Will water cost more for much of Ventura County? Here's what Calleguas officials say
Ventura County residents soon may have to pay more for imported water.
A Thousand Oaks-based wholesaler buys the imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and faces a double-digit rate increase next year. The mega-district based in Los Angeles raised its prices and plans to increase property taxes, citing rising costs and dropping revenue.
“Despite efforts to rein in costs, they have been facing the same kind of pressures that all agencies have been facing,” said Kristine McCaffrey, general manager at Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies around 75% of the county’s population from Simi Valley to the Oxnard Plain.
While labor and financing costs increase, a severe drought prompted conservation efforts and mandatory watering restrictions, which lead to historically low water sales, officials said. Then, the last two unusually wet winters pulled the region out of the drought but lots of rain also kept water sales lower.
Earlier this month, Metropolitan raised rates for customers from San Diego through Ventura County. But Calleguas faces some of the largest increases. That’s because the agency only has access to treated water and that rate will increase by 11.1% next year and an additional 9.5% in 2026.
Untreated water rates will go up 8.5% in 2024 and 2025. But Calleguas has no access to those supplies.
Why will Calleguas face higher costs?
The pipe that connects the imported water supply to the local wholesaler only delivers treated water. Agencies, including Calleguas, that can only access treated water say they pay a disproportionate cost to maintain that supply.
“We and the other 14 agencies that can only receive treated water believe that the treated water rate is not being set in a fair way,” McCaffrey said.
That's because the cost of the treated supply isn't broken down into separate charges – a fixed cost to pay for the infrastructure and one for how much water is used – the way Metropolitan handles untreated water.
Calleguas and others want that to change and Metropolitan officials have said they will look at the matter, but when that change could happen is unknown. McCaffrey said she hopes officials would revisit the rates before the increases take effect in January.
Will local customers pay more for water?
Based on the new Metropolitan rates, Calleguas has proposed a 9% increase next year. How that will affect local residents depends on their water agency and likely will vary widely.
Calleguas supplies imported water to 19 retailers from cities and county waterworks districts to investor-owned utilities and mutual water companies. Some get all of their water from Calleguas, others rely little on the imported supply and many fall somewhere in between, officials said.
But each has its own rate and process to consider increases.
How will property taxes be affected?
Metropolitan also has proposed raising its property tax rate. The district has collected the tax, including in the Calleguas service area, for decades to fund State Water Project costs. The agency said it last raised the rate in the 1990s.
The proposed increase is expected to cost property owners roughly $2 to $3 more a month on their tax bill, officials said. For an $800,000 home, the increase would cost roughly $26 more annually, according to agency.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: A Thousand Oaks water wholesaler faces a double-digit rate increase
