Crescenta Valley Water District eyes bump in water rates

Roughly a year after the Crescenta Valley Water District ratcheted up water and sewer rates, the water provider is considering another set of increases.

Officials have proposed a 5.8% jump for water beginning July 1 and two years of boosts for sewer — 4.7% this July 1 and 4.4% the following July 1.

If approved, a bimonthly water bill for a typical residence with a 3/4-inch meter using 22 units of water, or 22,000 gallons, would increase by $8.10 to $147.46, according to a district notice. The bimonthly sewer bill would go up by $3 to $67.50 after the first rate change and by another $3 to $70.50 in 2015.

The District’s board of directors plans to vote on the rate hikes at a public meeting on June 10.

In July 2013, the district increased its water rate by 5.6% and its sewer rate by 8.4%, said spokeswoman Christy Scott.

Average single-family customers in the district currently pay more than their counterparts in Burbank, Pasadena and Glendale, according to a Glendale city report released this week as the City Council in that city reviewed its own proposed water-rate increases.

Some Glendale residents as well as those who live in the unincorporated area of La Crescenta are covered by Crescenta Valley Water District.

According to the notice, the district plans to use the extra revenue from the planned rate hikes to fix aging water and sewer infrastructure. The district funds all capital repairs and replacements with rate revenues.

Projects planned for the water side for next fiscal year include rehabilitating two groundwater wells, purchasing an additional water source, completing a study to use storm water to recharge the groundwater basin and replacing 3,000 linear feet of aging pipelines mostly installed in the 1950s.

There are also aging sewer collection parts that district officials say must be maintained to a level set by state and federal regulations.

In addition to increasing maintenance and improvement costs, the district faces rising operation coals, such as electricity, fuel, chemical treatment and regulatory compliance.

The public meeting on the proposed rates is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the district’s headquarters, 2700 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta.

For more information about the proposed rate increases, call (818) 248-3925,

--

Follow Brittany Levine on Google+ and on Twitter: @brittanylevine.

ALSO:

Glendale to serve as host city for 2015 Special Olympics event

Crescenta Valley High baseball locks up share of Pacific League title

Lawsuit claims Porsche was going only 55 mph in Roger Rodas, Paul Walker fatal crash