Doubled L.A. Sewer Fees Get Tentative OK

The City Council acted Wednesday to more than double the sewer fees charged homeowners, businesses and builders over the next several years to help pay for a major upgrading of Los Angeles’ overloaded sewer system.

The rate increases would gradually boost the $5.20 monthly charge per residence to $11.63 in 1992-93. The first increase, scheduled for next month, would be 31 cents a month.

In addition to higher monthly rates, new developments would pay sharply higher hookup charges. The council put off a decision on how much those charges would rise, but it appeared the increase could be more than 200%. Currently, developers are charged about $475 to hook a new single family home into the sewers and $163,000 to hook up a 400,000-square-foot office building.

Also, businesses that generate high volumes of waste water requiring extra treatment would pay more. A typical laundry service, which currently pays a $3,100-a-year surcharge for using the sewers, would see that fee rise to about $13,400 in 1991-92.

Calling the sewer system “a mess,” Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the Revenue and Finance Committee, said the rate increases are “the other shoe we’ve been talking about dropping” in the city’s pledge to rebuild its aging sewer system and reduce raw sewage spills and contamination in Santa Monica Bay, where the city dumps its treated sewage.

The spills, which have resulted in fines by the state Regional Water Quality Control Board, have become a source of embarrassment for City Hall leaders, particularly Mayor Tom Bradley. Gov. George Deukmejian, whom Bradley is challenging this year, has made the raw sewage spills an issue in the gubernatorial race.

The fee increases, given preliminary approval on a unanimous vote, would help finance $1.3 billion in sewer system improvements required by state. The construction would include facilities to remove more sewage from city waste water pumped into ocean, replacement of old sewer lines and additional treatment facilities in the San Fernando Valley.

Less Than Predicted

Under the financing plan approved Wednesday, the sewer fee increases charged homeowners would be less than predicted earlier. Several months ago, city staff told the council that fees would need to triple in the next four years to cover the costs of needed improvements. However, Wednesday’s action would spread out the costs by relying on a $700-million sale of long-term bonds.

Yaroslavsky called the rate increases “modest” and “absorbable” and said they more accurately reflect the costs that should be borne by residences, businesses and developers.

Dorothy Green, president of a coalition of homeowner groups concerned about pollution in the bay, said the fee increases are a step in the right direction. However, she said those firms dumping hazardous wastes into the sewer system should pay sharply higher fees.

Green also repeated the group’s demand for a citywide building moratorium until the sewer system is expanded. She said the improvements being proposed would repair and upgrade the existing system, but are not adequate to handle the city’s continuing development.

However, staff members told the council that they believe the improvements will accommodate expected growth.