The City of Thousand Oaks is evaluating rate adjustments that would affect your water and wastewater bill. The City periodically evaluates water and wastewater rates to ensure sufficient revenue is available to provide safe and reliable service. The proposed changes are based on a rate study conducted by an independent financial consultant.

The public hearing before City Council will cover proposed rate increases for water and wastewater services, and a proposed water shortage surcharge. If approved, the proposed water rate adjustments will take effect January 2026 and January 2027. Wastewater rates will take effect July 2026 and July 2027.

Please refer to the “How Can You Participate” section below for instructions on submitting a formal written protest against the proposed action. All written protests will be verified. You may also appear at the public hearing to share any comments or concerns.

Proposed wastewater rates

A proposed two-year schedule of wastewater charges and service unit definitions are shown below.

Wastewater rates are based on service units to ensure customers are billed according to the amount of wastewater sent into the system. Service units are determined by multiplying the number of ERUs by the flow/ strength adjustment factor. This provides consistency when calculating wastewater charges across different customer classes.

What are the proposed rate changes?

If approved, the average household will see an average annual water rate increase of 5% plus pass-through adjustments and wastewater rate increase of 9.5% on their monthly bill in 2026 and 2027.

Pass-Through Adjustments. The City purchases all of its water from the Calleguas Municipal Water District. The costs of imported water are passed through to customers and recovered through the City’s water usage rates. Pass-through adjustments were added to the proposed commodity rates, intended to recover cost increases directly resulting from wholesale water rate increases.

Understanding Your Rate Structure

No changes to the current water and wastewater rate structures were proposed as part of this rate study.

The City’s current water rate structure includes:

Fixed Meter Charges. Meter charges are fixed and vary based on meter size.

Commodity Rates. Single family residential customers are subject a three-tier commodity rate structure. All other customers are subject to uniform rates (i.e., no tiers).

Pumping Charges. Customers in higher elevation zones pay an additional charge to cover the cost of operating booster pump stations needed to deliver water to those areas.

The City’s current wastewater rate structure includes:

Fixed Rates. Each wastewater connection is subject to a fixed charge per Service Unit.

Outside City Surcharge. Each wastewater connection located outside of city limits is subject to an additional surcharge per Service Unit.

Proposed Water Rates

A proposed two-year schedule of fixed charges, commodity rates, and plumbing charges is shown below.

Proposed Water Shortage Surcharge

In times of water shortage, State water regulators and local water availability require the City to implement mandatory conservation measures to protect and extend the water supply. To ensure these requirements are met and continue meeting the water needs of our customers, the City is proposing water adjustment shortages.

If adopted, the proposed water shortage rates may only be implemented if the corresponding water shortage stage (or a higher stage) has been formally declared in accordance with the City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan. When implemented, water shortage stage rates would temporarily replace baseline commodity rates (as shown in the first proposed water rate table).