Newport-Mesa water fees rising

Andrew Edwards

Costa Mesa residents can expect to pay more for their water over the

coming year after the Mesa Consolidated Water District board approved

an expected rate hike at its Tuesday meeting.

The board voted to raise water rates by 12 cents per unit when the

body approved the district’s budget Tuesday. The hike increases the

price of one unit of water, 748 gallons, to $1.89. The new rate is to

go into effect July 1.

On average, the rate hike will mean a water bill will cost an

extra $1.92 per month, water district general manager Diana Leach

said.

Water district board member Fred Bockmiller reiterated previous

statements made by district officials, when he attributed the rate

increase to Mesa Consolidated’s own higher water costs.

“Our costs are driven by the Orange County Water District. We

don’t receive any tax money,” Bockmiller said.

The Orange County Water District, the agency that supplies

groundwater to Mesa Consolidated and other water suppliers in the

county, hiked its wholesale rates in April.

The board also voted to change customer billing to show a fee

reflecting the water district’s expenses to move pipelines and take

on other tasks made necessary by road projects. Leach said the water

district currently passes these costs on to its customers, and the

change simply identifies the cost on water bills.

“It’s just separating it out and showing it,” she said. “It was

buried in the rate.”

Other Newport-Mesa water providers are likely to approve rate

increases by the end of the month. In Newport Beach, the City Council

is expected to vote on its budget June 28. The budget could include

the city’s first water-rate hike since 1997, Newport utilities

director Eldon Davidson said.

Davidson said since 1997, the city has absorbed $1.5 million in

water-cost increases. He expects the city will face $450,000 in

increased water costs over the coming fiscal year.

“This year, it finally caught up to us,” he said.

Davidson said Newport’s use of its own water wells in Fountain

Valley helped the city keep prices level in past. Proposed fee

increases would raise water fees for Newport Beach residents about

$2.36 more per month.

Sewer rates are also likely to go up for the first time since

1997, Davidson said. Newporters could end up paying about $1.85 more

per month for sewer services. Davidson attributed the possible

sewer-rate hike to inflation and increased federal regulations that

require infrastructure improvements to prevent sewer spills. For

example, new regulations require sewer operators to pay the cost of

keeping roots out of pipelines.

If approved, Newport’s new water and sewer fees will appear on

bills in September, Davidson said.

A water-rate increase is also likely for Newport Coast residents,

who get water from the Irvine Ranch Water District, agency

spokeswoman Beth Beeman said. The district’s board is expected to

vote on its budget June 27. So far, that water district’s staffers

have not proposed a specific amount for a rate increase.