At least one Bay Area district failed to add storage capacity as it added customers, ultimately putting current users at risk. Some water suppliers have imposed a tier pricing system to encourage conservation. Under this system, rates increase in relation to the volume of water consumed. Other districts charge one rate per unit of water, no matter how much water is consumed. A handful of districts that don't use meters charge a fixed, monthly rate regardless of how much water is used.
Districts also impose widely varying fees to hook up to their distribution system.
The same is frequently true of industrial users. Residents in developed portions of the district share these costs, even though it would be unnecessary to replace or increase their water supply were it not for the new development. Plus, the more money spent on extensions, the less money districts have to maintain or upgrade, older neighborhoods. As development spreads across the natural landscape, the region's waterways and water quality are threatened. Roofs, roads, parking lots, and other impenatrable surfaces prevent rainwater from percolating down through the soil to recharge groundwater supplies.