WESTLAKE VILLAGE : 6,000 Water Users Face 5% Rate Hike

The cost of water has gone up by 5% for about 6,000 residential customers in eastern Ventura County.

The typical monthly bill of about $31 for residents in the Westlake Village area of Thousand Oaks will go up about $2, said Carole Kretzer, spokesman for the California Public Utilities Commission. The commission regulates California Water Service, the privately owned utility that asked for the rate hike.

The hike, which went into effect May 4, will offset the increased cost of pumping water, the water itself and mailing bills, Kretzer said.

Since 1986, when the water company’s rates were last reviewed, the annual cost of power has risen $31,000, water has risen $46,700 and postage has gone up $800, said Han Ong, a PUC supervisor.

A $17,700 decrease in property taxes paid annually by the utility over the same four-year period was subtracted from the higher costs to arrive at the 5% hike, Ong said.