Residential Users Are Water Rate Losers

* It is not surprising that so many Valley homeowners have expressed anger over their recent water and power bills. The Department of Water and Power rate restructuring plan was deficient from the start, and those of us who opposed it warned of its consequences.

To be sure, water conservation is a worthy goal, and rate structuring is an appropriate vehicle to achieve it. But conservation does not have to include inequities--nor should it penalize those who have been conserving all along.

The present rate structure does both. It does not account for large families, large lots, climate differentials or demonstrated conservation.

In fact, almost the entire burden of conservation is placed on residential users. Commercial users are allowed summer usage that is 125% of winter consumption at the low block rate, even though their landscaping needs are proportionally less in many cases.

Perhaps the easiest solution, however, is not to throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water, but instead adopt an appeals procedure for residential users that expands their low block rate depending on family size, lot size, hotter climates and, especially, demonstrated conservation (both past and present).

Surely the worst thing that could happen would be to ignore the public’s pleas and leave the present inequities intact. That would not only unfairly continue to penalize many Valley homeowners, but it would further erode their confidence in a wasteful DWP that is all too often seen as mean rather than lean.

JOEL WACHS

Los Angeles

Wachs represents the 2nd District on the Los Angeles City Council.