CVWD adopts budget for fiscal year 2022

CVWD budget includes no increases in staffing for the district

Coachella Valley Water District’s (CVWD) Board of Directors today (June 15) unanimously approved a $451.8 million operating and capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2022.

The 2022 fiscal year budget includes new domestic water, canal and replenishment rates and charges to reflect the current cost of service for each customer type but no increases in staffing for the district.

The operating budget amounts to $279.7 million. There are an additional $165.5 million in capital improvement projects. The total represents an increase of 5.1%, or $13.5 million increase, over the fiscal 2021 operating budget and an increase of 59.6%, or $61.8 million increase, from the fiscal 2021 capital improvement budget.

The operating budget reflects an increase in costs such as electricity.  The capital improvement budget reflects an increased need for infrastructure repairs and rehabilitations.

CVWD provides a number of different water-related services to the community and, by law, must keep the funding and spending related to those services separate. Under Proposition 218, CVWD can only charge a customer the costs of delivering that service.

The board held eight study sessions between Oct. 6, 2020 and April 20 2021 to review the proposed operating and capital improvement budgets. The budgets were formulated considering analysis from a five-year cost of service study conducted by a third party consultant.

Coachella Valley Water District is a public agency governed by a five-member board of directors. The district provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional storm water protection, groundwater management and water conservation. It serves approximately 108,000 residential and business customers across 1,000 square miles, located primarily in Riverside County, but also in portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.