2025 Rate Adjustment FAQs

Western Water is proposing a four-year rate program that includes annual rate increases on July 1 of each year from 2025 through 2028. These gradual adjustments for the next four years will help us plan for the future and avoid sudden, larger rate increases. Each annual increase reflects the actual cost of providing safe, reliable water while keeping pace with inflation and evolving regulations.

Rates are changing to cover the rising costs of water supply, energy, materials, labor, and system improvements required to ensure safe, reliable, and high-quality service for all customers. Unlike private companies, Western Water exists solely to serve our communities and does not earn a profit. We invest every dollar from our customers back into their water service.

If you’ve felt the pinch of rising grocery bills or gas prices, you’re not alone. Like your household budget, we’ve been impacted by inflation, higher energy costs, higher chemical costs, and the increasing price of materials and labor. Every step of this process—from sourcing and obtaining water to treatment and delivery—has become more expensive, which is why rates need to reflect these realities.

Rising costs from our water suppliers

• Western Water obtains the majority of its water from The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan), which imports water from more than 500 miles away to deliver to our area. Metropolitan is projected to raise the main rate Western Water pays for the majority of its water by over 7% on average during this rate period.
• Metropolitan’s rate increases are due to low water sales, which means they have to raise rates to cover fixed costs and rising costs from inflation—just like what Western Water and our customers are experiencing.

The realities of water delivery

• Water doesn’t just appear at your tap. It’s sourced, moved, treated, and stored through a complex and energy-intensive process.
• Transporting this water requires an extensive water delivery system, which includes massive pipelines, pumping stations, and reservoirs, all working together to move water across hundreds of miles. This delivery system is even more important when you consider the energy it takes to move a substantial amount of water from Northern California to your tap. At over 8 pounds a gallon, a typical home receives about 137,000 pounds of water a month from over 500 miles away. If a customer used UPS Freight to make the same delivery, it would cost more than $147,000 a month in shipping fees.
• The cost of water service is not only about the water itself—it’s also about the infrastructure, energy, and logistics required to deliver it safely and reliably, now and into the future.

Ensuring long-term system reliability

• To avoid costly disruptions and maintain the reliability of our service, we continuously upgrade, maintain and replace pipelines, treatment facilities, and other critical infrastructure.
• Our team, which includes highly trained professionals, ensures that every step of the water delivery process meets rigorous standards for safety, quality, and reliability.
• These proactive measures protect us against service interruptions and support the robust water system that serves you and future generations.

Evolving State requirements for quality and conservation

California’s increasingly stringent regulations for water quality and conservation impact both our local and imported water supplies.

• In Riverside, these requirements reduce the amount of water we can pump from Riverside Public Utilities (RPU). This ensures that PFAS levels in the water supply remain below the notification threshold, maintaining water quality and safety.
• In Murrieta, stricter treatment standards have increased the cost of groundwater management to address naturally occurring materials in the water.

What you're getting in return

Your water rates directly fund:

• Water service resiliency: A water supply equipped to handle future droughts, climate change, and emergencies.
• Reliable delivery: High-quality water is delivered when you need it through a well-maintained and energy-efficient system.
• Innovation and sustainability: Investments in sustainable practices, like expanding recycled water use and building local storage, to secure water for the future.

We understand that rate changes can be challenging, and we are committed to providing transparency and value. Investing in these areas ensures that your water remains safe, reliable, and available whenever you need it.

Your payments support the infrastructure, energy, and skilled workforce necessary to source, treat, store, and deliver water to your home.

Delivering clean, reliable water to your home is a complex process that involves sourcing, treating, and storing water—often from hundreds of miles away—before it reaches your tap. While we don’t have to pay for rain or snow, there are substantial costs and investments required to build and maintain the infrastructure necessary to deliver, treat, and store it, as well as the materials, energy, and expertise required to operate the system.

Sourcing water from far away

The journey begins at reservoirs, aquifers, or other water sources—often hundreds of miles from your home. Transporting water across such distances requires massive pipelines, pumping stations, and storage facilities, all needing constant maintenance and upgrades to function effectively. Without this infrastructure, water wouldn’t reach your community.

Treating water to make it safe

Before water flows to your tap, it goes through an extensive treatment process to meet rigorous health and safety standards. This involves advanced technology, highly trained experts, and around-the-clock monitoring to ensure every drop is safe to drink.

Storing water for when you need it

Unlike many products, water must be ready when you need it—not just delivered once a day. That means we store billions of gallons of water behind dams, underground, within reservoirs and tanks, all to ensure water is available during peak demand, emergencies, and droughts.

The energy to move water

Water is heavy—one gallon weighs over 8 pounds, and a typical household needs more than 137,000 pounds of water a month. Moving it through miles of pipelines, often uphill, is energy intensive. This energy cost is a critical part of what your rates cover.

The cost isn’t about the water itself—it’s about the systems, energy, logistics, and people power required to deliver it reliably.

Rate adjustments are determined by performing a thorough cost-of-service study developed by independent expert consultants, vetted by Western Water staff, and reviewed and approved by Western Water’s Board of Directors after public input. This process ensures that the rates are no more than the cost of providing the service to each type of customer.

This ensures that all rate adjustments are based on the actual expenses needed to provide water and/or wastewater (sewer) services for each type of customer.

Final rates have not yet been determined. 

Western Water is in the early stages of the rate-setting process, and the Board of Directors will carefully review costs, hold public workshops, and gather community input before making any decisions.

What do my rates pay for?

Water isn’t like other utilities—it fuels every moment of daily life. It’s in your morning coffee, the water your kids drink at school, the restaurants and businesses that keep our economy thriving. It’s what keeps hospitals running, firefighters ready, and our parks and green spaces healthy.

Every dollar invested ensures we can continue to secure, treat, and deliver safe, high-quality water to every home and business. It funds essential maintenance to prevent costly failures, ensures we meet strict water quality standards, and keeps businesses operating with the water they need.