Hi-Desert Water District advances Phase II wastewater cost recovery and connection enforcement

Hi-Desert Water District advances Phase II wastewater cost recovery and connection enforcementThe California utility is preparing to implement a $14.03 monthly capital charge for Phase II sewer customers to offset initial Water Reclamation Facility costs, while legal counsel drafts a policy tying new water service to mandatory sewer connections.

The Board received a report on a $1,683 per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) charge for Benefit Area 2 (BA2) customers, payable over 10 years at $14.03 per month.

Revenues from the estimated 6,053 future BA2 connections will offset the $20.1 million capital costs initially borne by Phase 1 customers for the Water Reclamation Facility.

To accelerate compliance with state mandates, the district is considering a policy requiring sewer connection as a condition for establishing water service during property escrow transfers.

The Board approved $762,600 in material and pipe contracts for the Skyline Ranch Area capital replacement project, noting a drop in PVC pipe prices.

Hi-Desert Water District (HDWD) in Yucca Valley, California, is moving forward with the financial and regulatory frameworks for its Phase II sewer expansion. During the April 15, 2026, meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed a proposed capital charge for new wastewater customers and debated enforcement mechanisms to transition properties from septic tanks to the centralized sewer system. The district plans to implement a $1,683 per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) charge for Benefit Area 2 (BA2) customers to cover their proportionate share of the $20.1 million Water Reclamation Facility (WRF). According to a Raftelis financial report presented to the board, the charge will be collected via property tax assessments over a 10-year period at $14.03 per month, with no interest applied. The General Manager noted that the charge will only be levied once the Phase II project is complete and laterals are available, affecting roughly 2,000 customers in the near term out of a total 6,053 remaining uncharged EDUs. The collected revenues will be used to reduce the sewer assessments for Phase 1 customers who initially funded the WRF construction. To ensure compliance with the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board's mandate to eliminate groundwater-contaminating septic systems, HDWD legal counsel introduced a potential policy linking water and sewer service. The proposed rule would require property owners or tenants to connect to the sewer system as a condition of establishing new water service, particularly during escrow transfers. While the district's rules already mandate connection for properties within 100 feet of the sewer system, the new policy would provide a practical enforcement mechanism without requiring the district to act as a policing agency or levy administrative fines. Staff will refine the policy language for future board consideration. In other business, the board approved two purchase orders totaling $762,600.67 for the second section of the Package 12 (Skyline Ranch Area) Capital Replacement Program. Core & Main was awarded a $390,945.37 contract for C909 PVC pipe, while Western Water Works secured a $371,655.30 contract for pipeline materials. Staff noted that PVC pipe prices have decreased to approximately $13 per foot, down from previous highs near $20 per foot. Progress on the Skyline Ranch project, which includes 49,000 linear feet of pipe, has slowed due to rock excavation, pushing the estimated completion to January 2027. Operational milestones were also highlighted during the meeting. The Chief Plant Operator reported that the WRF processed an average daily influent flow of 698,689 gallons in the first quarter of 2026. The district has discharged a total of 1.25 billion gallons of treated effluent to recharge the local aquifer since the plant's inception.