TRABUCO CANYON : Some in Portola Hills Get Water Rate Hike

Water rates will go up 15% Sunday for more than 500 homes in Portola Hills that are served by the Trabuco Canyon Water District.

The rate change is higher than a 5% increase for the rest of the district’s 2,600 customers, but Portola Hills residents will still have the lowest rates in the district, said district Treasurer Hershal Skidmore.

“This is to bring them a little closer,” Skidmore said.

Both rate increases were approved by the board of directors last June when they adopted a 1994-95 budget, Skidmore said.

The 15% increase for Portola Hills residents was necessary because state officials have taken away property tax revenue that helped underwrite the cost of providing water to customers there, Skidmore said.