As Cal Water works to improve its infrastructure, what could this mean for your water bill?

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Out with the old and in with the new — that’s the case for Cal Water, which is improving infrastructure to continue to provide safe and, most importantly, clean drinking water.

To improve water, you must first start with aging and high-risk pipelines. On a tour with Cal Water Wednesday, that happened to be by replacing 1940’s cast iron piping with new PVC piping.

“The cast iron that was serving this community or this neighborhood was from 1949,” said District Manager Tammy Johnson. “It degraded over time and it was time for it to be replaced.”

The next step in the process is the tank farms, where water is stored and delivered throughout the water system. Cal Water plans to replace the building’s infrastructure, the water booster system that increases pressure and the electrical systems that have been there since the 1970’s.

“Worst case scenario…we do nothing, it fails and we have no water to provide,” said Assistant District Manager Rafael Molina. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid at all costs.”

Finally, when improving water you must tackle leaks, especially the ones that could shut down an entire street.

“I was really afraid that something huge had happened underground,” said Kelly Hargraves, who lived near a leak serviced by Cal Water Wednesday. “It’s really an ‘if you see something, say something’ moment.”

So, how much will these changes cost you? Those numbers are still muddy depending on approval by the Public Utilities Commission.

“You’ll see a percentage of increase in January of 2026, January of ’27, January of ’28,” said Johnson. “The overall phased increase proposed is 34.5%.”

If it is approved, residents who use about 8,977 gallons a month could see a bill of $66.20 by 2028.

To learn more about the improvements in your district, go here .

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