CV Water District Discusses Rate Increase

On Tuesday evening, the Crescenta Valley Water District held a public meeting to discuss a possible rate increase of 4% to its customers. The increase will be effective on bills mailed after January 1, 2007.

Representatives said that CVWD reached this decision after much exploration and discussion into all matters concerning the district.

Their first step was to explore a water master plan whereby an assessment was made of the current and future ability of the district to deliver a reliable domestic water flow to the community. The water plan also included the delivery of water services in the event of a fire. A schedule for capital improvement projects for the district during the next decade was also included.

The meeting was led by Dennis A. Erdman, general manager, who also discussed the discovery of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in the wells of the CVWD. MTBE was recently detected in the Verdugo Basin. It is a gasoline additive used to reduce emissions from vehicles and can be transmitted to wells and reservoirs. It gets into the water through leaking underground storage tanks, spills and runoff. The master plan covers the restoration and replacement of these leaking tanks as well as other leaks found throughout the system.

Though the district acknowledges that these improvements will cost a lot of money, they ascertain that in the long run it will actually save the taxpayers by providing equipment that is more modern and state-of-the art. The proposed water commodity and service charges will add a $0.14 cent increase from the current rate. Thus, if a current monthly rate is $3.55 per unit (1000 gallons per unit), the proposed rate will be $3.69 -- an increase of 14 cents. If the resident usage is 14 units per month, the increase would be $2.40 per month.

Board Director Judy Tejeda explained, "We are trying to make the pain as small as possible for the customer. We have explored all the possibilities on how to do this. As you know, gas rates go up and down all the time — perhaps next year they will be down and other costs to us may go down. For now, this is what we have to deal with."