I checked my property taxes: Water supply costs continue to increase

In reading and hearing lots about how oil companies are price gouging their customers in California, I suggest that homeowners check out their property tax bills. When looking over my tax bill, as a 21-year resident of Rancho Mirage, I looked over mine and noticed a huge charge from our water supply company, Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD). There is a charge of 11 cents per $100 of your property’s assessed valuation. That may seem small, but for me, that is just about $1,000 this year. I went back a few years and the total for the last five has been about $4,100. On top of that, CVWD also adds a separate sewer service charge and this year that total adds another $300 to my bill or $1,300 to CVWD.  

I went back as far as I have saved my property tax bills to 2004. The CVWD charge then was about 2.1 cents per $100 value. The charge increased to four cents in 2007, to six cents in 2009, 10 cents in 2015 and 11 cents in 2021. Since my property valuation has also increased, the total CVWD charge for water, excluding the sewer, has increased about 700%. Overall, I currently pay more for water than I do for gasoline. If gasoline increased at that rate, we would pay about $15-$20 per gallon.

On top of that, I pay my monthly water usage charge that has been around $27 per month. In 2022, I am shown to be in the “efficient” range. My wife and I make water conservation a high priority. We have been living in California since 1968 and have gone through many droughts. I recall living in the Bay Area and driving over the Richmond to San Rafael Bridge when one lane was taken over by East Bay Municipal Utility District to pipe water to Marin County.

With these huge charges, it actually makes little sense to be a strict conservationist. The less water I use, the more I pay per gallon. If I didn’t use any I would still pay the same on my taxes.

The water tax portion on the bill is separate from Proposition 13, which limited the tax increase to the lower of your home’s market value or the potential increase of 2% per year from the time of purchase. The overall net taxable charge on your statement is a 1% tax, lowered a bit by a homeowner’s exemption.

According to the CVWD, the 11 cent charge funds the State Water Project (SWP). The levy was approved by voters in 1963 and is assessed against every parcel of land within district boundaries. The tax pays for dams, reservoirs, canals, and pumping plants that bring water from Northern California to Southern California. All properties within the Coachella Valley are assessed this tax to pay for the maintenance. The Coachella Valley relies heavily on imported water, which has enabled regional development.

I am not sure what oversight or accountability exists for these greatly rising fees and what the end game is. We can be fined if we waste what little water is available. We have 1,000 miles of coastline, so why not consider desalinization for the long term? I recently read that Israel desalinates 55% of its fresh water and plans to increase the percentage in the future.

It is important that our local residents understand the issues and charges involved and can provide input to CVWD so we see what the future holds and help them make the best choices for us all. It currently seems to be a gouge, which I hope can be resolved in the near term as California droughts are a way of life.

Barry Morgan retired from a chemical engineering career in 2001 and moved full-time to Rancho Mirage later that year. His hobbies include golfing, hiking, photography, dealing with numbers, reading history and sending in articles to The Desert Sun. His email is bsmorgan1@yahoo.com