Vacaville holds public hearing on proposed water, sewer rate increases; council asks staff for Chromium‑6 cost analysis

Vacaville City Council held a public hearing May 13 on proposed bimonthly water and sewer rate increases that staff says are needed to pay for aging systems, regulatory compliance projects and rising operating costs.

The city’s utilities director and outside consultants told the council their five‑year plan would restore reserves, meet debt covenants and fund about $96 million in water and $58 million in sewer capital projects — including roughly $36.7 million in wellhead treatment work to meet California’s new hexavalent chromium (chromium‑6) maximum contaminant level. Utilities Director Justin Kohler said, “We have natural occurring hexavalent chromium in our groundwater that affects some of our groundwater wells,” and described state deadlines and treatment planning.

The issue matters because the city has not raised the water rate since Jan. 1, 2020, and sewer rates have not been adjusted since March 2014; consultants said operating costs and regulatory obligations have outpaced revenues.

Consultant Chris Fisher of Willdan Financial Services summarized the study and recommended a series of increases that would produce an immediate, larger…