CANYON LAKE, Calif. — Darcy Burke, director of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, told the Canyon Lake City Council Wednesday that the district’s capital improvement program has exceeded $650 million and that regulatory and treatment requirements are the primary drivers of rising costs.

Burke said many projects were mandated by regulation rather than driven by new development and stressed those repairs and replacements come with steep price tags. “We went over $650,000,000 with the CIP projects that are going on right now,” Burke said. She added Metropolitan Water District is considering a roughly 23% rate increase, noting her utility is currently “90% dependent on them right now.”

Burke also reported that PFAS has been detected in some groundwater sources and that affected wells have been taken offline until they can be blended or treated. She warned that new standards for contaminants such as arsenic, magnesium and vanadium are coming, and that compliance will require substantial spending. “So when people tell you tap water is not safe, that’s garbage,” Burke said, urging residents to rely on tested tap water and see bottled water only as an emergency supply.

Burke invited residents to discuss ideas for funding large projects off-line and asked for community input rather than social-media complaints.

Why it matters: The scale of planned capital work and the prospect of higher regional rates will affect local rate-setting, service planning and conversations about funding. Burke told the council she is open to considering ideas but that some changes would require legislative action.