It's always important to save water in our dry climate, and Carlsbad has long been a leader in water conservation, desalination and recycled water. If you're looking for more ways to save, these resources can help you get started.

Questions and answers

What are the current rules?
Why do some parts of Carlsbad have different rules?
Why is new development allowed when water is in scarce supply?
We have a desalination plant, so why do we still need to worry about conservation?
Will water rates go up because of the drought?
How does the water district enforce the rules?
How can residents report water waste?
How is the city conserving water in its own operations?

Water Authority Updates

Post Date:01/29/2025 9:20 AM

On Tuesday, the San Diego County Water Authority, the agency Carlsbad Municipal Water District purchases water from, updated the City Council about its recent water rate increases.

If you’re interested in getting all the details, you can watch the full presentation online. If you only have a few minutes, keep reading for some of the highlights.

In recent decades, the Water Authority has invested $3 billion in infrastructure to prepare for dry years. While we have encouraged everyone to save water before, these investments have reduced the need for more significant water cutbacks that have been required in other parts of the state.

In total, the Water Authority is increasing its rates 14% in 2025. Maintaining its 308 miles of pipelines, pumps and other facilities takes a big investment, most of the need for the rate increase stems from external factors.

  • The Water Authority purchases imported water from the Colorado River through the Metropolitan Water District, which recently raised its rates 11%.
  • The cost of local water supplies, including the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, has also become more expensive due in part to inflation and rising electricity costs.
  • Last year, two member agencies detached from the Water Authority. This means millions of dollars in costs will now be spread among the remaining water districts in the Water Authority’s service area.

What it means for Carlsbad

Purchasing water from the Water Authority accounts for about 65% of Carlsbad Municipal Water District’s cost to provide water service, so these rate increases will increase our costs. Every few years, we study how much it costs to run Carlsbad’s water, wastewater and recycled water systems. Sometimes rate increases are needed to keep up with rising costs, but rates cannot be higher than the actual cost to provide services.

CMWD water costs

Our team recently completed new cost of service studies and will present an update at the City Council meeting on Feb. 11 to discuss how rates could change in the next few years. I will share all the details with you once they are available.

I also want to mention that the City of Carlsbad is served by three water districts. You can see if your property is located in the Carlsbad Municipal Water District or another district on the water district map.

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