Water rates changed, raised

Barbara Diamond

South Laguna residents will begin paying more for water in January.

The South Coast Water District Board of Directors voted 4 to 1 on

July 15 to increase the rates and standardize them for the entire

district, created in 1999 by the merger of three smaller districts.

The new rate structure, which is the final step in the consolidation

process, will be implemented in November.

Customers will find the increase in usage rates on their

bi-monthly bills, starting in January.

Laguna Beach property owners south of Nyes Place are served by the

district, which provides both water and sewer services. Fixed base

rates for water and sewer services will be collected annually on

property tax statements.

Most single-family residential customers will pay about $5 more a

month for the combined services in the 2004-05 fiscal year, according

to Linda Hornscheid, South Coast spokeswoman. The minimum increase

will be $2 a month. The maximum increase will be $25 a month.

The rate increase, which will total $2 million spread over the

next three years, will help fund increased costs for imported

drinking water, system maintenance and infrastructure replacement.

South Coast is the only South County district that will have a

flat rate base charge and a tiered charge based on water usage.

Irvine Ranch, Moulton Niguel and San Clemente water districts also

charge for usage by tier.

Tier categories generally are based on the number of units used.

A single cubic foot of water equals 748 gallons, Hornscheid said.

South Coast categories include “ultra low,” for customers that use

less than 500 cubic feet per billing period. Low usage is about 1,200

cubic feet and high is 2,000 cubic feet or more.

Laguna Beach, South Coast, El Toro and the Orange County

Sanitation District charge flat base rates. San Clemente, Mouton

Niguel and Santa Margarita water districts use water meter size to

determine the base rate.

For more information South Coast residential and commercial

customers can find detailed charts on water meters and usage, sewer

service and usage and bill estimator tool at www.scwd.org or call

(949) 494-4555.

The Laguna Beach Sewer Department, which is separate from the

Laguna Beach County Water District, is studying restructuring its

charges for sewer service, based on volume of water usage.

Traditionally the city has charged a flat rate for sewer usage. A

two-bedroom cottage is billed at the same rate as a mansion.

Restructuring the usage charge, based on volume would require

coordination with the water district, which Water Quality Director

David Schissler said was receptive. The water district, which

operated independently for about 75 years, became a city subsidiary

department in November 2000, with a commission appointed by the City

Council, acting as the Board of Directors.