Potter Valley Irrigation District Raised Farm Water Rates to $35 per Acre-Foot: What Customers Should Know

POTTER VALLEY, Mendocino County — October 23, 2026. The Potter Valley Irrigation District (PVID) publicly reports that its board approved higher water-delivery charges on June 18, 2025, partly to fund work on the region’s future water supply. The published letter says the general delivery rate rose from $22.50 to $35 per acre-foot, and the annual Garden Rate rose from $125 to $175. These are irrigation-district charges, not a universal drinking-water tariff for every Potter Valley household.

Why did the district increase the price?

According to PVID, the district needed to make financial contributions to the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission as regional partners deal with the proposed retirement of PG&E’s Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project. Legal, engineering and regulatory work requires funding. The board said the payments had drawn down financial reserves and that a rate increase was necessary to continue serving customers.

How should a customer calculate a bill?

One acre-foot is a volume of water, not a parcel’s acreage. The number of billed acre-feet depends on deliveries, district records and applicable customer classifications. A garden-rate account has a different published arrangement. Request the current official fee schedule and your delivery statement before deciding exactly how the approved increase affects an individual property.

Is the 2025 letter still the last word?

No rate should be described as permanently fixed. The letter documents the June 2025 board decision; customers must confirm whether subsequent board actions have changed charges or conditions for 2026. Old snapshots or irrigation-delivery figures from an earlier drought also cannot establish present-day allotments.

Where can people ask questions?

PVID’s listed office is at 10170 Main Street, Potter Valley, telephone 707-743-1109. The district posts agendas, minutes, audit records and contact information at its public-information page. Residents should bring a specific invoice or service classification when questioning a charge.

See Potter Valley News and Rural California. Submit records to our newsroom. Support independent community reporting.

Primary source: PVID June 18, 2025 customer letter and district contact and meeting documentation. Verify the latest fee schedule with the district.

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