If you’re like me, you think of paying your water bill as a necessary evil. Most of us have no choice: Water is essential. We sigh and write the check.

Thanks to a bold request for an increase of rates by San Jose Water Co. — which, compounded, would add 44 percent to rates over the next three years — we’re getting a lesson in where that money is going.

And a beacon of hope, a visible searchlight, is shining for customers disillusioned with government. A branch of the California Public Utilities Commission is standing up for the average consumer.

Let’s stipulate here that San Jose Water commands riches and influence. Luminaries like former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta and attorney J. Philip DiNapoli have served on its board. The company’s annual barbecue is one of the valley’s premier power events.

So when the company asked the CPUC to approve a huge raise over three years — it would actually be 21.5 percent, followed by 4.8 percent, followed by 12.6 percent — it enjoyed a presumption that its numbers were warranted.

Among other things, San Jose Water contends that rates should increase because people are conserving water. That isn’t as crazy as it sounds.

Utilities have a right to a stipulated rate of return (currently 8.38 percent for S.J. Water), and they have large fixed costs. As revenue drops, they seek to recoup expenses by raising rates. The water company also says it has to add 23 new positions to keep serving the public well.

Advocates speak

Because these arguments could keep the makers of Vicodin in business forever, a branch of the CPUC known as the Division of Ratepayer Advocates has the job of defending the public interest.

The advocates have put forward a very different suggestion for San Jose Water. They suggest raises of 0.5 percent, 3.7 percent, and 5.7 percent. Compounded, that’s about 10 percent over three years. (See their report at www.mercurynews.com/scott-herhold.)

This is the public utility version of a brawl in an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout: Crack! Take that jab! No, Pow! See this takedown!

Suffice it to say that the advocates believe the water company needs to slow down conservation efforts. San Jose is already at its 2020 guidelines. Over the past three years, the water company’s rates have gone up a total of 18 percent.

And that business about the increase in staff? The advocates suggest that San Jose Water doesn’t need 23 new positions. They think the water company could profitably get by with three new folks. That’s right: three. Times are tough.

Naturally, the San Jose Water Co. disagrees: Its filing says the demand for water continues to decline. The company contends that actual use fell 10 percent to 20 percent below estimates the last time it sought an increase.

Public hearing

The beauty of all this is that you get a chance to have your say. A public hearing on the rate increase is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Corinthian Room upstairs at the San Jose Athletic Club, 196 N. Third St. in San Jose.

“It’s an important point in the process,” said a DRA financial examiner, Richard Rauschmeier, who wrote much of the advocates’ report.

I plan to be there. If you care about the size of your water bill, you should too.

Contact Scott Herhold at sherhold@mercurynews.com or 408-275-0917.