Water

Water is a big issue around here. There's a water shortage on the peninsula, and lots of discussion about what to do about it. Apparently at some point the state is going to ban the water district from diverting water from the Carmel River, and it's all very dire, and something must be done! They've been kicking around various proposals for years. When we were looking at homes here, our realtor (born and raised in the area) told us they've been arguing about this as long as he's been alive.  Proposals come and go, nothing gets done, and life goes on. "Don't sweat it," was his attitude. In the meantime, of course, they do raise the water rates to pay for the solution du jour.

Because of the water shortage, the water district has implemented some measures designed to limit the amount of water you use. Seems reasonable, but the implementation is hit-and-miss.

Fixtures and Credits

Disclaimer: Oddly, there's not a lot of information available about the program. The information I'm presenting here is what I've been able to cobble together from talking with inspectors, the MPWMD, realtors, and a bit of internet research. It might not be 100% accurate; it's my understanding of how it works. (If I'm wrong on anything, I'll happily be corrected.)

Sometime in the 90s they implemented regulations locking in the number of fixtures in each home. Fixtures are things like sinks, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers, etc. Different types of fixtures have different values. For example, a small bar sink is worth 1 credit; an oversized soaker bathtub is 4 credits (except in the master bathroom, where you get an oversized tub for "free"). As of some date they chose as the starting point, no home can exceed the number of credits it had at that point in time. You can move around your existing credits. For example, you could switch to a low-flow toilet and shower head (which use fewer credits) then install a bar sink. Or convert a bathroom to a laundry room. As long as you stay within the same number of credits, you're good.
So the people who happened to have houses with a lot of fixtures on Day 1 lucked into a bunch of credits, while another house of the same size with the same number of people living in it might have far fewer credits.

Now here's the silly part: the system isn't based on the number of people living in the home, it's based on the number of water-using devices you have. If there are, say, two people living in a home, it doesn't use any more water to have two bathrooms instead of one. Person 1 takes a shower in the master bathroom, and then Person 2 takes a shower in the second bathroom. This uses no more water than if Person 2 showered in the master bath when Person 1 was finished.

If you want to add fixtures, like a second bathroom, you must apply for a special water permit. This is in addition to any building permit you're required to get. As expected, there's a hefty fee associated with the application.

So what's stopping you from just adding fixtures? It's inside your home, who would know? It becomes a potential problem if you want to sell the house. Each time the house is sold, the new buyer must obtain a water inspection. Someone from the water district comes out (Tues, Weds, Thurs only) and totes up the number of credits. If you're over, then it's remove the fixtures, or try to get a permit and—--you guessed it--pay the fee. You have something like 30 days to get in compliance, though you can request an extension (only one extension--something I learned the hard way). Oh, and of course there is a fee for the re-inspection. Skip the reinspection and the District slaps some sort of "non-compliance" lien on your house, which basically alerts potential buyers that there's an issue, in the event you want to sell.

Most people in Monterey have a pretty laissez-faire attitude towards permits. Lots and lots of unpermitted work goes on, and houses are often bought and sold with unpermitted work. Several of the houses we looked at had unpermitted extensions and additions. Our realtor gave this this a wink and a shrug as well. The sellers of our house, unfortunately for them, got caught in the trap.

A previous owner added an unpermitted half bath and bedroom in the garage. When he sold the house, times were good, the real estate market was in the midst of the boom, and the next buyer purchased it knowing there was unpermitted work. The new owners petitioned for a water permit for the half-bath, which was denied. They appealed, denied again. Nothing happened after that until they lost the house in foreclosure. Then bank was then forced to spend thousands of dollars to remove the half-bath.

Water Bill

Earlier I said that the system isn't based on the number of people in the house. That's true for the fixtures/credits system, but the water rate you pay is based on the number of residents. California American (Cal-Am) is the company that provides the water to your home.

When you move in and transfer the water to your name, Cal-Am asks for information about who lives in the home. The rates are set based on this information, in increasing blocks of usage. The more water you use (in proportion to he number of people and livestock), the higher the rate.

Sewer is provided by the MPWMD and billed separately. So you pay Cal-Am to bring water, and MPWMD to take it away.