Rates FAQ

Triunfo Water & Sanitation District's (TWSD) Board of Directors has approved rate increases to ensure our ability to continue to provide high-quality services to our ratepayers.

In order to keep up with costs, TWSD's Board voted to approve the 2020 Five-Year Rate Plan, intended to increase rates incrementally through Fiscal Year 2025. See Water Rate Plan | See Wastewater Rate Plan

Proposition 218

On November 5, 1996, California voters approved Proposition 218, which amended the California Constitution by adding Articles XIII C and D, affecting the way special districts and other local governments levy and collect existing and future taxes, assessments, and property-related fees and charges, including a mandate that fees do not exceed the cost to provide the service.

Some of the reasons that rates increase include:

Repairing and improving infrastructure
Rate increases from our water wholesaler
Increases to costs to treat wastewater
Costs associated with the Pure Water Project

Potable Rates

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I’m a TWSD potable water customer. What are the details of my rates, charges and increases?

TWSD supplies 2.6 million gallons of potable water daily to more than 14,000 people in the community of Oak Park. Our water distribution system consists of four storage reservoirs, five pumping stations, and 54 miles of pipeline. TWSD’s potable water service features system-wide automated water meters.

Rates for potable water include a monthly service charge (based on meter size) as well as a charge for the quantity of water used (based on three rate tiers). Details may be found in Ordinance TWSD-450.

TWSD, as well as many other districts in Ventura County, are dependent on purchased water, and must increase rates as costs to purchase water increase. While rain events eased the drought, infrastructure must still be built and maintained, particularly when planning for our future.

Therefore, in accordance with Proposition 218, the TWSD Board approved potable water rate increases in 6% yearly increments through FY 2025.

What is a meter service charge?

This charge covers the cost and maintenance of TWSD’s potable water system of pipelines, pumps, and tanks.

The standard household size of TWSD's electronic meters is 3/4" or 1". Installed in 2015, these state-of-the-art devices have significantly improved meter accuracy and provide easy online meter readings to both TWSD staff and our customers. Leaks are the most expensive AND preventable waste of money. Accessing your meter through the Customer Portal is a very efficient way to monitor water use and set alerts to warn of excessive consumption. Tracking water usage and repairing issues can significantly lower bills.

Recycled Water Rates

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I’m a recycled water customer. What are the details of my rates, charges and increases?

TWSD provides retail recycled water services to its customers within its service area and charges appropriate service fees designed to cover operations and maintenance of the system.

Rates for recycled water include a monthly service charge (based on meter size) as well as a charge for the quantity of water used (with both wholesale and retail customer rates). Details can be found in Ordinance TWSD-450.

TWSD, as well as many other districts in Ventura County, are dependent on purchased water, and must increase rates as costs to purchase water increase.

Therefore, in accordance with Proposition 218, the TWSD Board approved recycled water rate increases in 6% yearly increments through FY 2025.

What is a meter service charge?

This charge covers the cost and maintenance of TWSD’s recycled water system of pipelines, pumps, and tanks.

Sewer Rates

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I’m a sewer (wastewater) customer. What are the details of my rates, charges and increases?

TWSD manages a network of 120 miles of sewer pipelines, which includes six pump stations and four miles of pressurized pipelines. The majority of these pipes ultimately connect to the T apia Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which is owned by the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and has a treatment capacity of 16 million gallons per day. Additionally, TWSD is responsible for maintaining 10,826 sewer service connections, of which 85% are residential, 10% are retail, and 5% are commercial.

The TWSD Board approved a 5-year rate plan in May 2020, which increases the monthly sewer service charge effective on July 1 of each year, from 2020 to 2024. The programmed 15% sewer service increase for the current fiscal year (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024) is primarily due to regulatory compliance (principally, the JPA’s Pure Water Project), operational costs for the aging system, and 5 and 10-year Capital Improvement Plan costs. Sewer service fees appear on customers’ Ventura County property tax bills.

What is the Pure Water Project?

The Pure Water Project, a major undertaking that will change our water future dramatically for the better, is a project of the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority (JPA.) Using “potable reuse,” a water supply strategy used by many cities and water agencies in California and across the United States, the project will enhance local potable water supply reliability and drought resilience.

History

The Las Virgenes – Triunfo Joint Powers Authority (JPA), which operates the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility (TWRF), has been directed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board to improve the health of the Malibu Creek Watershed. This responsibility falls to the JPA because the TWRF currently discharges surplus recycled water into Malibu Creek.

Compliance with standards has proven to be expensive for customers due to increased sewage treatment rates, yet the creek and the species that live there are still not fully protected. The Las Virgenes – Triunfo JPA has expressed its commitment to creek stewardship, but with common sense solutions to water quality and supply issues.

As part of a robust, 18-month stakeholder participation process, the Las Virgenes – Triunfo JPA evaluated a number of options to beneficially use this “surplus” recycled water so that it will not need to be discharged into the creek. The top option analyzed was indirect potable reuse using advanced purification followed by discharge to the Las Virgenes Reservoir. This preferred alternative was selected by the JPA Board of Directors on August 1, 2016.

What is the benefit of the Pure Water Project?

The project will address two major challenges facing the community: it improves local water supply reliability and drought resilience, and it will effectively eliminate discharges to Malibu Creek, a current practice that is not sustainable.

The project will also provide customers of the Las Virgenes-Triunfo service area with access to a renewable, affordable, and sustainable source of water. Advanced water purification uses the latest proven technologies to produce pure, high-quality water that can be blended with existing sources and placed in the drinking water system.

Details may be found at the Pure Water website and in Ordinance TWSD-250.