Officials Seek Changes in Water Measure’s Figures : Ventura: Three councilmen want to lower the cost estimate for desalination and raise the amount for tapping state sources.

Several Ventura City Council members want to alter cost estimates in the city’s November ballot measure on long-term water projects, saying that corrections are needed to give a more accurate price portrayal on converting seawater to drinking water or of tapping water from the State Water Project.

Councilmen Tom Buford, Gary Tuttle and Mayor Gregory L. Carson said they want to reduce the estimated cost of desalinated water from $1,924 per acre-foot to $1,272 per acre-foot in the ballot measure, which comes up for final review by the council Monday night.

The acre-foot cost estimate of importing state water would be increased from $823 per-acre-foot to $942, according to the council members’ proposal. One acre-foot amounts to 43,560 cubic feet of water, or the amount of water that would cover one acre to a depth of one foot.

The three officials said the original estimates did not take into account important factors that will change the costs. For example, desalinated water is purer than state water and would allow area water agencies to mix more inexpensive ground water in the blend that is delivered to the tap.

With the proposed price changes, Carson said, “We can compare apples and apples.”

Tuttle said he urged Carson and Buford to consider the revisions because the ballot measure did not fairly compare the costs. “The numbers were not right,” Tuttle said.

Buford said he will suggest the changes to the full City Council on Monday night. The council must act quickly to revise the measure and submit it to county elections officials by later this month to qualify it for the November ballot.

To help voters compare the two choices, the ballot measure will also include an estimated average monthly water rate in the year 2010, if the city were to pick either alternative.

The estimates show that the average monthly rate, which is now $28, would climb to $53 a month if a desalination plant were to be built. The average rate would rise to $42 a month if the city builds a pipeline that taps the State Water Project. The three council members are not disputing those numbers.

The council decided at its meeting Monday to place a non-binding advisory measure on the ballot. The measure would allow voters to voice their opinions on whether they want to build a desalination plant or construct a pipeline to the state water system. The elected officials will retain the final say on the matter.

At least one council member said Wednesday that he won’t go along with his three colleagues’ proposed changes.

“The numbers the way they had been written are fine,” said Councilman James L. Monahan. “It just bothers me that they get together and make these little deals in the back room. The public will see it as wishy-washy.”

But Tim Downey, chairman of a group called Desal Water, applauded the corrected figures.

“I commend the council for its willingness to put before the people what I believe will be a clear choice,” he said.

Downey added that if the council adopts the new numbers, his group plans to put off its efforts to place a measure on the ballot that would force the council to implement the citizens’ choice.

“We’ll redirect our efforts to the November campaign rather than to qualifying an initiative for the ballot,” he said.