SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Water Rates Go Up; First Hike Since ’84

The Capistrano Valley Water District has raised its water rates for the first time since 1984.

Rates will go up from 83 cents to 89 cents per hundred cubic feet of water, an increase that will raise the bimonthly summer bill for an average homeowner from $39.05 to $41.15, according to a district report.

The rate increase was needed to offset a 13% increase in the cost of wholesale water that the district buys from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said Don Metzger, the district’s administrative services manager. About 80% of the district’s water is purchased from the MWD, Metzger said.

The district has also approved a $3.7-million operating budget for fiscal year 1991-92, down slightly from last year’s budget of $3.8 million. Although water prices are going up, the district’s conservation plans should result in less water being used, Metzger said.

Because of the slowdown in the economy, the district does not plan any capital improvement projects next year, Metzger said. “Everything is pretty much on hold,” he said.