Poway residents will be paying more for water after the City Council’s Jan. 20 approval of a 9.9% rate increase this year, with another 4% hike each year for the next four years. Additionally, the cost of recycled water is increasing by 23% this year and wastewater costs are scheduled to rise by 3% each year from 2028 through 2030, according to a staff report. … The increases are needed to fund the costs of imported water, capital expenses, operational expenses and appropriate reserve levels. … Also leading to the rising rates are the wholesale costs associated with operating the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and from the detachment of the Rainbow and Fallbrook municipal water districts from the County Water Authority.