Hearings Planned on Water Rate Changes
San Fernando Valley residents concerned about a proposed change in water rates will have an opportunity to question Los Angeles Department of Water and Power commissioners about the issue at two upcoming hearings.
The first hearing will be held Wednesday at Valley College’s Monarch Hall, 5800 Fulton Ave., Van Nuys. The second will be held Oct. 11 at the DWP’s Water and Power Aqueduct Filtration Plant, 13101 Sepulveda Blvd., Sylmar. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m.
The purpose of the hearings is to receive input on the proposal of Mayor Richard Riordan’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Water Rates to revise the structure of the city’s water rates for single-family residential customers.
Water rates were restructured in 1993 into a two-block structure to encourage water conservation among all customers.
But after conducting public hearings and reviewing the impact of the new water structure, the Blue Ribbon panel recommended that the existing two-block structure be retained, but that the method of establishing the amount of water at the lower block be modified.
The new structure takes into account varying lot size, temperature and household size among customers.
Under the new proposal, which must be approved by water commissioners and the City Council, nearly 63% of DWP customers will have lower bills, while about 32% will see their bills increased.
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