O.C. Water District Rates to Rise Some $3.50 a Year
The Orange County Water District has approved a rate hike that will increase annual water bills by about $3.50 for some 2.2 million residents in north and central Orange County.
“We keep increasing the amount of water we take out because of population growth,” spokesman Ron Wildermuth said in explaining the need for the increase. “When we take more out, we’ve got to put more back in, and it costs money to do that.”
The rate increase, effective midsummer, will raise the average customer’s bill about 7%--or 10 to 30 cents a month--to generate about $2.5 million in additional annual revenue for the district, Wildermuth said. Among other things, he said, the money will be used to purchase more water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River “as a hedge against future drought,” as well as conducting research and buying new equipment aimed at “improving our ability to put water in the ground basin.”
One project the increase will help pay for, Wildermuth said, is the production of an experimental submersible cleaning device for lakes, designed to decrease clogging and increase water flow.
The Orange County Water District, which gets most of its water from the Santa Ana River, provides 75% of the water needs for North County.
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