Diablo Grande, California – In a stark warning about the perils of development in water-scarce regions, the residents of Diablo Grande — a remote, master-planned community in California’s Stanislaus County — have approved a dramatic and painful increase in water rates, hoping to stave off the threat of service shutoff and economic collapse.
At a packed and emotionally charged board meeting on Saturday, the Western Hills Water District voted to raise base monthly rates from $145 to $568 — a nearly 300% increase — with many households now paying close to $600 a month once usage fees are factored in. The hike was approved with minimal protest, a sign of just how dire the situation has become.
Located about 30 miles southwest of Modesto, Diablo Grande was once envisioned as a luxurious foothill escape, complete with golf courses, thousands of homes, and resort amenities. But only a fraction of that vision materialized: about 600 homes, one golf course — now closed — and an increasingly untenable reliance on imported water. That water, pumped from the Kern County Water Agency (KCWA) some 200 miles away, is governed by a contract signed in 2000 when the project still imagined a sprawling population…