SAN CLEMENTE : Water Rates Will Increase at Least 13%

Water rates for San Clemente residents will likely increase at least 13% in the coming weeks with the recent rate hike by the city’s main water supplier, officials said.

Last week, board members with the Tri-Cities Municipal Water District approved a 1992-93 budget that includes a 21% rate increase for water supplied to San Clemente, effective July 1. The district raised the cost of an acre-foot of water, about the amount of water used by two average households in a year, from $312 to $394.

District General Manager Ray Woodside said the increase could have been as high as $412 per acre-foot, but the board decided to dip into its reserves to cover part of the costs.

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water to the Tri-Cities Municipal Water District, announced it would raise its rates by $61 an acre-foot to help pay for new projects needed to maintain a “reliable supply of water for Southern California.”

In addition to the MWD increase, the district is also facing higher costs related to a new pipeline and bonds used to help finance new projects, Woodside said.

San Clemente City Manager Michael W. Parness said the Tri-Cities increase will likely translate to a 13% hike for residents, although a final figure has not yet been set by the City Council.

With such an increase, the water bill for an average San Clemente residence would go up slightly less than $2 every two months.