Altadena : Panel to Review Water Bills

The Town Council voted unanimously last week to appoint a special committee to investigate residents’ complaints that their water rates are too high.

The council acted after three of the unincorporated area’s water suppliers turned down its request to appear at its meeting Tuesday and a representative of the fourth supplier defended its rate structure.

William Bangham, water and power systems manager for Pasadena Municipal Services, which supplies water to parts of east Altadena, explained that the water Altadena gets from Pasadena is 35% more expensive than Pasadena’s because it must be pumped to higher elevations.

He also said homeowner rates are tiered according to blocks of usage, which usually means that larger landowners pay at a higher rate than smaller homeowners.

But JPL engineer Richard Benson, who is fighting Lincoln Avenue Water Co. over shareholder voting rights and claims that he and his wife have had bills as high as $400 a month for their acre-plus home, challenged the explanation.

“Why don’t we reactivate inactive higher-altitude wells and let the water run downhill?” he suggested.

Benson was appointed to the investigative committee. Other members will be appointed next month.