Crescenta Valley water customers to receive rate hike notices

The Crescenta Valley Water District customers will soon be notified about a proposed 6.9% water rate increase, although efforts to reduce costs at the utility may ultimately bring the final figure down.

The district’s board of directors on Tuesday voted to move forward with the rate hike, but asked officials to scour the budget to possibly reduce the rate hike before the next public meeting on the matter occurs in June.

“The notice will go out very shortly and then the public will react,” said board member Ken Putnam, adding that the amount of the increase can only go down once the letter, required by state law, is sent out.

But despite fears of blow back among customers, public reaction so far has been muted. Only a few customers showed up at the meeting on Tuesday to express concerns about the rate increase, Putnam said.

Past rate increases were also met with little fanfare.

Sewer rates were increased by 8.2% in October and customers saw an 8.2% water rate hike in January, followed by a 3.1% boost in July. Sewer rates are slated to jump another 8.4%.

The 6.9% rate increase the board is discussing now is set to take effect in July.

The district plans to fix a water main, rehabilitate two groundwater wells, replace a 20-year-old data system, install a chlorination system and undertake other capital improvements in 2013 and 2014, according to a district report.

The next public meeting about the rate increase is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on June 11 at 2700 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta.

-- Brittany Levine, brittany.levine@latimes.com

Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @brittanylevine.