San Marcos water and sewer rates

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

Vallecitos Water District

Rates effective January 1, 2026 (Ordinance 231): a monthly ready-to-serve charge by meter size plus a water commodity charge per unit (100 cubic feet = 748 gallons) in three tiers; for 5/8-inch and 3/4-inch meters the tiers are 1-6, 7-21 and 22+ units. All customers are billed monthly.

Use a month	Price per unit (CCF, 748 gallons)
Fixed charge	$47.05 a month
0 to 6 units	$5.32
6 to 21 units	$6.75
21 to more	$11.02

Source: Vallecitos buys most of its water from the San Diego County Water Authority, which buys it from the Metropolitan Water District (Colorado River and Northern California water). Desalinated seawater from the Carlsbad plant is about 27 percent of the District's annual supply.
Lead: There are no lead service lines in Vallecitos' service area, and Vallecitos has never had a sample exceeding the EPA's allowable lead level.
PFAS: Vallecitos tested for PFAS as the EPA requires, and none were detected in its drinking water supply.

Vista Irrigation District

Rates effective January 1, 2026 (reflected on bills starting March 1, 2026): a service charge and an emergency water storage fee by meter size, plus a water usage charge per unit (1 unit = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons) in three tiers; for a 3/4-inch meter the monthly tiers are 0-6, 7-60 and 61+ units

Use a month	Price per unit (CCF, 748 gallons)
Fixed charge	$60.49 a month
0 to 6 units	$6.01
6 to 60 units	$7.79
60 to more	$7.82

Source: Vista Irrigation District uses four sources: local water from Lake Henshaw, the Colorado River, Northern California, and desalinated seawater from the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant.
Hardness: Hardness ranged from 54 to 310 mg/L in 2025 (3.2 to 18.1 grains per gallon).
Lead: In the 2024 lead and copper samples, lead was not detected at reporting levels in either the source water or private households.
Violations: The 2026 report (2025 monitoring) says VID has not had any violations of the drinking water regulations.

Sewer

Sewer Service is a line on the Vallecitos Water District utility bill, which is monthly; the sewer monthly service charge for a single-family residence is $38.99 (Ordinance 184, effective July 1, 2015).

Ways to pay less

Turf replacement rebate. Vallecitos Water District customers may get turf replacement rebates through the Metropolitan Water District: for qualified applicants, $2.00 per square foot to replace water-intensive turf grass. How: See the current rebate list linked from Vallecitos' conservation rebates page (vwd.org).
Free water-efficiency survey. Vallecitos customers can sign up for a free indoor/outdoor residential water survey, in person or virtual, offered by the Metropolitan Water District; a property may receive one survey for the life of the program. How: Complete the online application linked from Vallecitos' free landscape irrigation audits page (vwd.org).

Sources

Checked October 21, 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.