Customers of the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) will be paying more for water in the coming months as the District hooks up to an additional water source.
Michael LeBrun is the District's General Manager and says rates will jump by about 30 percent in July when the water starts flowing.
The new pipeline will bring water in from Santa Maria to help diversify Nipomo's options. Currently, the area's sole source is groundwater.
LeBrun says the project has been in the works for decades and is gaining in local support amidst the current drought.
"The people in Santa Maria are facing drought as well and they're wondering [about the project], but I think generally understanding they've got a healthy basin and this is something they're city has been planning... for a number of years," said LeBrun.
Santa Maria uses a combination of State Water and ground water.
LeBrun said the plan is that during wet years, Nipomo can depend more on the Santa Maria connection, allowing the water basin directly under Nipomo to recharge.
The NCSD is also currently working to update its conservation plan to address Governor Brown's recent demand for a 25 percent reduction in water use.