OAKLAND – Last week, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Board of Directors adopted new service rates and charges to help fund critical investments in essential water and wastewater infrastructure.

The rates, which will apply to customer bills over the next two fiscal years, will support a $2.7 billion, two-year budget and the start of a $2.8 billion, five-year capital improvement program to build resilient infrastructure of the future. The Board voted 6-1 to adopt the new rates and approved the budget unanimously with a 7-0 vote.

EBMUD’s rate increases will result in average single-family customer water bill increases of 19 cents a day when new rates take effect July 1 and another 21 cents a day beginning July 1, 2024. Rates for wastewater customers, who largely reside west of the Berkeley-Oakland hills, will rise 7 cents a day in fiscal year 2024 and another 7 cents a day in fiscal year 2025. These represent annual increases of approximately 8.5 percent in both FY 2024 and FY 2025. Actual changes in a customer’s bill would depend on how much water is used each billing period.