. Addresses were gathered from both our customer database and the property tax rolls to ensure all rate payers are notified properly, according to the requirements established in Proposition 218.