The City is currently conducting a water and sewer rate study. You may contact the City of Whittier Public Works Department at PubWks@cityofwhittier.org or call (562) 567-9500 for additional information.

The Notice of Public Hearing to Consider Proposed Changes to Water, Sewer and Reclaimed Water Rates will be mailed to all Whittier property owners and tenants directly responsible for the payments of these fees in the Fall of 2024 with a public hearing scheduled for November 12, 2024. The notice will also be published in the Whittier Daily News and a copy placed on the City website. Additional notices will be placed at various City facilities, including Public Works counter in City Hall, the Community Center, Senior Centers and Libraries. The notice will cover rate changes for calendar years 2025-2029.

The fees proposed in the Notice of Public Hearing to Consider Proposed Changes to Water, Sewer, and Reclaimed Water Rates will list the maximum amount the fees can be increased without another notice and public hearing. The Public Hearing to hear and consider all public testimony and protests will be held in City Council Chamber on November 12, 2024.

New water and sewer rates are anticipated to take effect January 1, 2025.

Solid waste collection customers with a combined gross income of all members of the family or household residing together of less than sixty-two thousand four hundred dollars ($62,400) for the prior calendar year and have been approved for the City’s utility users tax exemption will qualify for the $5 per month discount. For more information on applying for the City’s utility users tax exemption call Customer Service at (562) 567-9530.

In addition, a 10% discount is available for low income seniors and active military members. Seniors must be 62 years of age or older, be head of household and qualify for Supplemental Social Security Income. Active military members must maintain the property as his or her permanent residence while stationed away from home. These discounts to not apply to charges for additional carts, temporary bin services or temporary roll-off service. Call your solid waste service provider to apply.

• Athens Services (888) 336-6100
• Republic Services (800) 299-4898

Athens Services and Republic Services are private franchised waste hauling companies who were approved by the City to provide solid waste collection and recycling services to City residents and businesses for the period of November 1, 2017 - October 31, 2025. Athens serves the west side of the City and Republic serves the east side of the City with the dividing line being Ocean View Ave. with a few exceptions. Both companies are responsible for servicing all containers (trash, organics & recycling) in their service area.

• Athens Services (888) 336-6100
• Republic Services (800) 299-4898

The current agreements the City has with Republic Services and Athens Services calls for an annual rate increase according to a formula based on costs for disposal, labor, fuel and the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For single-family residential customers the cost for solid waste collection, disposal and recycling for fiscal year 2024-25 is  $28.79 per month and $1.84 per month for street sweeping for a total monthly fee of $30.63.

Water customers served by the City with a combined gross income of all members of the family or household residing together of less than sixty-two thousand four hundred dollars ($62,400) for the prior calendar year and has been approved for the City’s utility users tax exemption qualify for the $6 per month low income water discount. For more information on applying for the City’s utility users tax exemption call Customer Service at (562) 567-9530.

Proposed rates are determined following evaluation and analysis of cost escalations related to operation and maintenance, water treatment and distribution, sewer collection, capital project costs, general inflation, and material cost increases. California’s Proposition 218 requires the City to follow certain procedures when proposing rate adjustments to water and sewer services and follow a public process that provides property owners with an opportunity to protest proposed rate increases if they feel they are unwarranted. 

Under CA Prop 218, property owners and customers will receive a public notice detailing proposed rate adjustments, the protest process, and the City Council Public Hearing date. Property owners will have 45 days to petition the proposed rate adjustments through a simple written process. In the Public Hearing, the City Council will review customer petitions and consider approving or denying rate adjustments. Should the City receive a majority protest from customers, rate adjustments will not be implemented.

Whittier property owners with a combined gross income of all members of the family or household residing together of less than sixty-two thousand four hundred dollars ($62,400) for the prior calendar year and have been approved for the City’s utility users tax exemption are qualified to receive the discount. For more information on applying for the City’s utility users tax exemption call Customer Service at (562) 567-9530.

Water rates include two components: a fixed service charge varied by meter sizes and a commodity charge for the water used. Water fees are calculated by multiplying the usage rate by the water usage and adding the service fee.

Sample Calculation:

 The bi-monthly bill for water charges for a single family residence with a 3/4" meter and using 13 billing units (BU) of water per month (26 BU bi-monthly) in 2023-2024 is calculated as follows:

Sewer rates are based on measured water usage plus an annual customer service charge of $8.45 to each customer account to cover customer service related costs.

 Sample Calculation:

The annual fee in 2023-24 for a single family residence using 13 billing units of water per month is calculated as follows:

Note: 1 Billing Unit (BU) = 100 cu ft or 748 gallons of water

The sewer fee is included annually on your property tax bill issued by the County of Los Angeles itemized as “Sewer Svc Chg”.

The sewer fee is waived if your property is not hooked up to the sewer system. There are only a few properties in Whittier served by private septic tanks.

You would need to check with the private water company that provides your water service. Contact telephone numbers are listed below:

• Suburban Water Systems (562) 944-8219
• San Gabriel Water (562) 699-1041
• Orchard Dale (562) 941-0114
• Golden State Water (562) 864-8214
• Cal Domestic (562) 947-3811

The City hired consultants with expertise in water and sewer rate studies in California and across the country. The financial consultants’ scope of work includes developing long-range financial plans for utility services and assisting with the California Proposition 218 process and Public Hearing required for adopting new rates. The rate study consists of a series of steps involving data evaluation, performing technical analyses, deriving customer rates, and understanding customer impacts of any modifications. Once rate proposals are determined, the complete study is documented in a Study Report to serve as part of the City’s administrative record.

In California, all parcels connected to a utility system must be given notice of any rate changes with the ability to protest the proposed rates. The notice details the proposed rates, the basis for calculating the proposed rates, the reason for the proposed rate increase, the details of the Public Hearing, and the property owner’s right to protest. After a protest period of no less than 45 days, the City Council will conduct a Public Hearing. Absent a majority protest to the rate proposal, the City Council may choose to adopt the rates as noticed.

2024 Rate Study Schedule: The anticipated schedule to complete the rate study and consider new rates is November 2024 for proposed implementation on January 1, 2025. The public will have many opportunities to learn more and provide input. We encourage the community to stay informed about water supplies, sewer collection, and utility rates through the website at  https://www.cityofwhittier.org/government/rates. Residents are also encouraged to submit questions or comments via email to pubwks@cityofwhittier.org or call (562) 567-9530.

The City is committed to providing safe and reliable quality water for our customers. As our water system ages, it is important to continue investing in replacing and rebuilding them in accordance with a long-term, balanced financing plan. Based on the 2019 comprehensive water rate/cost of service study, it has been determined that changes are necessary to the City's water rates in order to generate the revenue required to fund the current and projected costs of operations and maintenance; fund capital infrastructure improvements vital for providing safe and reliable drinking water; maintain the operational and financial stability of the water fund; and meet debt service obligations.

The most recent City of Whittier water and sewer rate study was completed in 2019, after which annual rate increases through 2024 were approved and implemented. Ideally, rate studies should be performed every 3-5 years. Regular rate studies are critical to the healthy operation of the City’s utilities. Utility systems must keep up with rising costs and be able to implement critical capital projects that are mandated or necessary for the health and safety of our community. 

Performed regularly, utility rate studies provide transparency into what the City can expect in the years ahead and ensure we have the financial resources to meet our budget, maintain our infrastructure, implement new technologies, address existing and new state and federal regulations, and implement our Capital Improvement Program (CIP). 

Other elements of rate studies include the development of a reserve policy that considers the different types of risks we face, including future drought conditions, emergency repairs, and increased water costs and ensures revenue stability while maintaining affordability.

Rate studies are conducted as an industry best practice to ensure that a utility’s financial health is maintained, and that the City is setting a course toward meeting future financial obligations. The industry standard is to perform comprehensive rate studies every three to five years. 

Our last water and sewer rate study was in 2019 before the pandemic. Due to inflation-related cost increases to operate and maintain the systems, repairs and replacement, and meeting state and federal regulations, the utilities’ fund revenues have been impacted. The rate study is being conducted to adjust rates to address the deficit and balance operating budgets, while also planning for future capital improvement projects.