Water Rates Expected to Rise in Coming Year

As the saying goes, two things in life are certain—death and taxes. Add one more to the list in this world of shrinking resources: water rate increases.

Los Gatos residents can expect a $1.69 per month increase on average per household water bill starting later this year, after next week’s expected approval of a rate increase by the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors.

The board will vote Tuesday, at 10 a.m., on whether to raise groundwater production rate charges by 9.4 percent in North Santa Clara County, and 3.6 percent in South County.

Groundwater production charges are the fees levied by the water district on well owners to cover the cost of maintaining local reservoirs, replenishing recharge ponds, purchasing imported water and maintaining the pumping and treatment infrastructure.

The cost of those increased charges are passed on to the water retailers, such as the two that serve Los Gatos residents, San Jose Water Company and California Water Service Company. The increase in turn is passed on to residents.

According to water district officials, it takes a lot of bucks to provide water to 1.7 million residents in the northern section of the county, with imported water and three water treatment plants to make water coming out of the ground clean and safe.

"When you calculate the cost of that system in the North County, there is a higher cost to service per acre-foot of water," said Darin Taylor, a SCVWD senior project manager.

There is a way to protest the groundwater production charge increases, but only protests from more than 50 percent of well owners in the district can stop Tuesday’s expected vote in favor of the increases. A formal protest procedure is outlined on the SCVWD website.