People in San Diego are already feeling higher costs from food, housing and electricity. Now, water rates will also soar.
This week, the San Diego City Council voted to approve a 5.5% water rate increase. It was tough and a couple of the councilmembers couldn’t bring themselves to do it.
"I will not be able to support today's actions because I simply cannot justify charging water customers more than they already pay," said Councilmember Vivian Moreno.
Unfortunately, it was just the small first increase of many to come in the next four years.
By the numbers
The city of San Diego last year projected water rates will rise 61% through 2029, adding about $57 per month to the average water bill. That's almost $700 per year.
That’s the optimistic scenario. And it’s not just the city. Rates will rise in other parts of the county as well.
Why is this happening?
The San Diego region imports most of its water. And just like the water itself flows from the north, the water rate increases are flowing south as well.
Why is this happening? In part, it’s because we use less water. But that means we have to pay more to cover debts.
The city of San Diego purchases most of its water from the San Diego County Water Authority. And the Water Authority buys most of its water from the Metropolitan Water District.
Both those agencies have borrowed money to build infrastructure such as pipes, pumps and dams. This creates an enormous demand for electricity to run the whole system. Electricity is much more expensive now.
But San Diego has also itself taken on three huge projects that we’re paying for.
- First, we bought a bunch of water from farmers in the Imperial Valley more than 20 years ago at a very high cost.
- Second, we built a seawater desalination facility and agreed to buy the water for decades at a much higher price than even the imported water.
- Third, San Diego and Los Angeles are both building large sewage recycling facilities. That will eventually lessen the need for imported water but they are very expensive projects now.
The Metropolitan Water District also wants to build an enormous tunnel to help bring water safely from Northern California. That plan could cost $20 billion and the bill would flow to ratepayers in San Diego.
Looking ahead
Leaders here hope to sell all the water we have bought to provide some relief. But if they don’t do something soon, the backlash could lead to some extreme solutions.
San Diego City Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert shocked observers when she suggested last week that the city withdraw completely from the County Water Authority or at least refuse to pay them.
"I believe we could send a very strong message and vote no, and not pay the increased rates, bring them to the table, say we're not going to accept this," she said. "I doubt my colleagues are going to agree with me, but in litigation that's what we did all the time."
