Avoid Haste in Raising Sewer Rates

San Diegans have been told for two years that their sewer bills--a bargain at $8 a month in 1987--would be rising substantially to pay for a much-needed overhaul of the city’s sewer system, to further clean up the waste water dumped into the ocean and for water reclamation.

Predictions have varied. But, generally, officials have warned that rates could rise to $25 to $33 a month by 1995 to pay for the city’s share of the $2.4 billion to $4.2 billion in long-overdue improvements.

The first increases--to $13.52 a month--were absorbed quietly by ratepayers; repeated spills made the need for extensive repairs very obvious. Also, 1995 seemed comfortably distant, and city officials held out hope that federal funds would defray some increases.

But a recent rate-increase proposal has brought 1995 into the present. The city manager is asking the City Council to approve a two-step sewer-rate increase, which would bring fees to $29.22 a month by July, 1990. Along with a water-rate increase, the average homeowner’s every-two-month bill could jump by $40.

Although such a hike could come as a shock to many homeowners, the size of the increase is not what’s so surprising. It’s in line with predictions, and may well be a price we have to pay to live in a near-desert and to protect the ocean that is part of our livelihood. It’s also the price of ignoring the Clean Water Act until all the available federal funds were given to other cities. Procrastination and years of unrealistically low sewer rates are catching up with San Diego.

But the proposal does seem untimely. For starters, the suggested rate increases presume that no federal funds will be forthcoming. That is a very possible scenario but one the city should not yet concede.

More important, the city is still studying six proposed combinations of secondary treatment and water reclamation, a costly but necessary part of the sewage treatment formula given that San Diego imports 90% of its water. Public discussion of the plans will not come for several weeks. Trying to raise rates before the public has had a chance to comment on the biggest public-works project in city history would be presumptuous at best.

In addition, the city has commissioned a study of possible changes in the rate structure. For example, one idea under consideration would be to base sewer rates for single-family residences on the amount of water used, as is done for apartments. This would promote conservation. Another idea is to establish a lower “lifeline” rate for minimal water usage, as is done with gas and electricity rates. The results of the study are expected this fall.

Finally, the city has yet to negotiate a timetable with the Environmental Protection Agency, which has sued the city for failure to meet federal standards.

All of these factors affect rates. So, although we are eager to see the city get on with the sewage system improvements, the City Council should first have an overall plan for the improvements and the best way to finance them. Keeping the sewer rates as reasonable as possible is especially important in light of the fact that other fees and taxes will probably have to be raised to pay for the city’s other major needs, such as more police.

But when the council considers the city manager’s proposal later this month, we hope the debate over timing of rate increases does not degenerate into a rehash of the merits of upgrading the sewage treatment system. Hyperbolic statements such as that made by an aide to Councilman Bruce Henderson, who said that the rate increases could force San Diegans to choose between paying their sewer bills and feeding their children, will only make public acceptance of this important project more difficult.