All residents of Encinitas pay for both sewer and potable water usage. There are two components to our water rates:

The first being a fixed meter sewer charge based on the size of the sewer line connection. There is a fixed meter annual charge that is between $500 and $700 and is billed through a line item in your property tax bill as the ESD Sewer Service Charge. Half of this charge is billed every six months on the semi-annual property tax bill.

The Encinitas Sanitary Division which is a department of the City of Encinitas will be holding a public hearing on April 24th at 6 PM at Encinitas City Hall to discuss plans to increase the sewer service rates by 19% for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. This is based on recent and anticipated increases in operating costs and capital improvements needed to ensure a safe, reliable wastewater collection system. Every homeowner in Encinitas recently received a notice regarding this hearing and the details behind these proposed increases in sewer service rates.

The second component is based primarily on the amount of water usage at your property. These charges are detailed in a  water bill from either the San Dieguito Water District (SDWD) or the Olivenhain Municpal Water District (OMWD). SDWD bills every other month while OMWD bills monthly. Most owners in Encinitas Ranch use water through SDWD. For SDWD customer their bill includes five line items:

1. A water meter service charge tied to the size of the water line. For a 3/4 inch water line this is $52.78 for two months.
2. There is a variable usage charge for a residential/single family home based on the amount of water used and there are four rates that could come into effect based on the water comsumption (Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4). Each Tier has a different water rate that is between $3.68 and $8.87. As you use more water the variable usage charge increases.
3. For homes with a fire sprinkler/fire suppression system there is a service charge of $11.08 for the fire meter which is separate from the main residential water meter.
4. For those homes with a fire sprinkler system there is a fire meter usage fee based on the amount of water comsumption through the fire meter and usually there will be $0 charge unless the sprinkler system is used.
5. Finally, there is the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) charge for the main water meter based on the size of the water line. For a 3/4 inch meter the charge is $8.82 for two months.

The bill for OMWD customers is very similar in charges to an SDWD water bill.

Potable and recycled water is water is delivered through SDWD or OMWD. All of the water used for irrigation in Encinitas Ranch is recycled and distributed by SDWD.

SDWD recently proposed increases in their potable and recycled water rates to the city council in late February of this year. The proposed plan calls for a 9% increase in the variable water usage charge line item.  The increases are needed to address capital improvement projects as well as general increases in operational costs.

Below is a link to the final report from SDWD to the council:

https://www.encinitasca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/9077/638446413450800000

If you have specific questions about your water bill you can contact the billing department at SDWD at 760-633-2658.