Metropolitan Water District Raises Water Rates During COVID-19 Pandemic and Economic Downturn

SACRAMENTO— The Southern California Metropolitan Water District, the water wholesaler that serves 26 local water agencies in the Southern California region, voted today for a two-year budget that will raise water rates during the biggest economic downturn in California since the Great Depression.

By a vote of 69% to 31%, the district’s board approved a 3% rate hike for 2020-21 and a 4% rate hike for 2021-22. Park of that hike will cover an annual distribution of $25 million per year, or a total of $50 million, for planning for a massive tunnel through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The tunnel, which proponents have been promoting in some form since the 1950s, will divert water from the largest west-coast estuary in North America, located about 60 miles east of San Francisco. This contentious project will harm the environment, threaten already endangered species, increase the decline of salmon, and contribute to toxic algal blooms in the Stockton area.

Statement of Kathryn Phillips, Director of Sierra Club California:

“This is one of the most irresponsible actions MWD could take at a time when so many Californians are struggling to survive and pay basic bills.

“The rate increase exceeds inflation, and it includes payment for a pet tunnel project that the district should have abandoned long ago.

“Thanks, MWD, for just adding one more stressor to everyone’s life.”