Contra Costa Water District Approves Temporary Drought Surcharge

CONCORD, CA (June 17, 2022) — Following a public hearing Wednesday night, Contra Costa Water District’s Board of Directors adopted a temporary drought surcharge as part of its Drought Management Program. The surcharge will be effective July 1 to encourage conservation and to recover costs related to the impacts of an ongoing drought.

In April of this year, facing a third consecutive dry year and responding to an executive order from Gov. Newsom aimed at bolstering statewide water supplies, Contra Costa Water District implemented Stage 2 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan seeking an overall 15% reduction in water use as compared to 2020.

A temporary drought surcharge was proposed as part of that Drought Management Program and required a public notification and review process. After conducting an open public hearing on June 15th, the Board adopted the proposed surcharge.

“This is a decision that we take seriously and comments and questions from our customers were important as we considered the entire Drought Management Program,” said Board President Ernesto Avila. “The District has tightened expenditures and used reserves to balance finances, and we concluded that this surcharge is another temporary measure needed to maintain 24/7 water service during this drought.”

The approved temporary drought surcharge of 15%, or $0.79 per 748 gallons for treated water customers, is effective for water delivered starting July 1. For the average customer using 260 gallons of water per day, the surcharge amounts to approximately $0.28 per day; customers achieving the 15% conservation goal will see little to no increase in their total water bill. The Drought Management Program also includes a credit to offset the drought surcharge for efficient treated water households using 200 gallons per day or less; the credit is funded with non-rate revenues.

President Avila added, “Our customers are known for responding to calls for conservation and we are confident that this year we will see the same. The District has numerous programs and resources to help customers achieve the conservation goals and manage their own water bill – we are in this together.”

Full details of the Drought Management Program and information on conservation resources and rebates are all available at ccwater.com/drought.