Higher Water Bills Soak Some DWP Customers : Utilities: Though most in the Valley are getting a break, big totals due to hot weather, rising fees anger others.

Despite rate changes promising lower utility charges, thousands of Los Angeles homeowners this month face their highest bills ever from the city’s Department of Water & Power.

October bills--which include electric and water charges for the hot months of August and September--traditionally are the highest of the year. But this year, many residents got bills as much as $200 higher than last year--totaling more, in some cases, than their monthly mortgage payment.

The higher-than-expected bills have triggered hundreds of complaints, as well as a City Hall review. They also come despite a rate restructuring intended to discount rates for residents of the San Fernando Valley’s hotter climate, as well as for large families in the rest of the city.

City utility officials say charges have swelled largely because of higher-than-usual summer temperatures, the replacement of aging water meters that had been underreporting usage and sewer charges that have grown 238% since 1987.

The explanations have done little to turn aside the anger of residents. Those shocked at skyrocketing bills are lining up to protest the charges--so many are doing so that the appeals process takes four months. Others have resorted to hiring private consultants to appeal utility charges.

“This is a whole month’s salary for me,” said West Hills resident Maxine Cohen, whose $745 bill was nearly $200 more than last year’s. “They’ve got to be joking. This is two weeks’ food for my kids.”

Complaints such as Cohen’s are striking a chord in City Hall. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick on Friday plans to introduce a motion to revamp the way the sewer service charge is computed. Currently, sewer charges--which can make up a quarter of an average homeowner’s utility bill--are based on the amount of water a household uses. The city’s Department of Public Works figures that 60% of the water delivered to a residence goes down the sewer and bills residents accordingly.

But Chick and other critics say that figure is too high for many neighborhoods in the Valley, where homeowners dump extraordinary amounts of water onto lawns and into swimming pools during the summer. That water ends up either evaporating or percolating into the ground, not in city sewers.

“It’s not fair,” Chick said.

Chick’s proposal calls for a recalculation of the sewer charge, using the winter months as a base line, instead of tying it to monthly water use. Chick said she believes the amount of water people put into the sewer--either through washing clothes or flushing toilets--stays relatively constant year-round.

Officials from the Department of Public Works, which spends the sewer charge income on improvements to the system, did not return phone calls last week.

Because of the lengthy delays--and hassle--in appealing the utility charges, most just bite the bullet and pay.

“We’re wondering if we don’t pay, will they shut off our water and power?” asked Miriam Shabman of West Hills. She faces a $517 bill, her highest ever. “To me, this is robbery. It’s ridiculous.”

Some are turning to private consultants such as John Lapointe of West Hills, who base their fees on the amount of rebate or reduction they win for clients. For instance, when the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills sought to lower its bills, Lapointe was able to cut its utility surcharges by nearly 40%.

In return, Lapointe was paid half of the savings for three years, plus any rebates the church received.

A Northridge woman who has many fruit trees on her large lot also got her rate reduced after proving that most of her water went into the ground, not the sewer.

Besides the sewer charges, residents are upset over paying more for their water, even though they were promised lower rates this summer. DWP water resources engineer Gerald Gewe acknowledged that thousands of customers pay more under the new rates, including nearly a third of city residents.

But, Gewe said, the vast majority of Valley residents--more than 70%--got a slight break on their bills, paying about 15% less than last year. Those most likely to have higher bills are residents on smaller lots--less than 7,500 square feet--who use slightly more water than the citywide average.

Citywide, Gewe said, the DWP has delivered 2% more water than last year, in part because of hotter weather this summer, coming after a heavier-than-usual rainy season.

“People’s comfort levels have increased,” DWP spokeswoman Lucia Alvelais said. “They are using a little more water. Our field investigators noticed that after the spring rains people tended to use a little more water.”

Not only has water use grown slightly, but the city is also keeping better track of usage by replacing water meters citywide. Gewe said many of the city’s meters are 40 to 50 years old and have undercounted water usage for years. A difference of 5% in the meter reading can bump a resident into a higher use bracket where water costs 80% more.

Consequently, the new meters--which are being replaced at a rate of 40,000 to 50,000 per year--are resulting in many higher bills. Currently, new meters are being installed in many West Valley neighborhoods.

Gewe said in rare cases meters can be misread and that homeowners who suspect a problem should contact the DWP.

Hotter summer weather also increased many electric bills. Alvelais said air-conditioning units cost 20 cents per hour per ton to run, which can add up to an extra $100 to $200 on a bill.

“We’ve had hotter weather before, but what we found this summer was that it was continuously hot and people ran their air conditioners longer and more regularly,” Alvelais said, adding that she herself faces a $250 electric bill.

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Explaining Your DWP Bill

San Fernando Valley residents were promised relief from high utility bills when rates were restructured last spring. Most got it, but thousands of others are facing their highest Department of Water & Power bills ever. Here’s a look at how an average bill adds up:

Energy cost adjustment: Based on energy used, charges certain amount per kilowatt hour.

Subsidy adjustment: Pays for the cost of special customer programs, such as low-income.

1 inch service: Size of pipe

First tier water used: Determined through a variety of factors. For an average size Valley home, the rate is about $1.63 for every 100 cubic feet of water used up to about 3,800 cubic feet.

Second tier water used: Water use that exceed the first tier threshold is billed at a higher rate, about $2.98 for every 100 cubic feet used.

Sewer Service Charge: Levied by the city’s Department of Public Works, the charge finances improvements and maintenance for the sewer system. Calculated at about $1.36 for every 100 cubic feet of water delivered to a home.

hcf = hundred cubic feet

kwh = kilowatt hours

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Electric Residential Rate 1A Service charge 2 months x @ 0.30/mo. $.60 Energy used 1,236 kwh x @ 0.07288 $90.08 Energy cost adjustment 1,236 kwh x @ 0.02447 $30.24 Subsidy adjustment 1,236 kwh x @ 0.00207 $2.56 Meter 02--Electric total $123.48 Water Residential Rate A-03-00 1 inch service First tier water used 38 hcf x @ 1.63000 $61.94 Second tier water used 45 hcf x @ 2.98000 $134.10 Total water used 83 hcf Meter 02--Water total $196.04

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Charges imposed by non-DWP agencies

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City utility tax 123.48 x 10.0% $12.35 State energy surcharge 1,236 kwh x @ 0.00020 $0.25 Sanitation equipment charge 1 month x @ 4.50/mo $4.50 Sewer service charge 83 hcf x @ 1.35600 $112.55 Low-income sewer surcharge $0.99 Please pay this amount now due $450.16

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Source: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power