San Diego customers could soon see higher water bills under city proposal - ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV

San Diego customers could soon see higher water bills under city proposal

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – City of San Diego residents could be paying more for their water as soon as later this year.

On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council is considering a proposal that would raise water rates for customers who use the city’s water system. Under the proposal, customer bills could increase nearly 20 percent and come in two waves — a 10.2 percent increase to be implemented in December and an increase of 8.75 percent in January 2025.

If approved, this would be the city's first rate hike in eight years.

Should the city’s water rates remain unchanged, there will not be enough revenue to provide necessary water services through 2025, according to a “cost-of-service” study done by an independent rate consultant that the city contracted last year.

The proposed new rates would take an average monthly bill for a single-family home of a little more than $81 to more than $93. Single-family homes make up 80 percent of the 270,000 customers that use the city’s water system.

Officials said the city would use the money from the rate increase for the following:

-- to cover the increased costs of imported water, which is about 80 to 90 percent of the city’s water supply

-- capital projects, including the Pure Water system that is currently under construction

-- recently approved salaries for nearly 1,000 city water workers

-- maintaining and replacing aging pipelines, supplies and more

For those struggling to pay their water bills, there are city and state assistance programs that you can apply for. Visit https://www.10news.com/news/news-links/city-of-san-diego-state-water-bi… for more information.