County official sees water rates continuing to rise

Water rates in Ventura County and throughout Southern California just keep rising, with no relief in sight for at least the next two years, the county’s director of water and sanitation told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. In April, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California raised its rates by 19.7 percent, effective Sept. 1, with another 21.5 percent increase planned for January 2011. Metropolitan sells water to agencies all over Southern California, including the Calleguas Municipal Water District, which in turn sells it to public and private water agencies in most of Ventura County. Only Ventura and the Ojai Valley do not get water from Calleguas. For the full story click here