THOUSAND OAKS : Council Expected to Question Water Cost

The Thousand Oaks City Council today is expected to question a new rate increase that would raise the price of imported water by 28%.

The proposal by the Calleguas Municipal Water District would mean a jump in wholesale water prices from $271 to $347 per acre-foot, utilities Director Don Nelson said in a report to the council.

An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons of water, enough to supply two families for a year.

Any increases that the city must pay will probably be passed on to 12,800 water customers, Nelson said.

Customers could see their monthly water bills increase by an average of $4.75, he said.

Calleguas is planning to pass along rate increases announced by its supplier, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

It is also using rate increases as a way to finance $185 million in projects over the next 10 years, the largest of which is a $51-million filtration plant at Lake Bard, Nelson said.

But the proposal has angered some city officials, including Councilman Alex Fiore, who said Calleguas officials have not justified the rate increase to the public.

“Nothing has ever been this dramatic. It’s a big increase, and in one fell swoop,” Fiore said.

He said Simi Valley city officials questioned the increase and the timing of the announcement.

Because of the drought, Thousand Oaks residents are under an order from the city to trim their water use by 20%, or pay penalties.