Rate Changes

Sewer Service Rate ChangesCalculator

Proposition 218 Notice was mailed on March 25, 2022 to record owners of property and any tenants who are directly liable for the payment of sewer service charges. 
Read the notice in Spanish: Información importante sobre sus tarifas de cloacas

The notice lists the current and proposed sewer rates and information on the Public Hearing. See details below:

Sanitation Cost of Service Study

Public Hearing information:
DATE: Tuesday, May 10, 2022
TIME: 8 a.m.
LOCATION: CVWD Administration Building  
75515 Hovley Lane East, Palm Desert, CA 92211


Domestic Water Rate Adjustments

The CVWD Board of Directors held a Public Hearing on June 8, 2021 to consider a proposed five-year maximum rate schedule for domestic water service provided to residential and commercial customers. It was approved with 4 yes votes and 1 no . 

New rates went into effect on July 1, 2021.

Learn how new rates affect your bill with our bill calculator

  • Open the Bill Calculator  (Opens as a spreadsheet)
  • Use the information from a CVWD water bill. (Before August 2021)
  • Enter customer type 
  • Enter meter size. Most single-family homes have a 3/4" inch meter but you can use the Fixed Rates chart on this document to check your meter size. The Water Service Charge" you pay will correspond with a meter size on the chart.
  • Enter your water budget 
  • Enter your estimated consumption

Note: If you have multiple meters, you will have to complete this exercise for each meter.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the proposed Domestic Water service rate changes. 

Cost of Service Study:

New rates are based on the 5-year Domestic Water Cost of Service Study performed by a third-party consultant to determine adjustments to the rate structure and increase for domestic water service charges. This is done to recover current and projected increases of the costs of operating the domestic water system. 

Under California Proposition 218 law, CVWD can only charge a customer the proportional costs of delivering that service.

Public hearing details:

Date: June 8, 2021
Time: 8:00 AM
Where: Virtual or by telephone
How to participate: For information on how to provide public comment at the meeting, please refer to the June 8, 2021 agenda. The agenda is posted at least 72-hours in advance of the meeting and can be found on the District’s website at www.cvwd.org/151/Board-Agendas. You may also contact the Clerk of the Board at (760) 398-2651 or via email at SBermudez@cvwd.org  for additional information.

How to protest: 

Any record owner of a parcel upon which the Domestic Water Service is or may be imposed, and any tenant who is directly responsible for the payment of the Domestic Water Service has the right to submit a formal written protest to the proposed rate increase; provided, however, only one protest will be counted per identified parcel.

Any protest must: (1) be in writing; (2) state that the identified property owner or tenant is opposed to the proposed rate increase; (3) provide the location of the identified parcel (by street address, assessor’s parcel number, or customer account number); and (4) include the name and signature of the property owner or tenant submitting the protest. Written protests may be submitted by mail to the District, Attention: Clerk of the Board, P.O. Box 1058, Coachella CA, 92236.


CVWD Palm Desert Groundwater Replenishment Facility


Replenishment Assessment Charge (RAC) Rate Changes

The CVWD Board of Directors held a Public Hearing on June 2, 2021 to consider a proposed five-year schedule of increases to the rates of the Replenishment Assessment Charge (RAC) imposed on groundwater producers located on parcels in the East Whitewater River Subbasin Area of Benefit (AOB) and the West Whitewater River Subbasin AOB.

Public hearing details:

Date: June 2, 2021
Time: 1:30 PM
Where: Virtual or by telephone
How to participate: For information on how to provide public comment at the meeting, please refer to the June 2, 2021 agenda. The agenda is posted at least 72-hours in advance of the meeting and can be found on the District’s website at www.cvwd.org/151/Board-Agendas. You may also contact the Clerk of the Board at (760) 398-2651 or via email at SBermudez@cvwd.org  for additional information

Notices were mailed to the public on April 16 to notify anyone who is responsible for paying for RAC charges.  

Cost of Service Study:

Proposed rates are based on the draft Cost of Service Studies performed by a third-party consultant to determine adjustments to the rate structure for RAC charges to enable it to: recover current and projected increases in the costs of operating and maintaining the groundwater system, importing water costs and expanding infrastructure to deliver nonpotable water for irrigation. See copies of the studies below.

East Whitewater Cost of Service Study
West Whitewater Cost of Service Study

Under California Proposition 218, CVWD can only charge a customer the proportional costs of delivering that service.

How to protest:/DocumentCenter/View/5395/Draft-West-Whitewater-RAC-2021-R

Any record owner of a parcel upon which the East or West Whitewater River Subbasin RAC are or may be imposed, and any tenant or groundwater producer who is directly responsible for the payment of the East or West Whitewater River Subbasin Area of Benefit RAC has the right to submit a formal written protest to the proposed rate increase; provided, however, only one protest will be counted per identified parcel.

Any protest must: (1) be in writing; (2) state that the identified property owner, groundwater producer, or tenant is opposed to the proposed rate increase; (3) provide the location of the identified parcel (by street address, assessor’s parcel number, or customer account number); and (4) include the name and signature of the property owner, groundwater producer, or tenant submitting the protest. Written protests may be submitted by mail to the District, Attention: Clerk of the Board, P.O. Box 1058, Coachella CA, 92236.

Public Notices and proposed rate schedule:

East Valley RAC Proposition 218 Notice (English/Inglés)
Aviso de audiencia pública - RAC este (Spanish/Español) 


West Valley RAC Proposition 218 Notice (English/Inglés)
Aviso de audiencia pública - RAC oeste (Spanish/Español) 


Canal Water Proposed Rate Changes

A Proposition 218 Notice including the proposed rate schedule was mailed to canal water service customers on March 12, 2021 to notify them about the public hearing on April 27, 2021, where the CVWD Board of Directors will consider approving proposed increases to canal water rates listed in the notice. 

A Spanish language version of the public hearing notice is also available: Aviso de audiencia publica Prop 218

Proposed rates are based on the Canal Water Cost of Service Study performed by a third-party consultant to determine adjustments to the rate structure and increase for canal water service charges to enable it to: recover current and projected increases in the costs of operating the canal water system.

Under California Proposition 218, CVWD can only charge a customer the proportional costs of delivering that service.

Public hearing details:

Date: April 27, 2021
Time: 8:00 AM

Where: Virtual or by telephone
How to participate: For information on how to provide public comment at the meeting, please refer to the April 27, 2021 agenda. The agenda is posted at least 72-hours in advance of the meeting and can be found on the District’s website at www.cvwd.org/151/Board-Agendas. You may also contact the Clerk of the Board at (760) 398-2651 or via email at SBermudez@cvwd.org  for additional information