Securing new alternative water sources, improving our infrastructure, employing the most advanced water treatment processes and implementing new services comes at a cost.
So does constant monitoring, sampling, testing and maintenance by our state certified operators who make certain the water coming out of your tap is not only safe to drink but good tasting too. And yet, we manage to deliver a clean, reliable water supply right to your home for less than a cent per gallon.
We do this by making strategic investments in our water and sewer infrastructure, striving to better leverage City resources, improve efficiencies, and reduce over construction costs to maximize your dollars.
We put your dollars to work by looking at new technologies and projects to better manage our water resources, improve customer service and curb water rate increases while meeting your water needs today and for generations to come.
Earlier this year, we updated our Water and Sewer Master Plans and secured funding for future capital improvement projects (CIP)— approximately $12 to $17 million dollars worth of projects each year—which will include establishing additional groundwater sources with new wells, pipelines, water tanks and pump stations to meet the future needs of our water system.
In conjunction with this funding, the City Council approved a rate adjustment for the next 5 years to sustain our operations and make these timely re-investments in our critical infrastructure. We also modified our rate structure to ensure a more equitable rating scale that is proportionate to usage.
This includes supporting regional projects like the expansion of the Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) to reduce our reliance on imported water.
In these ways and more, we remain vigilant in meeting the challenges of source water protection, water conservation, environmental compliance, sustainability and community education while continuing to serve the needs of all our water users.