belmond@theacorn.com

Triunfo Sanitation District officials plan to increase the cost of reclaimed water that is used to irrigate local parks and open space.

The board will review the rate increase again at a public hearing Jan. 24. If approved, the change will affect commercial users such as homeowners associations, schools, public agencies and golf courses in Oak Park and Lake Sherwood.

The current recycled water rate is $2.21 per hundred cubic feet. The cost will increase 39 cents to $2.60.

Mike Paule, chair of the Triunfo board of directors, said the rate hike reflects the higher cost of wholesale water and is necessary to pay for capital improvements and maintain the district’s distribution system.

A joint powers authority consisting of Triunfo and the Las Virgenes Water District in Los Angeles County sells wastewater treated at the Tapia sewer plant in Calabasas to Calleguas Municipal Water District. Calleguas charges a markup and distributes the reclaimed water back to Triunfo to sell to its Ventura County landscaping and common area irrigation customers.

Triunfo receives its potable supplies from Calleguas also.

Earlier this month, Triunfo officials approved a rate increase for potable water, but postponed a decision on the recycled product because they objected to Calleguas’ pricing method.

Calleguas bases its reclaimed water rates on the price of imported water. As the price of the imported drinking water goes up, so does the price of recycled water.

Triunfo had hoped to negotiate with Calleguas to lower rates, but the wholesaler refused because it needs its own cash flow to maintain recycled water infrastructure and recoup money invested in new pipelines.

Recycled water now costs Triunfo almost 90 percent as much as potable water.

Triunfo says it cannot stay solvent without passing on the rate increase to its customers.

“We really have no choice,” Paule said.

The last increase in recycled water for the Triunfo service area occurred in September 2009. Calleguas increased reclaimed water prices again in 2010, but Triunfo didn’t pass the increase on to its customers at that time.

The Triunfo board will meet at 5:15 p.m. Mon., Jan 24 to finalize the pass-through increase for reclaimed water. The meeting is at the Oak Park Library.In other matters, Triunfo approved a request by Verizon Wireless to install a new emergency power generator at the Kilburn water tank in Oak Park.

“There is not expected to be any impact to nearby residences with the placement of the emergency generator,” Paule said.

In exchange for the additional space, Verizon will pay an additional $200 per month on its $1,430 lease.

Four cell carriers lease space on the Oak Park tank and collectively pay about $74,000 annually to the district.