CA Small Water Systems Rates Dashboard

Rates Comparison

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Monthly Water Bill After Rates Increase: 0.00 (0.00/gal)

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***Caution***
Revenue impacts are highly speculative. For more detailed modeling, the EFC's Water and Wastewater Rates Analysis Model is a free tool that examines how revenues at your utility could be affected by various changes in rate structures. However, neither of these tools should be used in place of an in-depth rate study.
***Caution***
Assumes across-the-board rate increases for all customer classes. Projected revenue impacts assume a 3 percent drop in demand for every 10 percent increase in price. Accuracy of projections decreases as the proposed rate increase gets larger.

Comparing to

0 rate structures compared

Effects of raising rates by:

Median:

Min Max

Median:

Min Max

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= Operating Revenues

Operating Expenses including depreciation & amortization

Audited data for FY

Operating Revenues
Operating Expenses including depreciation
Depreciation & amortization expense

Cost Recovery is a measure of whether the utility’s rates were sufficient to cover the cost of operations and capital (in the form of depreciation) for the fiscal year. It is calculated by dividing operating revenues by operating expenses including depreciation expense.

In the case of some utilities that do not report depreciation in operating expenses, depreciation is excluded from the operating expenses, and thus the ratio only measures whether the utility's rates were sufficient to cover the cost of O&M. A ratio of less than 1.0 could be a sign of financial concern. In general, this ratio should be higher than 1.0 in order to accommodate future capital investments.

Click on the tab labeled "Financial Benchmarks" to observe several indicators for a more holistic view of your utility's financial condition.
For a more in-depth look at your utility's financial sustainability, use our free

Financial Health Checkup for Water Utilities Tool

The financial data displayed are for Fiscal Year , adjusting for the rate increase you selected below and the estimates of consequential reduction of water use.

Data Not Available.

Among 462 utilities in FY 2014, 49% had a ratio of >= 1, and 16% had a ratio of >= 1.2.

= Annual Bill (Monthly Bill times 12 Months Per Year)

Annual Median Household Income

Raw Data

Annual Bills
Annual MHI

This dial shows what a household making the median level of income in would spend annually, as a percent of their income, on using per month. Half of the households in the community would be spending a greater portion of their income for these bills.

The median affordability metric is often referred to as "percent Median Household Income (MHI)". It is only one of many metrics that can be used to assess affordability. There is no universally accepted definition of what "affordable rates" means and other factors such as poverty rate, income distribution, and fixed income will influence the affordability of rates in a community. The color spectrum reflects that this metric is on a continuum, without any single threshold that dictates what is affordable or unaffordable. The MHI data are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 5-year American Community Survey estimates for x MHI (in dollars).

For a more comprehensive look at affordability in your community using multiple metrics, use our

Residential Rates Affordability Assessment Tool

For more information about percent MHI, including considerations about its assumptions,

read this blog post about Percent MHI Indicator

For an in-depth look at customer affordability programs, read our report:

Navigating Legal Pathways to Rate-Funded Customer Assistance Programs:
A Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities

Data Not Available: Though data for this dial is not available for this utility, the dial can be turned on by the user manually inputting the relevant data.

Click on the “Edit Data or Add Utility” button in the upper right corner and either clone and edit your utility, or create a new utility entry from scratch. This feature allows users to edit or enter data relating to utility finances, rates, and demographics, which will then be reflected on the dashboard. For example, adding the Annual Median Household Income for a utility’s community will turn on the Affordability dial, while the Cost Recovery Dial is controlled by a utility’s Annual Operating Revenues and Expenses including Depreciation.
Please note that the edited data are temporarily saved in the user’s browser cookies, not permanently written to the database. The edited data can only be viewed on that particular device. To share results from the Edit Data or Add Utility feature, you must print or take a screenshot of the dashboard while the dial is active.

= Unrestricted Cash and Investments

Operating Expenses excluding Depreciation & Amortization / 365

Audited data for FY

Unrestricted Cash & Investments
Operating Expenses
Depreciation & Amortization Expense

Days Cash on Hand measures the level of unrestricted cash (reserves) your utility maintains relative to day-to-day expenditures.

In summation, this estimates the number of days your utility can pay its daily expenditures (including operation and maintenance expenses, taxes, and interest on long-term debt) with no revenue coming in.

There are no natural benchmarks for this indicator although the higher the number, the more protected your utility is against revenue shocks.

Generally, a utility should aim to maintain several months’ worth of cash on hand, and at the very least exceed the length of the billing period (usually 30 to 60 days). AA-rated utilities and beyond often maintain over one year’s worth of days cash on hand.

Among 450 utilities in FY 2019, 78% had >= days of cash on hand, and 53% had >= days of cash on hand.

= (Population 2018 - Population 2010)

Population 2010

Raw Data

Population 2010
Population 2018

This dial shows the change in the population in from 2010 to 2018. A positive percentage reflects population increased during that time, while a negative percentage reflects that population decreased.

Water system operational and capital expenses typically increase over time. Some of these costs – such as expenditures for energy and chemicals – may decrease if water production and delivery decreases, but most water system costs continue to increase regardless of production. On the other hand, revenues for the water system are highly dependent on the volume of water purchased by the customers. If water demand decreases, utility revenues typically decrease faster than expenses.

Water systems serving areas where population is decreasing thus face greater challenges over time in generating sufficient revenues to meet expenses than water systems serving areas with high growth. Many communities across the state are experiencing population declines. This dial indicates the rate at which the community’s population has grown or declined in a recent eight year period.

The population data are derived for from the U.S. Census Bureau's 5-year American Community Survey estimates for 2010 and 2018.

= Annual Bill (Monthly Bill times 12 Months Per Year)

Annual Median Household Income

Raw Data

Annual Bills
Annual MHI

This dial shows the financial burden of water bills at 600 cubic feet (about 4,500 gallons) on a household whose income is less than half of the households in . Half of the households in the community would be spending a greater portion of their income for these water bills.

This is only one of many metrics that can be used to assess affordability. The color spectrum reflects that this metric is on a continuum, without any single threshold that dictates what is affordable or unaffordable. However, in the State of California, if the water bill for 600 cubic feet/month exceed 1.5% of a community’s median household income (as determined by the California State Water Resources Control Board), the water system is eligible for more favorable terms for grants and loans offered by the State.

The median household income determined by the Water Boards for this water system may be different from the median household income displayed on this dial, which is determined for from the Census Bureau. Thus, the 1.5% eligibility threshold may differ from what is displayed on this dial.
The MHI data are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 5-year American Community Survey estimates for 2014 - 2018 MHI (in 2018 dollars) for .

Financial Benchmarks

Measure of Liquidity for FY 2018

Cost Recovery for FY 2018

Median: $

Min: $ Max: $

= Unrestricted Cash and Investments

Operating Expenses excluding Depreciation & Amortization / 365

Audited data for FY

Unrestricted Cash & Investments
Operating Expenses
Depreciation & Amortization Expense

Among 450 utilities in FY 2019, 78% had >= days of cash on hand, and 53% had >= days of cash on hand.

= Operating Revenues

Operating Expenses including depreciation & amortization

Audited data for FY

Operating Revenues
Operating Expenses including depreciation
Depreciation & amortization expense

The financial data displayed are for Fiscal Year , adjusting for the rate increase you selected below and the estimates of consequential reduction of water use.

Data Not Available: Though data for this dial is not available for this utility, the dial can be turned on by the user manually inputting the relevant data.

Click on the “Edit Data or Add Utility” button in the upper right corner and either clone and edit your utility, or create a new utility entry from scratch. This feature allows users to edit or enter data relating to utility finances, rates, and demographics, which will then be reflected on the dashboard. For example, adding the Annual Median Household Income for a utility’s community will turn on the Affordability dial, while the Cost Recovery Dial is controlled by a utility’s Annual Operating Revenues and Expenses including Depreciation.

Please note that the edited data are temporarily saved in the user’s browser cookies, not permanently written to the database. The edited data can only be viewed on that particular device. To share results from the Edit Data or Add Utility feature, you must print or take a screenshot of the dashboard while the dial is active.

Among 462 utilities in FY 2014, 49% had a ratio of >= 1, and 16% had a ratio of >= 1.2.

= Operating Revenues

Operating Expenses excluding depreciation & amortization

Audited data for FY

Operating Revenues
Operating Expenses including depreciation
Depreciation & amortization expense

This dial reflects the ratio of operating revenues to operating expenditures excluding depreciation. It measures the ability to cover day-to-day expenditures, such as operations and maintenance, using operating revenues which are mostly charges to customers during the year.

A ratio of less than 1 indicates that operating revenues alone were insufficient to cover the system’s day-to-day expenditures, let alone debt service or future capital expenses.

This indicator does not include considerations for debt service, depreciation, or capital costs. In general, this ratio should be significantly higher than 1.0 to accommodate capital investments.

= Operating Revenue

Number of Service Connections

Raw Data

Operating Revenue
Number of Service Connections

This dial reflects the average amount of operating revenues (mostly charges to customers) collected from each water system connection in Fiscal Year 2018. Since, typically, water system connections indicate a customer account, this dial approximates the average operating revenues collected per customer account.

The higher the revenue collected per account, the more financial resources the utility can use to pay for its costs. This is generally directly influenced by how high the water rates for the customers. This dial shows how the water system’s revenues per connection compares to all other small water systems in California.

Low revenues per connection (or account) might not generate enough financial resources for the water system, while high revenues per account might imply greater challenges in maintaining rates that are affordable to most customers. More information about rates affordability are shown under the “Affordability” tab.

Characteristics

Utility Owner
Ownership type
Primary County
Primary service area
Date Rates Effective

		Statewide Stats
Number of Systems	1	409

Est. Number of Connections
Est. Service Population
Operating Revenue
Operating Expense
Current Assets

Census Year		2018
Average Household Size		2.96
Median Household Income		$71,228
Poverty Rate		14.29%

Affordability

Demographic Information ?
Service Area
2018 Percent Poverty
2018 Percent Below 2x Federal Poverty Income
2018 Median Household Income
2018 20th Percentile Income
2018 Unemployment

= Annual Bill (Monthly Bill times 12 Months Per Year)

Annual Median Household Income

Raw Data

Annual Bills
Annual MHI

This dial shows the financial burden of water bills at 600 cubic feet (about 4,500 gallons) on a household whose income is less than half of the households in . Half of the households in the community would be spending a greater portion of their income for these water bills.

This is only one of many metrics that can be used to assess affordability, including others shown in this tab. The color spectrum reflects that this metric is on a continuum, without any single threshold that dictates what is affordable or unaffordable. However, in the State of California, if the water bill for 600 cubic feet/month exceed 1.5% of a community’s median household income (as determined by the California State Water Resources Control Board), the water system is eligible for more favorable terms for grants and loans offered by the State.

The median household income determined by the Water Boards for this water system may be different from the median household income displayed on this dial, which is determined for from the Census Bureau. Thus, the 1.5% eligibility threshold may differ from what is displayed on this dial.

The MHI data are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 5-year American Community Survey estimates for 2014 - 2018 MHI (in 2018 dollars) for .

= Annual Bill (6 ccf monthly bill times 12)

20th Percentile Income

Raw Data

Annual Bills
20th Percentile Income

This dial shows the financial burden of water bills for households with lower income. It displays how much of a household’s income would be spent on water bills for 600 cubic feet (about 4,500 gallons) if the household’s income is at the lowest 20th percentile income in . Eighty percent of the households in the community have higher incomes than this household. Twenty percent of the households in the community have lower incomes, and would be spending a greater portion of their income for these bills.

This is only one of many metrics that can be used to assess affordability, including others shown in this Affordability tab. This metric focuses more on the financial burden of water bills on households with lower incomes than the more common “percent MHI” indicator. The color spectrum reflects that this metric is on a continuum, without any single threshold that dictates what is affordable or unaffordable for households of lower income. It is up the community to decide whether this level of burden is affordable to 20 percent of its customers.

The 20th percentile income data is derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's 5-year American Community Survey estimates for 2014 - 2018 (in 2018 dollars) for . It is important to note that the income distribution of might not be exactly reflective of the income distribution of the customers who are billed for water by this water system.

= 6 ccf monthly bill

Minimum Wage

Raw Data

6 ccf Bill
Minimum Hourly Wage	$12

This dial shows the financial burden of water bills for lowest wage households. It displays how many hours a worker making minimum wage would need to work to pay their water bill for 600 cubic feet (about 4,500 gallons) each month. The minimum wage for the State of California is $12.00/hour.

This is only one of many metrics that can be used to assess affordability, including others shown in this Affordability tab. This metric focuses on the financial burden of water bills on the lowest wage spectrum in terms that are easy to interpret: the number of hours that someone must work to pay for the water bill. The color spectrum reflects that this metric is on a continuum, without any single threshold that dictates what is affordable or unaffordable. It is up the community to decide whether this level of burden is affordable to the lowest wage earners in its customers.

System and Community Info

Water System Characteristics Obtained from SDWIS and the CA Water Board
PWSID
Community Water System Name
Primary Water Source Type
Number of Monitoring Violations 2017-2020		?
Number of Water Quality Violations 2017-2020		?
Service Population		?
Number of Connections		?
Percent of Connections that are Metered		?
Compliance Status with the Human Right to Water watchlist in 2020		?

Community Characteristics Obtained from the Census Bureau ?
Service Area
Population 2018
Population 2010
Population Change

Please select a utility above to view current California rates survey data.

When the dashboard appears, you will see the first utility alphabetically in the survey group. Please select the desired utility/rate structure, monthly usage, and comparison group of your choosing on the left half of the dashboard.

Please click the “OK” button below when you are ready to proceed.