The Crescenta Valley Water District will have to raise rates to accommodate an increase in the cost of its imported water, officials said.
"Water is becoming more scarce in the West," said Mike Sovich, CVWD general manager. "It (water supply) has got to come from somewhere."
Sovich said CVWD gets its water from the Foothill Metropolitan Water District, which purchases its water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
The MWD board of directors approved a 4.4 percent increase in the cost of imported water at a Tuesday meeting. The increase is $25 per acre-foot, or 326,000 gallons, of water.
In a CVWD written statement, MWD board members cited a desire to encourage water conservation and maximum use of local supplies as reasons for the increase.
Since the area is in a draught-having recorded below-average annual rainfall for five years-local groundwater levels are low, requiring more of the water supply to come from other regions, Sovich said.
Water needs vary, but Sovich said a typical single-family residence uses about 13,000 gallons of water per month. CVWD currently charges $2.97 per 1,000 gallons, plus additional fees.
The increase, which has not been voted on by the CVWD board of directors, would be between 1.5 and 2 percent for imported water by the end of next year, and could double.
"Our board hasn't decided yet when we are going to pass that (increase) on to the customer," Sovich said. "We'll be dealing with it in more detail when we develop the budget and our long-term financial model for the next 10 years."
The CVWD Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, March 16, at 7 p.m. in the Board Room at the District's Administrative Office at 2700 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta.
