FALLBROOK: Water rate meeting postponed

Rates expected to rise by 10 percent; conservation urged

By TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer | Monday, June 23, 2008 8:07 PM PDT ∞

FALLBROOK ---- Water officials postponed a key meeting during which they were expected to raise water rates Monday night because not enough board members were present to hold the meeting.

Two Fallbrook Public Utility District board members and General Manager Keith Lewinger answered questions for about half an hour while awaiting another director, but the meeting was adjourned at 5 p.m. for lack of a quorum.

The meeting was rescheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, June 30, at the utility district .

On Monday's agenda was the district's 2008-09 budget, as well as a proposed increase in domestic water rates for thousands of customers in Fallbrook, which officials said is necessary due to the rising cost of drinking water. The hike would be approximately 10 percent.

The proposed rate changes would mean a monthly billing increase of about $11 for the average water customer, defined as a household that uses about 30,000 gallons of water per month, said administrative services director Marcie Eilers.

The actual rate change includes switching from a two-tier rate system to a system with three tiers, Eilers said.

Currently, residential customers are billed $2.07 per thousand gallons ---- referred to as a "unit" ---- for the first 10,000 gallons of water they use every month, then $2.39 for every unit above 10,000.

Under the proposed changes, the first 10,000 gallons would be billed at $2.17 per unit if customers use less than 12,000 gallons that month.

If customers use more than 12,000 gallons in a month, they'll pay $2.48 per unit for the first 30,000 gallons, then $2.73 a unit for anything over 30,000 gallons in a month.

Sewer fees are also expected to jump from $42.78 to $45.96 per single family residence.

Eilers said the proposed increases are largely due to higher water costs from the San Diego County Water Authority. The Fallbrook district buys almost all its drinking water from the authority.

She also said the new rate structure is a conservation measure designed to reward customers who keep their water usage below the 12,000-gallon mark each month, and to encourage those using more than 30,000 to cut back.

"We're really trying to encourage conservation," Eilers said.

She said the district knows that raising rates does not always translate into conservation, so the district will also be voting on a water conservation plan that includes penalties for wasting water under severe drought conditions when it meets on Monday.

The district is located at 990 E. Mission Road, and can be reached at (760) 728-1125.

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.

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