COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

A second and final public hearing for water rate adjustments will be held on Tuesday, June 30, at 6 p.m. both online and in person at the Los Alamos County Council meeting in Council Chambers at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building, 1000 Central Ave. Anyone wishing to join remotely may do so using the link https://ladpu.com/ratehearing .  

If adopted by the Council, the ordinance will take effect for residential customers on October 1 and all other customers on July 1. The proposed ordinance and answers to frequently-asked-questions about it can be found on DPU’s website under the Proposed Rate Changes section header at https://ladpu.com/rates. 

The proposed rate ordinance was originally introduced to the Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities on April 15. It was approved by BPU on May 20 and introduced to County Council on June 9. 

Residential water rates are timed to increase in the fall, after tiered water rates expire for the year. Household water use generally decreases during this time as outdoor water use is mostly eliminated.  

The DPU is proposing to increase water rates by 8% per year for the next two years. These increases would help cover ongoing operating costs and build cash reserves for future infrastructure maintenance and improvements. For a household that uses about 6,000 gallons of water each month, the current total cost (including the service charge) is $61.87. If the new rates are approved, that cost would be $66.81 in October 2026 and $72.15 in October 2027.