Phase 1

Phase 1 Sewer Connections

The majority of properties in Phase 1 are connected and in compliance with the State Water Board's septic discharge prohibition as outlined in the Basin Plan amendment.

Properties that are not connected in the Phase 1 area must connect to the sewer system or get an exemption through the Colorado River Regional Water Quality Control Board. Use this interactive GIS map to find the approximate location of the septic tank and sewer stub-out. Please view the construction guidelines for your reference.

Contact Ryan Hutchins if you are in Phase I and want to connect or call 760-228-6279.

Phase 1 Costs

Phase 1 was paid for with a low-interest loan from the State Revolving Fund secured by Assessment District 2014-1 and the Bureau of Reclamation grant. The total monthly cost for a single-family property that is connected to the system and receiving service is estimated to be under $100 per month, which includes the monthly fee and the assessment payment, after Measure Z. The payments are collected on the annual property tax roll.

Town of Yucca Valley's Measure Z

Measure Z is a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 and again in 2024 to be collected by the Town of Yucca Valley to help pay the annual payment of the Phase 1 Assessment District 2014-1. Each year the money collected is transferred from the Town of Yucca Valley to the Hi-Desert Water District to pay toward the Phase 1 Assessment District 2014-1 loan, which reduces what is paid by property owners. The following is the amount for Tax Years 2025/2026 as reduced by the Measure Z sales tax revenue.

Note that the final charges listed in the table do not include a $0.30 fee added by San Bernardino County. The $0.30 County charge is included on the property tax bill.

Assessment District 2014-1

Assessment District 2014-1 was passed by the voters as the security mechanism for the repayment of the low-interest 30-year State Revolving Fund Loan. Payments on the loan are collected through the annual property tax roll. Starting in December 2018, property owners have been making annual payments to pay-down the low-interest loan from the State Revolving Fund used to pay for Phase 1. Measure Z helps to make part of the annual payment, reducing the amount paid by property owners, as stated above.

Assessment Districts are created to finance improvements and include all properties that will directly benefit from the improvements. Special Assessment Liens are recorded against each property and installments are charged annually until the loans/bonds are paid off in full. Assessment liens transfer to the new owner upon sale of a property and can be prepaid or paid off at any time.

View the Engineers Report for Assessment District 2014-1 report (PDF).

Annual Property Tax Roll

View your annual assessment below by clicking on the annual tax roll below to download the PDF list of assessment amounts. For a PC, hold down the "Control" button and the "F" button and type in a property address or parcel number in the search bar. For an Apple, hold down the "Command" button and the "F" button. Tax rolls available are:

For more information about assessments, email Ryan Hutchins or call 760-228-6279.

Assessment Adjustments (Change of Use Properties)

Assessment District 2014-1 was formed in 2015 to finance each property's equitably shared cost of constructing the area's first centralized sewer system and Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility (the "Sewer Project"). The methodology uses the property's shared benefit of the system and can be further explained in the Assessment District 2014-1 engineer's report. Since its formation, there have been some changes of use in water use data and property classifications, resulting in corrections and adjustments; therefore, an adjustment to each levy was required to reflect the change in benefit received from using the sewer system.

View the 2020 - 2021 Change of Use List (PDF).
View the 2021 - 2022 Change of Use List (PDF).
View the 2022 - 2023 Change of Use List (PDF).
View the 2023 - 2024 Change of Use List (PDF).
View the 2024 - 2025 Change of Use List (PDF).

Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) Calculation

An Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) is the factor used to measure wastewater benefit assessment and fees. The methodology is clearly outlined in Hi-Desert Water District Assessment District No. 2014-1 Engineer’s Report.

The method of assessing an EDU was derived from an Engineer’s Report using water use data provided by the District. The average water use was 95 gallons per capita per day, less the outdoor water use of ten percent. Therefore, 75 gallons per capita per day was used as the basis for an EDU. The average of 2.12 persons per household was then used to determine the EDU in the Engineer’s Report.

Calculation used for deriving an estimated EDU measurement:
175 gallons of wastewater = 1 EDU = 1 Single Family Home
748 gallons of water = 1 water unit

EDU Formula:
175 gallons of wastewater x 30 days = 5,250 gallons per month
5,250 gallons per month x 12 months = 63,000 gallons per year
Annual units of water usage for the property x 748 gallons = total annual gallons used
Total gallons used / 63,000 gallons per year = EDUs

Commercial Assessment Methodology

Developed commercial properties were assessed based on individual water use calculations versus an average. The water use was recorded for the Fiscal Year of 2013 from a commercial properties existing water service meter and a 10% deduction for outdoor water use was applied. A deduction for outdoor water use was applied even if a commercial property utilizes a separate irrigation meter, and this methodology is still applied to calculate commercial assessment calculations. Commercial properties are charged a monthly sewer maintenance and operations fee based on their actual water use.