The Calaveras County Water District continues its effort to ensure its customers are informed about its proposed rate increases. The District’s three town hall meetings held last week were well attended. For those customers who were not able to attend, the District has made the slides from its town hall presentation available on the District’s website. The presentation document also includes notes that provide additional insight and supplement the information on the slides. The District has also posted a second Frequently Asked Questions document that addresses salaries and benefits since that topic has been of interest to many customers.

The presentation includes details about cost-saving efforts and the District’s aggressive pursuit of grants. Success with these efforts helped keep rate increases low since 2014 while the District still provided safe and reliable water and wastewater services and implemented nearly $60 million in infrastructure improvement projects. The presentation also shows cost increases beyond CCWD’s control that are driving the need for the rate increases, in particular, construction costs for critical infrastructure projects. The District hopes that this information provides critical details to customers who were not able to attend the meetings and correct the misinformation that is circulating on social media and in the community.

The District understands the impact rate increases have on our customers; however, the increases are necessary to ensure the County’s water and wastewater systems remain strong for current and future generations. We continue to seek alternate funding, including grants and low-interest loans, but such funds will only be available to CCWD if the rate increases are approved so the District can demonstrate that it is fully funded. The CCWD Board could implement lower increases in the future if new sources of funding are secured. We are also advocating for financial assistance for low-income ratepayers since the District is legally prohibited from providing discounted rates based on income level.

CCWD is a non-profit local agency with highly skilled, local employees who care deeply about the communities they serve. The District provides water and wastewater service to about 30,000 residents who reside in communities ranging from 200 feet in elevation to over 5,500 feet. The District also owns two hydroelectric projects and has County-wide water resources planning jurisdiction.

The newly released documents can be found at: https://ccwd.org/rate-study-23-28/

Questions may be directed to Customer Service by calling (209) 754-3543 or by email at customerservice@ccwd.org.