Communication from the District

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Linda County Water District

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON

PROPOSED ADJUSTMENTS TO WATER AND SEWER RATES

Monday, October 13, 2025 at 6:00 pm

at the District’s office at 1280 Scales Ave., Marysville, CA 95901

 

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Linda County Water District provides water and sewer (wastewater) service to a population of over 20,000 via approximately 5,400 active service connections. In addition, the District provides wastewater treatment for the City of Marysville. The water and sewer utilities are not funded by property taxes or any other tax revenue and rely entirely on rate revenues to fund their operations. The District last conducted a water rate study pursuant to Proposition 218 requirements in 2019 and adopted a series of water rate increases, the most recent of which went into effect November 1, 2023. Sewer rates have not been adjusted in 17 years, however. The proposed rates are based on a comprehensive cost of service study to ensure that water and sewer rates pay for increasing operating and maintenance expenses, debt service payments, and capital projects.

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WATER RATES

Water System

The District’s water supply is provided from six active wells within the South Yuba Groundwater Basin. The South Yuba Groundwater Basin totals nearly 107,000 acres and is bounded by the Yuba River to the north, the Feather River to the west, the Bear River to the south, and by the Sierra Nevada on the east. Water quality is closely monitored by State of California regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with Federal and State mandates. 

Proposed Monthly Water Rates

The District proposes water rate adjustments to keep up with inflationary operating cost increases and to better align fixed fees and volume rates with costs. The District’s current monthly water rate structure includes two components – 1) Fixed Meter Charges and 2) Consumption Rates. Meter Charges mostly recover the District’s costs to maintain infrastructure including wells, water treatment, and pipelines.  Meter Charges are fixed monthly fees that are based on meter size. Per District policy, residential customers who have a 1” meter to satisfy fire flow requirements but would otherwise not need a meter that large are billed at the 3/4” meter rate. The Consumption Rate is charged per unit of water consumed and primarily recovers the cost of supply and conveyance of water to customers. The Consumption Rate is billed per one hundred cubic feet (CCF) of metered water usage. One hundred cubic feet is 748 gallons.

Table 1 lists the current and proposed water rates. If adopted, new rates would go into effect November 1 of each year from 2025 to 2029. Based on an updated cost analysis conducted by an independent utility rate consultant, the Consumption Rate is proposed to decrease slightly in November 2025, and the Meter Charges are proposed to increase slightly. The bill impacts to each customer will vary based on meter size and water usage. The typical customer in the District is served by a 5/8” meter and uses 14 CCF of water per month. For this typical customer, the current monthly water bill is $39.60 and the proposed November 1, 2025 water bill would equal $39.38, a slight decrease of $0.22. If you would like additional information on how the proposed changes in water rates and charges will affect your water bill, please contact the District Office at (530) 743-2043.

Table 1: Current and Proposed Monthly Water Rates

 

SEWER RATES

Sewer System

The District operates a 5.0 million gallon-per-day (MGD) tertiary treatment level wastewater treatment plant according to the requirements of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The original plant was constructed in 1960, and major upgrades were completed in 1996, 2002, and 2015. The treatment system consists of the headworks, two primary clarifiers, four activated sludge basins, two secondary clarifiers, compressible media filters, a chlorine contact basin, and dechlorination using sulfur dioxide. Treated wastewater is discharged to land using a series of five percolation ponds located in the Feather River floodplain. This process is closely monitored by several State of California regulatory agencies to guarantee compliance with Federal and State mandates. 

Why is a sewer rate increase needed?

The District’s sewer rates have not increased in 17 years. Rate increases are needed to keep up with operating cost increases, pay off a loan that was obtained to fund improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, and to fund nearly $10 million for infrastructure improvements required over the next five years. Major projects include pipeline replacements, grit removal improvements, rebuilding the Edgewater Lift Station, and construction of a new effluent pump station.

Proposed Monthly Sewer Rates Residential Rates and Annual School Rates

Current and proposed monthly residential sewer rates are shown in Table 2. It is proposed that all residential customers continue to pay a fixed monthly service charge that reflects the cost to serve the average flow of a typical customer. It is proposed that multi-family customers such as apartments, mobile homes, and accessory dwelling units be charged a new, lower rate that reflects lower average sewer flows of those customers. Table 2 also includes proposed school rates. School service is billed annually based on the average daily attendance of students. The proposed school rates reflect updated wastewater flow estimates. 

Table 2: Current and Proposed Monthly Residential Rates and Annual School Rates

Multi-Family dwelling units include duplexes, triplexes, apartments, condominiums, townhouses, accessory dwelling units, assisted living homes, mobile homes, manufactured homes, and recreational vehicles.

Current and Proposed Monthly Non-residential Sewer Rates

Non-residential customers are billed differently from residential and school customers. These customers are divided into seven customer classes based on the type of business, see Table 3. Currently, all non-residential customers pay fixed base fees in addition to flow rates based on average monthly metered water consumption as measured from November through February each year. Winter water use is commonly used as an estimate of sewer flow because it is assumed that customers use little to no water for outdoor irrigation in the winter, which means that the majority of metered water use is discharged into the sewer.

It is proposed that the non-residential categories be reduced from seven to four, consisting of a low wastewater pollutant strength category, domestic strength, medium strength, and high strength. The proposed monthly non-residential rates are shown in Table 4. It is proposed that the flow rates continue to be billed based on average winter water use. It is also proposed that the base fee include up to the first 8 hundred cubic feet (CCF) of flow and only flow above the first 8 CCF be billed the flow rates shown in Table 4. The base fee is set to include the first 8 CCF as that is the average single family residential flow and is the basis of the single family residential rate. The bill impacts to each customer will vary based on customer class and winter water use. If you are a non-residential sewer customer and would like additional information on how the proposed changes in sewer rates and charges will affect your bill, please contact the District Office at (530) 743-2043.

Table 3: Current Monthly Non-residential Sewer Rates

1 – Flow charges are currently calculated based on average monthly metered water consumption (in cubic feet) as measured from November through February each year.

Table 4: Proposed Monthly Non-residential Sewer Rates

        CCF = one hundred cubic feet; 1 CCF = 748 gallons

        See Table 3 for a description of customer classes

How do I file a protest or participate in the public hearing?

Proposition 218 provides that “Property Related Fees” such as the proposed water and sewer rates and charges the District is proposing to adjust are subject to a “majority protest” process. Any property owner or other ratepayer may submit a written protest of proposed rates; provided, however, that only one protest will be counted per property. If protests are filed on behalf of a majority of the properties subject to the rates, the District cannot adopt the proposed rates.

How to Participate

The proposed rate increases are governed by section 6 of Article XIII D of the California Constitution (Proposition 218), Government Code sections 53751 et seq. and 53759 et seq., and related laws. Property owners subject to the proposed rates and other interested members of the public may participate in this ratemaking in a variety of ways. More information and the Rate Study Report are on the District’s website at https://lindawater.com or you can call (530) 743-2043. The District will hold a public hearing on October 13, 2025, to receive public comment, including any written protests to the proposed rates. Any property owner or other ratepayer may submit one written protest per parcel. Immediately following the close of the public hearing on October 13, 2025, protests will be counted and validated. If valid protests are submitted for a majority of the parcels subject to the proposed rate increases, the Board will not adopt the rates. 

Every written protest MUST include ALL of the following to be counted:

1. A statement that it is a protest against the proposed water rates, sewer rates, or both;
2. Name of the property owner or other customer who is submitting the protest;
3. Identification of the assessor’s parcel number or street address (service address) and account number of the property for which the protest is made; and
4. An original signature of the record owner or other customer who is submitting the protest.

Written protests may be submitted by:

1. Mail to: Prop 218 Protest, 1280 Scales Ave., Marysville, CA 95901; or
2. In-person delivery during District business hours at 1280 Scales Ave., Marysville, CA 95901; or
3. At the Public Hearing, before the end of the Public Hearing.

Regardless of how the written protest is submitted, it must be received by the District before the end of the public hearing to be held on October 13, 2025, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at 1280 Scales Ave (District Office), Marysville, CA 95901. (Postmark dates will not be accepted.) To ensure protests are genuine, they will not be accepted by e‐mail or other electronic means. Please identify on the front of the envelope for any written protest, whether mailed or submitted in person to the District, that the enclosed protest is for the Proposition 218 Protest. Oral comments at the Public Hearing will not qualify as formal protests unless accompanied by a written protest, but the Board welcomes all public input.

At the end of the public hearing, written protests will be counted in public view. If valid written protests are not submitted for a majority (50% plus 1) of the properties subject to the fees, the Board may adopt the proposed rates. The first rate change, if approved, will take effect on or after November 1, 2025.

Pursuant to California Government Code 53759, a 120-day statute of limitations applies to any legal challenge to a new, increased, or extended fee adopted by the District Board of Directors pursuant to this notice.