It may be nearly 18 months late, but the California Public Utilities Commission finally released a proposed decision on the rate case put forward by Golden State Water, the principal utility of San Dimas-based American States Water Co. 

The proposed decision was announced in mid-April and closely follows the outlines of a settlement agreement that Golden State Water and the commission’s ratepayer advocacy unit reached late last year. Final commission approval is expected in coming weeks.

The decision covers the three years of 2022, 2023 and 2024; it grants higher water rates retroactively, meaning the utility will soon be able to collect an additional $30 million from customers that it would have collected last year had the decision come through on time. For this year and next year, Golden State Water would be collecting more than $30 million each year above the level its customers are currently paying.

Those higher water rates will be used to pay for a total of $405 million in capital investment over those three years.

“The settlement agreement reached with Cal Advocates (the PUC’s ratepayer advocacy unit) that is approved in the proposed decision allows GSWC to continue investing in the utility infrastructure to provide safe and reliable water services for the communities we serve,” Robert Sprowls, chief executive of parent American States Water, said in a statement.

Golden State Water plans to make additional investments in three broad areas: its pipeline network, water storage tanks and its wells.