SDCWA (San Diego County Water Authority) charges SDWD not only a charge based on consumption, but also fixed charges regardless of the amount of water we request to be delivered.

The Meter Service Charge covers a portion of SDWD’s fixed costs. These charges are assessed even if the meter is not in service, as SDWD incurs these costs no matter how much water is used.

There are several reasons why there may be a change in the amount of your water bill. Bills tend to be higher during warmer months due to an increase in irrigation use. Your bill may also fluctuate because the meter reading is not necessarily performed on an exact 60-day cycle. Bill statements may reflect a 56 through 63-day cycle depending on the month, weekends, and holidays.

Finally, you may notice an increase in your water bill due to a rate increase. Rate increases are necessary to cover the escalating cost of imported water; comply with environmental regulations; maintain and replace aging infrastructure; and to provide safe, reliable, and sustainable water to customers.

Approximately 50-70 percent of water is used for outdoor irrigation. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, you will still use water while on vacation.

Regularly checking for leaks and runoff and updating your irrigation schedule based on rainfall and weather conditions can greatly reduce water waste.

The payment received from water bills covers wholesale water costs, administrative expenses, operating costs, and infrastructure replacement.

• Administrative expenses include labor costs, outside services, utilities, insurance, materials, and any costs related to engineering, customer service, information technology, facilities, conservation, and other administrative-type activities.
• Operating costs include labor costs, materials, utilities, outside services, repairs, and costs related to treatment, pumping, transmission, distribution, storage tanks, reservoirs, meters, and any other activities related to maintaining and operating the water system.
• Infrastructure replacement expenses include the design and construction of pipeline, valve, and water storage replacement projects. Some parts of the water system are more than 50 years old and may be reaching the end of their useful life.