SACRAMENTO—Are Los Angeles ratepayers better off by conserving water over the long term? That’s the question explored in a new study released by the California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP) and Alliance for Water Efficiency in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
“Many customers and water professionals are perplexed by rate increases when system-wide water use goes down, and blame water conservation and efficiency as the culprit for higher rates,” said CalWEP Executive Director Mary Ann Dickinson. “This study shows that water conservation really can pay off for ratepayers over the long term.”
The study analyzed LADWP’s water conservation efforts and impact over the past several decades. LADWP provides water to more than 4 million residents in the City of Los Angeles. Over the years, LADWP has been a leader in water efficiency and conservation. In addition to conservation programs, LADWP also utilizes water rate structures that encourage efficient water use, billing customers for only the actual amount of water they use (rather than billing a flat rate in combination with volumetric rate, as many California water providers do).
With these programs in place, LADWP customers reduced their water use from 180 gallons per capita […]
Full article: News Release: New Study Demonstrates Water Conservation’s Pay Off for Ratepayers
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