1990年，欧文牧场水区（IRWD）受到干旱、批发价格上涨和政治的推动，寻求一个新的费率 奖励保护和惩罚水浪费的结构，同时保持 该机构有稳定的收入来源。IRWD还被激励创建一个 解决了长期的水供应/需求问题，并向客户发出了一个明确的信息，即高效用水是所有客户的目标。 如今，水质/水径流问题是机构关注的主要问题。水资源利用效率是减少非水污染的关键- 点水污染（源径流减少）。本文提出的速率结构被认为是减少过度景观用水的一个有价值的工具。费率结构要素包括:公平，每个客户群体应被同等对待，或必须感觉到他们是公平的 不超过或不低于任何其他客户群； 收入稳定，避免传统上 配合客户的保护行动； 可信度，根据合理的防御信息确定利率结构， 简单，在客户眼中是可信的； 水资源部对加州供水和人口增长的分析表明，即使在正常降雨年份，在不久的将来，加州供水和人口增长也会长期缺水，而且该系统必须灵活应对 处理这些情况；和 灵活性，创建一个能够满足各种需求的结构 客户和客户必须适应。 包括数字。

In 1990, Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD)was driven by drought, wholesale price increases and politics to seek a new rate structure that would reward conservation and penalize water waste while maintaining a stable revenue stream for the agency. IRWD was also motivated to create a system that addressed long-term water supply/demand problems and sent a clear message to customers that efficient water use was the goal for all customers. Today, water quality/water runoff issues predominate agency focus. Water use efficiency is the key to reducing non-point water pollution (source runoff reduction). The rate structure presented in this paper has been found to be a valuable tool in reducing excess landscape water use. The rate structure elements include: equity, each customer group shall be treated the same, or must feel they are doing no more or no less than any other customer group; revenue stability, avoid the decrease in revenue that traditionally accompanies conservation actions by customers; credibility, base the rate structure on defensible information that is logical, simple and can be perceived as credible in the eyes of the customers; building a conservation ethic, California water supply and population growth analysis by the Department of Water Resources shows chronic water shortages, even in normal rainfall years, in the near future and the system must be flexible to deal with those situations; and, flexibility, create a structure that can address the needs of a wide variety of customers and be adaptable. Includes figures.