Sewer rates to go up

on Jan. 1

By Stephanie Bertholdo

Acorn Staff Writer

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) approved an ordinance that would hike sanitation fees over an 18-month period beginning Jan. 1.

According to water district officials at last week’s board meeting, sewer charges will be increased $2 per month at the beginning of the year, followed by an additional $1 per month hike on July 1. A full year later, the monthly rate will be increased by an additional $1.50.

The charges will apply to existing clients who get sewer service from the Tapia Water Treatment facility (from the west end of Calabasas through Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, south to Mulholland Highway).

According to a brochure that will explain to consumers how and why sewer service rates are going up, there’s good news on the horizon for customers with exceptionally low water use.

Customers who consume 12 units or less of water during a billing period will get a discount on sewer charges. One unit equals 748 gallons of water.

A host of reasons have contributed to the rate hike, officials said. According to information provided by the district, fees for state permits for wastewater treatment nearly doubled this year and security measures put into effect after 9-11 have prompted more testing, reinforced barriers and greater surveillance.

Modern disinfection of wastewater treatment has increased by 50 percent and worker’s compensation has skyrocketed, officials said. Electricity rates for the district have doubled since 1996.

According to Gene Talmadge, planning administrator for the water district, cited two additional issues. "One dealt with capacity fees, which formerly had been known as connection fees," he said. Talmadge explained that while new customers will pay more in fees for conservation, they’ll pay less for the water construction fee. "The net reduction is $600," Talmadge said, noting that these fees apply to new customers only.

The brochure also explains how the water district has tried to cut costs and tighten its belt. Staff has been reduced, although there are nearly 10 percent more customers. The brochure also says that management has been cut by 35 percent, and that during the summer, some staff members start as early as 3 a.m. so high energy consumption tasks can be completed in off-peak hours, when electric rates are lower.

In the next two years, LVMWD anticipates the need to spend an additional $3.5 to $5 million for construction costs to offset the state’s restrictions on releasing surplus recycled water into Malibu Creek.

The district complies with the 1998 law by spending more than $500,000 in diverting overflow to Los Angeles, spraying excess reclaimed water on local hillsides and in providing incentives for customers to irrigate greenbelts with reclaimed water.