Proposed rates

Residential / landscape / nonagricultural customers

*1 CCF=748 gallons

• Indoor water budget: 50 gallons per person per day (divided by 748, to convert gallons to CCF). For single-family homes, we assume a default of four people per household. For condominiums, we assume three people per household, and for apartments we assume two people per unit. If your household is larger, you may apply for a variance to increase your water budget.
• Outdoor water budget: Is calculated for your property using actual data from local weather stations. We multiply your irrigated landscape area (in acres) x evapotranspiration x 0.75 ET factor x 36.3 conversion factor to convert acre inches of water to CCF.

Residential customers’ outdoor monthly water budget is based on 60% warm-season turf and 40% drought-tolerant landscaping.

Residential customers with cool-season turf lawns may be over their monthly outdoor water budget. Customers who continue to irrigate nonturf landscapes with sprinklers and overhead sprays may go over their monthly budget because these systems are less efficient at delivering water to the plants. Drip irrigation is the most efficient form of irrigation for nonturf areas.

The monthly fixed water service charges for the average residential customer will increase from $13.20 to $14.90 beginning July 1, 2025, and from $14.90 to $15.60 beginning July 1, 2026. 

The fixed water service charge is used to pay for operations and maintenance costs, including inevitable infrastructure enhancements and replacements.

The fixed water service charge is based on the meter size, which appears on the bill. For a list of proposed changes to the water service charge for all meter sizes, please refer to the IRWD Proposition 218 Notice near the top of this page.

The fixed water service charge is based on a 30-day billing cycle. Billing cycles that are longer or shorter than 30 days will produce service charges that are proportionally larger or smaller.

Your meter size and amount appear on your bill. Residential customers who remain in the Low Volume tier for most of the year will have a larger percentage of their bill made up of the fixed charge. Customers who remain in the Low Volume tier for nine months of the prior calendar year will receive a $2.00 credit per month, which will be itemized on each bill. New customers do not receive this credit unless they have been with the District for a full calendar year.

Residential customers

Fixed monthly sewer service charges are used to pay for operations and maintenance costs associated with providing sewer service, including inevitable sewer infrastructure enhancements and replacements of infrastructure such as pipes, pumping stations, and treatment facilities. Each customer’s use of IRWD sewer service derives from the customer’s use of potable water from IRWD, so each customer is billed in one of three tiers, based on the customer’s lowest three-month potable water usage from the prior calendar year. Until IRWD has a new customer’s full calendar year of usage history, the customer is billed at the middle-tier rate.

Fixed monthly sewer service charges are used to pay for operations and maintenance costs associated with providing sewer service, including inevitable sewer infrastructure enhancements and replacements of infrastructure such as pipes, pumping stations, and treatment facilities. Each customer’s use of IRWD sewer service derives from the customer’s use of water from IRWD. Additional fixed monthly charges for the operation and maintenance of the system are based on 90% of the volume of water used and treated in excess of 10 CCF per month, because historic use data shows that is the portion sent to IRWD’s sewer system. The proposed fixed and variable monthly charges are presented below.

Private firelines provide water to sprinkler systems for fire suppression on private property. These include fire protection systems, such as fire protection sprinklers that are not part of, but are connected to, the public water service.

Costs are billed to the customers owning the private fire protection systems and are based upon the size of the fireline. Firelines will be allocated one CCF of water usage to allow for routine testing. Any use beyond fire suppression and one CCF for routine testing will be charged the variable water use charge within the Wasteful tier.

A pumping surcharge will be added to the variable water usage charge for customers in locations that cause IRWD to incur additional pumping costs to supply their water. The surcharge is based on the actual prevailing energy costs and varies depending on the cost to pump water to the area served. If you live in an area affected by a pumping surcharge, the charge is itemized on your monthly bill. IRWD is proposing changes to the pumping surcharge areas.
Proposed maps: potable / non-potable.

*1 CCF = 748 gallons

Billing tiers are based on cost of service and on proportional use.

The number of billing tiers for residential and landscape customers remains unchanged at four, as follows:

Tier 1 – Low Volume
Tier 2 – Base
Tier 3 – Inefficient
Tier 4 – Wasteful

The number of billing tiers for commercial customers also remains unchanged at two, as follows:

Tier 1 – Base
Tier 2 – Wasteful

The billing tiers are based on cost of service and on proportional use. 

Residential and Landscape / Non-Agricultural customers

Landscape / Non-Agricultural customers

Commercial / Industrial / Public Authority / Non-Residential Mixed Use customers

The water budget for landscapes irrigated with potable (drinking) water is based on an 80% irrigation efficiency. This results in an evapotranspiration factor (ET factor) of 0.75. The water budget for recycled water use and for functional turf irrigated with drinking water, such as a sports field, is based on 75% irrigation efficiency. This results in a landscape factor of 0.87.

Definitions:

The chart below summarizes the assumptions made by IRWD for residential water budgets, depending on the type of residence. IRWD encourages residential customers who need more water than their basic water budget provides to apply for a variance. Variances are given for additional occupants, special medical needs, and larger landscaped areas, among other things. Variances are effective on the date that the request is received by the District and must be renewed annually.

Learn more and apply for a variance.

IRWD adopted a Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) in 2021 as part of its Urban Water Management Plan. The WSCP includes requirements to implement locally appropriate water shortage response actions for six standard water shortage levels. Implementation of WSCP rates would require action by the IRWD Board of Directors and separate customer outreach.

Currently, IRWD is not projecting any water shortages. Learn more about WSCP rates.

To use the WSCP budget-based-rate calculator, visit wscprates.IRWD.com.