Every non-residential and dedicated irrigation water service has a water budget that represents actual water needs for the service and is the District's determination of the actual consumption requirement for that business or irrigable area without waste.
The water budget is used for billing purposes to determine the water service tier charges portion of the water bill. The water budget is divided over the billing periods, either monthly or bi-monthly. These monthly or bi-monthly allocations are referred to as the baselines. The baseline in each billing period determines how much water is charged at each billing tier according to the table below.
| Tier | % of Baseline |
| 1 | 0 - 85 |
| 2 | 86 - 150 |
| 3 | 151+ |
For questions about your water budget, contact Conservation@MarinWater.org, or call 415.945.1520.
For non-residential meters, the water budget is based upon the District's determination of the actual consumption requirements of the service and will be based upon, but not limited to, consideration of consumption history, estimated annual consumption, site audits and area averages for similar services.
For dedicated irrigation meters, the water budget is based upon the Landscape Plan Review process.
The water budget does not automatically change as businesses or uses change. Customers can request to have their water budget re-evaluated only if the site meets current minimum water efficiency requirements established by the District. Requests to change a water budget are handled through the Water Efficiency Department by email at Conservation@marinwater.org or by phone 415.945.1520.
Please note that this process could result in the water budget being increased or decreased.
If there has been a change in use (e.g. from a bookshop to a laundry), please contact the Water Efficiency Department with an explanation of the change in the nature of the use that would justify the water budget being re-evaluated.
In order to qualify for the water budget to be re-evaluated, all plumbing fixtures shall, at a minimum, comply with CALGreen Tier 1 efficiency standards, and irrigation systems and landscaping shall meet the requirements in the Landscape Plan Review Packet on the Landscape Plan Review page.
A site inspection may be required to ensure the interior plumbing fixtures, irrigation system and landscape meet the District's current water efficiency requirements.
For more information, call 415.945.1520 or email Conservation@marinwater.org.
For dedicated irrigation meters, the water budget is based upon the Landscape Plan Review process. If there has been a change to the site landscape, the water budget can be re-evaluated, which may require a site inspection. Refer to the Landscape Plan Review page for more information. Download and complete the Landscape Plan Review Packet and the Excel worksheet for calculating your landscape's water requirements. Submit these documents to PlanCheck@marinwater.org. It may not be necessary to submit plans depending on the scope of changes to the site.
For more information, call 415.945.1497 or email PlanCheck@marinwater.org.
Customers receiving water budgets may request a baseline reallocation to better align the available water budget to anticipated water demands throughout the calendar year. Only billing periods that are not yet billed can be reallocated and retroactive adjustments will not be made.
Complete and submit your baseline reallocation request to Conservation@marinwater.org.
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