Frequently Asked Questions

The City has two water suppliers for the City: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and Valley Water (VW).

The SFPUC water supply is a combination of Hetch Hetchy water and treated local water. Most of SFPUC’s water is sourced from the Hetch Hetchy watershed located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Local water is collected within the Alameda watershed at Calaveras Reservoir and San Antonio Reservoir and treated through filtration and disinfection at the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant.

The Valley Water water supply is sourced primarily from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed via the South Bay Aqueduct, Dyer Reservoir, Lake Del Valle, and San Luis Reservoir. The water supply is supplemented by local water sources at Anderson and Calero Reservoirs. Valley Water water is treated through filtration and disinfection at Penitencia and Santa Teresa Water Treatment Plants.

The meter service charge recovers fixed costs such as billing and collections, and customer service, which do not vary with the amount of water used. It also recovers the maintenance and capital costs associated with the meter. As meters increase in size, they require additional testing and attention, and cost more to repair and replace.

Please visit the Save Water Milpitas website for more information on current drought conditions, water use regulations, and water conservation practices.

Reducing the amount of outside irrigation is the most significant way to reduce the charges from your metered use. On average, 60% of the water used by a residence is used outdoors for irrigation, and watering your lawn is likely your single largest water use.

• Making sure you have efficient fixtures in your home, including shower heads, toilets, and washing machines will also help you conserve water and lower your bill
• In order to conserve water, consider:
  • Installing aerators on bathroom faucets (saves 1.2 gallons per day per person)
  • Washing only full loads of laundry (saves 15 to 45 gallons per load)
  • Turning off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving (saves 10 gallons per day per person)
  • Reducing shower time (could save 10 to 20 gallons per shower)
  • Fixing leaky toilets (saves 30 to 50 gallons per day per toilet)
  • Installing efficient WaterSense-labeled shower heads (saves 1.2 gallons per minute)
  • Installing efficient WaterSense-labeled toilets (saves 19 gallons per day)

The City worked with Valley Water to provide landscape rebates and supplies to help you save water. Free water-saving devices are available at Valley Water's Online Shopping Cart. Learn more about rebates available and tips at the Save Water Milpitas website.

The new rates take into consideration water conservation previously mandated by the state. It is anticipated that conservation will initially cause a 20% to 28% reduction in consumption. Some of the costs of operating the water system go down when we use less water, such as the electrical costs of running the pumps. However, most of the costs do not depend on how much water is used, such as the cost of the distribution system, water quality monitoring, and debt payments on previous water bonds.

There are also some extra expenses for keeping the wells operating adequately due to the drought, such as the loss of one well and repairs that are necessary to address lowered water tables in three other wells. The water rates need to be set at a level so that the costs of operating the water system can be covered regardless of how much water is used.

No two cities are the same. There are many factors that impact the cost of providing municipal water, such as the age of the system and the availability of surface water. Rates can only be set to reflect each system's costs of providing the water and related services.

Unlike a private water company, there are no profits generated in a municipally owned system. Revenue from the rates collected by the City cannot be used for unrelated expenses, such as costs of police, fire, or parks. The individual fees that are charged must be representative of the services received. This means one category of customers cannot pay for higher costs associated with a different set of customers.