HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 Rate Increase Notice - Commercial Industrial Sewer ServiceSi requiere asistencia en español con referencia a esta notificación, favor de llamar al 619-670-2222.
Otay Water District
2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd.
Spring Valley, CA 91978
619-670-2222
otaywater.govNotice of Commercial and Industrial
Sewer Rate Increase
NOTICE OF SEWER RATES, FEES, AND CHARGES EFFECTIVE
FOR SEWER SERVICE BILLED IN JANUARY 2024
Dear Customer,
As part of the annual budget adoption process completed in June 2023, the Otay Water District
(District) approved a sewer-rate increase to proportionately recover the increasing costs of
providing sewer service to the District’s customers. The District’s overall costs related to sewer
service are increasing approximately 4.8% in 2024. The new sewer rates, fees, and charges will
apply to service billed beginning January 1, 2024. Depending on your billing cycle, the new
rates and charges will apply to sewer service as early as the beginning of December 2023.
This letter serves as a 30-day notice of rate increases.
On October 7, 2020, the District’s Board of Directors adopted a five-year schedule of sewer rates
in compliance with applicable provisions of law. This sewer-rate increase is within the limits of the
approved five-year schedule of rates, fees, and charges.
The District is a nonprofit public agency. As a nonprofit public agency, the District does not make
a profit from providing sewer service, and it cannot operate at a loss. Sewer bills reflect only those
rates, fees, and charges sufficient to support sewer service. To continue to provide reliable service,
the District must implement and pass through to its customers the full cost of providing sewer
service, including cost increases imposed by the District’s power, treatment, and disposal
providers. Power is provided by San Diego Gas and Electric. Treatment and disposal providers
include the County of San Diego (County) and the City of San Diego (City). This year, the increase
is a direct result of ongoing District operation, maintenance, and capital improvement costs as well
as increases in treatment costs charged by the City and the shared service costs for facilities
operated by the County.
The District’s costs include inspection and preventative maintenance of the public sewer system
and replacement of aging sewer infrastructure. These actions protect the public’s investment in the
public sewer system, minimize maintenance costs, reduce the possibility of pipeline breaks,
blockages, or spills, and keep sewer rates affordable.
The District works diligently to reduce internal costs and continues to be one of the lower cost sewer
service providers in San Diego County. For more information about the District, please visit
otaywater.gov, email info@otaywater.gov, or call 619-670-2222.
Dedicated to Community Service
INDUSTRIAL SEWER SERVICE
Sewer Rates (per unit)
Current New
Low-Strength4 $3.25 $3.40
Medium-Strength $3.69 $3.87
High-Strength $5.20 $5.45
System Charges (monthly)
Meter
Size
Current New
.75” $18.13 $18.99
1” $45.30 $47.45
1.5” $90.58 $94.88
2” $144.92 $151.80
3” $271.74 $284.65
4” $452.90 $474.41
6” $905.79 $948.82
8” $1,449.29 $1,518.13
10” $2,083.35 $2,182.31
Si requiere asistencia en español con referencia a esta notificación, favor de llamar al 619-670-2222.
Commercial and Industrial Sewer Service Bill Calculation
The District is required to determine sewer rates in accordance with the State’s Revenue Program
Guidelines. The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has grouped commercial
customers into various categories and has identified Strength Factors for each of these business
categories. The standard of measure for Strength Factors is the typical sewer strength of a single-
family residence (SFR). The Strength Factors established by the SWRCB are listed below and are
used by the District in the calculation of commercial sewer rates. These factors are in terms of the
strength relative to an SFR, with an SFR having a strength factor of one.
(Average Annual Consumption1 x 85%2 x Sewer Rate) + System Charges = Total Monthly Bill3
Rates and Charges
Footnotes
This information reflects only changes to rates. For a comprehensive listing of rates, please see the
Otay Water District’s Code of Ordinances at otaywater.gov.
1. The Average Annual Consumption is defined as the total number of units of water billed from January through
December of the previous year divided by 12.
2. A 15% usage discount is applied to all sewer customers to acknowledge that not all water purchased goes through the
sewer system.
3. The District’s total rate increase is 4.8%. Within this rate increase, 1.5% of the increase is increased charges passed
through from the treatment providers and shared facilities. The remaining 3.3% of the rate increase is based upon
increases to other District costs, including energy, labor, benefits, materials, sewer system replacement, maintenance,
operations, and supplies. This remaining amount is below the 10% for all other costs authorized at the Proposition 218
Hearing on October 7, 2020.
4. Schools and churches are categorized as low-strength commercial customers.