San Diego

Water rates will go up 13% next month for the typical San Diego family, raising its average bimonthly water bill from $25.99 to $29.41.

The San Diego City Council on Monday approved the rate increase, which will be applied for water used after July 1. A second 13% increase for residential water users will go into effect in mid-1987.

The increases were requested by the city’s Water Utilities Department to erase an anticipated operating deficit of $124 million by 1992. The department says the increases are not for changes in the cost of water, which are passed on routinely to its customers; instead, the extra money will be used to pay salaries and expenses, such as replacing water pipes throughout the city.

The council Monday also voted increases in the developer hookup fee. Previously, developers were charged $290 for every house, condominium, town house and apartment unit they built and were added to the city’s water system. The hookup fee could not amount to more than $5,000 for any project.

Beginning July 1, developers will pay $393 for a hookup, a fee that will increase to $545 in mid-1987. The $5,000 cap on hookup fees for any single project was discarded.