14 May EBMUD Board to Decide on Drinking Water, Wastewater Rate Hikes as Part of Budget Proposal

(Image courtesy of East Bay Municipal Utility District via Bay City News)

By Kiley Russell
Bay City News

The East Bay Municipal Utility District is contemplating rate increases for both drinking water and wastewater customers, district officials announced.

EBMUD general manager Clifford Chan presented the rate hikes to the district board Tuesday as part of his proposed $3.2 billion budget for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.

If approved, the proposed average drinking water rate increase would be 6.5% for both years of the two-year budget cycle and 8.5% for wastewater.

While individual drinking water bill increases will vary depending on water use amounts and other factors, if approved, EBMUD water would cost about 2 cents per gallon, according to district officials.

“EBMUD works every day on major upgrades and replacements of our critical infrastructure. This budget is a strategic step toward long-term financial resilience while we modernize these critical systems,” Chan said in a news release.

If the board passes the budget, along with the suggested price increases, a typical residential customer who uses 125 gallons of water a day would see an increase of about $3.77 per month in the first year, and $4.30 per month in the second year, according to EBMUD.

Wastewater costs for a similar household would rise $2.31 per month in the first year and about the same in the second year.

The proposed budget includes $1.2 billion in spending on drinking water system improvement projects over the next two years and $5.6 billion over the next 10 years.

The wastewater budget includes about $171 million in spending over the next two years and $1.2 billion over the next 10 years on things like improvements to “large wastewater collection pipes, pump stations, treatment facilities, electrical controls, and major projects related to nutrients and protecting the health of San Francisco Bay,” district officials said.

People can find out more about the budget proposal by attending a webinar on May 21 at 6 p.m. Registration is available at https://ebmud.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7BWjQU05RsO9CgkBbZde9g#/registration.

Also people can visit ebmud.com/rates for more information.

The EBMUD Board of Directors will hold a public hearing to consider the proposed budget and rate increases on June 10 at 1:15 p.m.

EBMUD provides drinking water to 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and wastewater services to 740,000 customers.

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