Carlsbad water and sewer rates

Who supplies water to Carlsbad houses, what it costs, and how the sewer charge works.

Carlsbad Municipal Water District

2026 water rates effective Jan. 1, 2026, billed monthly: a delivery fee based on meter size plus a usage fee per unit (one unit equals 748 gallons); single-family homes pay the Tier 1 rate for 0 to 10 units a month and the Tier 2 rate above 10 units

Use a month	Price per unit (CCF, 748 gallons)
Fixed charge	$37.34 a month
0 to 10 units	$5.60
10 to more	$5.97

Source: The district imports 82% of its drinking water, from the Colorado River and from Northern California through the State Water Project; the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant produces 18%.
Hardness: Hardness averaged 230 ppm in the imported water from the Skinner treatment plant and 60.50 ppm in the desalinated water (2025 report).
PFAS: Drinking water testing was non-detect for all 29 PFAS compounds covered by the sampling method.

Sewer

Residential customers pay a flat monthly rate for wastewater services: $68.22 a month for a single-family home from Jan. 1, 2026, on the City's monthly water and sewer bill. Homes in the southern part of the city may be served by Leucadia Wastewater District or Vallecitos Water District instead.

Dates

When	What
Jan 1, 2027	The single-family sewer rate rises from $68.22 to $77.77 a month under the increases the City Council approved in 2025.

Pay or manage it

Sources

Checked October 20, 2026. Every number here comes from the public sources listed, matched by our checker.

Rates change every year; this page shows when it was last checked. Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.