Why your Water Bill is About to Go Up

Could the record drought in California result in a hefty hike in your water bill even if you don’t live anywhere near the Golden State?

Public policy experts say increases are a likely and much-needed measure in California as a way to curb demand for water. But they say the hikes could spread to other states, including those not facing a drought situation, as a way to encourage conservation in general.

“California could be the green guinea pig,” says Matthew E. Kahn, a professor at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs.

The call for higher rates in California and elsewhere is not necessarily new. Public policy experts have long noted that Americans pay some of the lowest prices in the world for water — Australians pay more than twice as much, for example, according to Global Water Intelligence, a company that tracks the international water industry.

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