HUNTINGTON BEACH : Residential, Business Water Rates Hiked

Water rates for residences and businesses will jump by more than 20% this summer under increases approved by the City Council this week.

The council unanimously voted to increase water charges to offset $3.17 million the city expects to pay in additional water-related costs in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Average monthly water bills will balloon to $17.75 from the current rate of $14.54 for single-family homes and condominiums. Monthly water fees for apartments will climb to an average of $9.92 from $7.17 per unit. Water charges will also increase proportionally for businesses, depending on the size of water meter used.

The new rates take effect July 1.

The city’s water budget is projected to grow to $17.38 million in 1991-92, largely due to additional charges related to the statewide drought. State and regional water agencies are charging more for their water and services, in part to curb consumption. Enforcing and promoting conservation will cost the city more. And to make the city less reliant on water it buys elsewhere, it plans to spend more to shore up its water well facilities.

Based on the predictions of state water officials, water bill increases are expected to continue through the end of the decade, said Louis Sandoval, the city’s public works director.

The city last raised water rates in 1988. Because of the drought, strict standards for water use and the state’s booming population, water rates are expected to triple by the end of the decade, Sandoval predicted.

“Water bills of $100 a month will not be unusual during the 1990s,” Sandoval said, adding that the average monthly water bill in California is now $21.30.

With the new increase, Huntington Beach’s water rates will be the seventh-highest among Orange County cities and water agencies. The county’s highest fees are now charged by the Consolidated Water District--serving some unincorporated county regions and parts of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach--which bills customers an average of about $23 a month.