District Doubles Rates of Excessive Water Users

Residential customers using large amounts of water will be charged double for volumes considered excessive, the Irvine Ranch Water District board of directors unanimously decided this week.

“We’re doing this mostly to get their attention,” said Ronald E. Young, the water district’s general manager.

With no public comment, the board voted Monday to increase water rates for amounts greater than 26,180 gallons a month from the normal 53 cents per 748 gallons to $1.06. The action follows a move by the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies 70% of the district’s water, to charge penalty rates for amounts used in excess of last year’s quantity.

The board’s action is meant to send a message to excessive water users “to use a little common sense” and find ways of conserving, board President Peer A. Swan said.

Although the average residential water customer uses about 9,000 gallons of water a month, about 600 to 800 customers routinely use more than three times that amount, water district officials said.

Those customers will receive a letter notifying them of the water fee increase and inviting them to ask for a free water audit to find ways of conserving, Young said.

Customers with special water needs, such as those with very large families or those using water for physical therapy, may apply for exemptions from the surcharge.

In another effort to encourage water savings, the district is working on a tiered water-billing system that will slightly raise water rates for larger amounts of water used. That plan is expected to come before the board this spring and be implemented for the summer, when water usage goes up.