Valley County Water District outlines rate, infrastructure and contamination costs, warns of invasive ‘golden mussel’

Jose Martinez, general manager of the Valley County Water District, told the Baldwin Park City Council on Aug. 20 that the district has adopted new water rates to match the cost of service and is pursuing grant and legislative strategies to address contamination, aging infrastructure and the risk from an invasive species.

Martinez said Valley County serves about 60% of Baldwin Park residential customers and that the district’s most recent cost-of-service study was presented at a public hearing earlier in June (12,500 mailed notices) that drew zero attendees; the board later adopted the rates the district presented. “As a public agency, we can only charge what it costs us to deliver that water to our customers,” Martinez said.

Why it matters: Martinez warned that testing and treatment costs for contaminants such as PFAS are substantial (he said a single PFAS sample can cost roughly $1,000) and that planned capital work to maintain storage and treatment capacity is large. He cited a master-plan catalogue of roughly $42 million in prioritized projects over 10 years, and a 5-year capital program that is “just under $12…