Water agencies across the country continue to tackle post pandemic issues while maintaining, upgrading and building our water systems to ensure reliable water and sewer service to customers – making our communities better for everyone.

Drinking Water Week, May 1-7 and Infrastructure Week, May 16-20 both bring awareness to the vital role tap water plays in daily life, the critical infrastructure that is necessary to transport water from source to tap, and the important and often overlooked work of water professionals.

Infrastructure can jumpstart the economy and give people jobs. It improves the quality of life in communities that have been underserved. It can also make us more resilient to climate change. The only way we tackle the biggest issues of our time is through strategic investment in infrastructure including pipelines, water storage, fire protection, water treatment facilities and more.

Our economy, public health and safety, and quality of life all depend on the interwoven systems that provide essential drinking water and sewer services. Water districts work hard at keeping rates as reasonable as possible while maintaining and upgrading infrastructure that is essential to delivering safe drinking water to their communities. Under California Proposition 218, public government water agencies can only charge a customer the actual costs to deliver that service.

Learn more about what is included in your water rates below:

  • Before it reaches your tap, your water is pumped from underground aquifers, and then filtered, cleaned and tested before being sent into the delivery system of pipes, wells and reservoirs.
  • Local water agencies invest millions of dollars each year to ensure safe and reliable supplies of water by upgrading pipes, technology and treatment plants.
  • Aging infrastructure must be renovated or replaced to ensure that the public continues to have access to safe drinking water.
  • California has the most stringent water quality standards in the nation. Advances in water monitoring technology allow for the detection of contaminants at ever-smaller concentrations, while improving water treatment technology allows Californians access to high-quality, safe drinking water supplies. These important safety measures come at a cost, and water suppliers across California spend millions in testing each year.

Learn more about what is behind the value of water with this infographic.