Santa Monica : Water-Saver Incentive Plan
The City Council approved an ordinance that will allow the city levy a fee on residents who do not install certain plumbing fixtures designed to save water.
The city staff is expected to recommend next spring that the council adopt a 65-cents-a-month fee for each apartment unit and a $1-a-month fee for single-family houses that do not have certain fixtures, which are expected to include low-flow shower heads and toilets.
“It is anticipated that the effective date for the incentive fee will be delayed until May 1, 1990,” a staff report stated.
One critic called the plan a tax, but council members said that in passing the ordinance they made a commitment to follow through on the city’s water conservation program.
The measure could raise an additional $327,000 for the city, which could cover half of the costs of the program because it provides rebates to residents who install water-saving plumbing fixtures.
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