COUNTYWIDE : Water Treatment Plant Fees Raised

The Ventura County Regional Sanitation District decided Thursday to raise fees at the Montalvo waste water treatment plant but postponed until next month a plan to raise fees at two landfills that could increase residential garbage bills.

The rate boost at the treatment plant, which takes effect July 1, will mean increased costs for businesses, such as builders who use portable toilets at construction sites, general manager Wayne Bruce said.

Under the new rate structure, fees to treat liquid wastes will range from $11.25 per thousand gallons of food-processing water to $70 per thousand gallons of waste from portable toilets, the most difficult type of waste to treat.

Currently, the district charges between $11.25 and $38 to treat various types of liquid waste.

Bruce said the higher rates are necessary to meet increased operating costs for chemicals, utilities, labor and regulatory compliance requirements.

A decision to increase user fees at the Baillard landfill in Santa Clara and the Toland Road landfill was postponed until May 24. If approved, residents will pay up to $1.25 more a month to have their garbage collected, Bruce said.

The plan calls for raising fees at the Baillard landfill to a maximum of $40 a ton from $30, a 33% increase. Fees at the Toland Road landfill would rise a maximum of 27% to $33 a ton from $26.

Directors will also discuss a proposal to spend a portion of the money collected at the landfills on other Regional Sanitation District programs, such as recycling and regional waste planning studies.