Whittier : Council Relents and Cuts Water Rate Hike--a Little

The City Council has voted unanimously to reduce the sting of higher water rates originally approved in June. Rates will still go up for all customers, starting with the bill for August, but not by as much.

Whittier’s three-tiered system charges the lowest rate for customers who cut their water use by at least 20% from what they used in 1989. Residents who cut water use by 0% to 19% pay the next rate. Customers who use more water than in 1989 will pay the highest price.

The council action reduced the rate at each tier. A family that used to have a two-month water bill of $22.68 will see its water costs rise to $29.56. The bill would have been $32.44 under the original plan.

The council decided to reduce the price increase after the city received about 400 requests from families asking to be exempted from their conservation target. The requests flooded in even before the city had sent out its first water bill under the new rates. Department of Public Works officials concede that the system is complicated and said they would try to explain the rates to confused customers.