The California Water Service Co., which serves about two-thirds of Bakersfield residents, compelled its customers to cut their overall water usage by 31 percent since the drought took hold in mid-2014, a savings of more than 7.6 billion gallons of water.
The agency informed the Bakersfield City Council on Wednesday it is seeking a 12-month rate increase from the state that would cost metered customers $9.12 and flat-rate customers $14.87.