Investing in Every Drop: Water Rates Support Our Water Future
The City of Manteca manages a vast water system of more than 300 miles of pipes, 17 wells, a 4 million gallon water storage tank, and complex water treatment infrastructure to make clean, safe water available to you every moment of every day.
To keep pace with rising costs and to fund essential projects that enhance reliability, the City of Manteca is proposing an update to our water rates. Under this proposal, what we charge for water will adjust annually to fund critical investment and help keep pace with inflation.
Learn more below.
Our Priorities
Conducting regular rate studies is an industry best practice that utilities across the nation follow to ensure their water rates are equitable and can support reliable water service. While conducting our most recent rate study, we kept the following goals in mind:
Enhance Understanding: Under the proposed rate structure, all water usage will be billed at the same rate per 100 cubic feet, with the goal of making water bills easier to understand and proportionate to costs of service.
Improve Transparency: Our goal is to help customers understand their bills and what their bills pay for—including the critical infrastructure projects that keep our water flowing.
Achieve Financial Sufficiency: We aim to remain financially stable, so the City can continue providing reliable service for generations to come.
Investing in Manteca’s Water System
The water rate adjustments will help fund about $30 million in projects over the next five years. These projects include replacing aging pipes, improving water flow, and making the system more reliable overall. Water rates help pay for:
Purchasing and Delivering Water—Before water reaches your tap, it needs to be purchased and passed through a complex system that treats and stores it.
Maintaining and Replacing Our Critical Infrastructure—As our water system ages, parts need to be repaired or replaced. We work diligently to prioritize this work and strive to be as cost-effective as possible.
About The Proposed Rates
The water rate update will allow the City of Manteca to keep pace with rising costs and fund essential projects. Since the last rate update over a decade ago, our expenses have grown due to increased operating costs, the need to replace aging infrastructure, and state mandates.
City of Manteca Water Rate Adjustment Timeline
The City’s proposed rate adjustments are based on a comprehensive rate study conducted by independent consultants. This study took a deep dive into our future costs for providing water services, using detailed technical analyses, projections of revenues and expenses, and a careful look at our current and future financial health. The study recommended we adjust what we charge to ensure a fair, sustainable rate structure.
How Your Bill is Calculated
The City is proposing a rates change where every unit of water will cost the same, regardless of usage. This change will make water bills more proportionate to the City’s costs of service and simplify billing, making it easier for customers to understand their charges. It will also promote transparency and fairness by ensuring everyone pays an equitable rate per unit of water used.
What We Charge for Water Service
If adopted, new rates will become effective in May 2025. Each year after that, beginning on July 1, 2026, we’ll make annual adjustments. For a typical residential customer with a ¾” meter, who uses 16 hundred cubic feet of water (about 12,000 gallons) each month, the monthly bill will increase by a little over $27 in the first year. Using this example, customers can expect to see annual adjustments as follows:
Typical Customer’s Monthly Bill - 3/4” Meter Using 16 HCF/Month
Current
May 1, 2025
$33.63
July 1, 2026
July 1, 2027
$60.75
$78.98
$93.19
July 1, 2028
$98.78
How Proposed Rates Stack Up
Even with an increase, the City of Manteca’s water rates are competitive with neighboring providers, as shown in the graph below.
Even with an increase, the City of Manteca’s water rates are competitive with neighboring providers, as shown in the graph to the right.
Above: Monthly water bills for typical customers with ¾” meter using 16 hundred cubic feet of water, or about 12,000 gallons.
Mark Your Calendar
We encourage the public to follow the rate study process and learn more about the City’s water services, how rates are determined, California Proposition 218 requirements, and how the rates you pay are invested in our critical infrastructure.
Community Meetings
You can share your feedback by contacting us or attending public meetings at the Transit Center, located at 220 Moffat Blvd. Note that Community Meeting 3 will be hosted on Facebook Live via the City’s Facebook page. The same information will be provided at each community meeting.
Community Meeting 1
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 2 p.m.Community Meeting 2 | Facebook Live
Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 2 p.m.Community Meeting 3
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | 2 p.m.Community Meeting 4
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Public Hearing
A public hearing is scheduled for March 18, 2025 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Manteca City Council will consider the proposed rate adjustments to ensure we can continue providing reliable, safe water. Community members are encouraged to attend the public hearing and share input. More information is posted on the City Calendar.
Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
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The City is proposing an update to water rates to keep up with the rising costs of providing service and fund essential projects. Since the last rate update in 2009, we need more revenue due to increased operating costs, replacing old infrastructure, and new state requirements.
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Costs have risen due to higher labor, materials, and water purchase prices. We also have critical projects in our Capital Improvement Plan, such as replacing old pipelines and improving water storage to ensure reliable service. These projects – totaling approximately $30 million through 2029 – are necessary but add to the overall expenses.
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The adjustments will help fund about $30 million in projects over the next five years. These projects include replacing aging pipes, improving water flow, and making the system more reliable overall. Several key projects to enhance the system's efficiency and reliability include:
More than $6 million to replace aging pipelines. Many of the City's water pipes are old and, if not replaced, could fail. Replacing them before they break is far more cost-effective than dealing with emergency repairs. A pipeline break can lead to service disruptions and, potentially, boil water orders, which inconvenience everyone and can pose health risks.
$6 million to maintain water treatment reliability. We need to rehabilitate our wells and treatment facilities to continue providing a reliable water service. Maintaining the treatment facilities we share with neighboring communities ensures the water that reaches your tap is safe, and rehabilitating the wells ensures we can tap into our vital groundwater supply when necessary.
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No, we do not profit from water rates. All revenue goes back into funding water services, covering operating costs, capital costs and maintaining or improving the water system.
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Rates were calculated through the 2024 Cost-of-Service and Water Rates Study (“water rate study”), which assessed all operating and capital costs and distributed these expenses proportionately among all customers based on water usage. This ensures that the rates meet the cost of providing water to each customer class, following California’s Proposition 218 guidelines.
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The proposed change only affects water rates. Wastewater rates are not included in this adjustment, but the City will be considering an adjustment to wastewater/sewer rates at a public hearing that will be held on the same date. More information on wastewater rates is available here.
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You can share your feedback by contacting us or attending public meetings, each at the Transit Center, located at 220 Moffat Blvd.:
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 2 p.m.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | 2 p.m.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 6 p.m.
We will also hold a public hearing on March 18, 2025, to listen to residents' opinions. More information is posted on the City Calendar.
You may file a protest against the proposed rates. Protests must be in writing, and they may be submitted by a ratepayer or a property owner, but only one protest per parcel will be counted. The requirements for submitting a protest are included in the City’s Proposition 218 Notice. Protests must be received by the City prior to the close of the public hearing on March 18, 2025.
Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2257, if you think you may potentially challenge the rates through a legal proceeding, then you must file a written objection to the rates. All objections must be received by the City Clerk at City Hall by March 3, 2025. The requirements for submitting a written objection are set forth in the Proposition 218 Notice. -
The 2024 Cost-of-Service and Water Rates Study was critical to ensure that Manteca’s water services remain sustainable and fair for all. Rate studies are essential because they help us align our charges with the actual costs of providing water, considering changes in regulations, infrastructure needs, and environmental challenges. Our current study included the following:
Completing a financial analysis of the utility’s cash flow
Reviewing and providing recommendations for future water project funding
Incorporating current and future capital improvement projects and maintenance needs
Recommending what the City should charge for service – to ensure that revenues collected from water bills are closely aligned with the combined costs of providing water service, including maintaining our reliable water system
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We worked with an independent expert, a consulting firm called Raftelis, to conduct the most recent water rate study. Raftelis conducts rate studies for utilities across the United States and has extensive experience applying industry best practices. We chose to work with an independent firm to ensure our rate structure is reliable and equitable and that we can continue providing safe, high-quality water long into the future.
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Yes, the Federal Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides financial assistance to low-income Californians to help them manage their residential water utility costs. For more information, visit www.csd.ca.gov/find-assistance.
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For more information about the water rate study, please call the City’s Water Division at 209-456-8466 or email water@manteca.gov.
Proposed Fees and Charges
The City provides clean drinking water to households and businesses across Manteca. Our team works tirelessly every day to maintain and upgrade equipment, test water quality, follow regulatory guidelines, and manage the costs of chemicals and electricity to ensure you have safe water.
Since our last rate adjustment over a decade ago, the cost of providing reliable water service has increased substantially, and our infrastructure has aged. While the City works diligently to keep costs as low as possible, the combination of increasing service reliability, meeting operational and regulatory requirements, and extraordinary inflation makes rate increases necessary.
The City worked with an independent consultant to ensure our rates only increase as much as they have to, not a penny more. Our proposed rates are pictured below.
The City provides clean drinking water to households and businesses across Manteca. Our team works tirelessly every day to maintain and upgrade equipment, test water quality, follow regulatory guidelines, and manage the costs of chemicals and electricity to ensure you have safe water.
Since our last rate adjustment over a decade ago, the cost of providing reliable water service has increased substantially, and our infrastructure has aged. While the City works diligently to keep costs as low as possible, the combination of increasing service reliability, meeting operational and regulatory requirements, and extraordinary inflation makes rate increases necessary.
The City worked with an independent consultant to ensure our rates only increase as much as they have to, not a penny more. Our proposed rates are pictured to the right.
