Trabuco Water District Inefficient

* I recently bought a new home in the area serviced by the Trabuco Canyon Water District (TCWD). Being concerned with utilities costs, I felt fortunate to be outside the Santa Margarita Water District, which had been recently rocked by scandal. Besides, the TCWD stated in its company’s mission statement that customers receive all services in a cost-effective and courteous manner.

In July, I received a letter informing me that the TCWD was going to increase its “customer service” to me by billing monthly instead of six times per year. I was told I would be better able to budget my water bill. I wondered how customer service would be any better when for budgeting purposes all I needed to do now was to divide my water bill by two. Plus, I’d have to write an additional check each month and use an additional stamp for each extra billing.

To make matters worse, I knew that the TCWD had to be practically doubling their postage, printing and paper costs for billing. Two weeks later, when I received my first monthly bill, the sewer usage fee had been raised by $2 per month, or 10%. Now I understood--my customer service had been improved through the TCWD passing on its cost inefficiencies to its users.

As a customer of the TCWD, I am the loser. I have the pleasure of paying over $30 in fixed water fees per month without even using a drop of water. However, there are two winners: There’s the TCWD management, which has succeeded in improving its company’s cash flow, and the U.S. Postal Service, which has seen postage revenue from the TCWD and its customers double in one month’s time.

BRIAN LEWANDOWSKI

Dove Canyon