Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 27, 2007
4. Water Quality
FEE INCREASE ISSUES:
Fees for sewage treatment in Fillmore rising; City has to pay for new plant - Ventura County Star
Quail Valley sewer system study grant likely - Riverside Press Enterprise
FEE INCREASE ISSUES:
Fees for sewage treatment in Fillmore rising; City has to pay for new plant
By Sam Richard, staff writer
Since Fillmore began boosting residents' utility rates earlier this year to pay for a costly new sewage-treatment plant, homeowners and renters have seen their monthly bills rise from $44 in February to $66 in July.
But for the heaviest users of the system — restaurants, retirement homes and institutions such as schools — the increase has driven monthly bills up by thousands of dollars. The bills have grown so large that big ratepayers are struggling financially.
"I have no reason to stay," said Constantin Balanos, co-owner of a Greek fast-food restaurant called Yanni's Best. He said he hopes to leave Fillmore and relocate outside the county as soon as possible.
Balanos said his monthly sewer bill was $200 or $300 three years ago. It's now risen to as high as $1,550.
Tougher state regulations
City officials are looking for ways to soften the sting of the rate increases, which are being imposed to pay for a $78 million project that includes a water recycling plant. The recycling facility must be built by September 2009 so the city can meet tougher state regulations for effluent discharged into the
Officials are researching whether it would cost less to treat sewage with the proposed plant's new technology compared to the cost incurred by the city's old technology, said Public Works Director Bert Rapp.
That could eventually lead to a redistribution of fees large customers have to pay, but cost savings may not be significant, he said.
The City Council should receive a report Oct. 23.
"Our objective is to make it equitable," Rapp said, adding several businesses have voiced concern about rising fees.
Costly new facility
Fillmore is not alone.
That will likely mean rate increases, but the amount isn't known. Previous estimates put the
Finley said businesses and other big ratepayers have expressed concerns about impacts fees will have.
"That's definitely something the council is considering, and trying to figure out how to really spread the sewer fees fairly," Finley said. "Everybody needs to pay their fair share and the challenge is how do you develop a fee structure to make that happen."
Artificial turf considered
For now, customers in Fillmore have begun cutting back on their water use — which the city uses to establish each customer's monthly sewer bill — to save money.
The
The monthly sewer bill for
To cover the increase, the district used money from its budget that would have gone toward books and instructional supplies, Bush said.
"I'm not happy about it, but I understand," Bush said. "I still view sewer as incidental to what we're really about, but it's taken a bigger bite of the pie."
Bill could total $30,000
The Orange Blossom, an assisted-living and residential care facility, and the
Gonzalez said their sewer bills totaled about $3,000 in March and have risen to about $10,000 recently. Gonzalez said he needs help, predicting that when fees rise in two years, the bill could total $30,000 a month. Paying that much, he said, "is not possible."
The City Council also budgeted about $50,000 this fiscal year to help businesses reduce their bills, Rapp said. Details are still being worked out, but large ratepayers could use funds to purchase low-flush toilets or no-flush urinals, Rapp said. #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/sep/23/fees-for-sewage-treatment-in-fillmore-rising/
Riverside Press
By Sean Nealon, staff writer
Final paperwork must be submitted, but "it's almost a sure thing" Quail Valley will get the money because it's high on the state's priority list, said John Ward, engineering program manager for Eastern Municipal Water District, which applied for the grant.
With the grant and continued cooperation of local agencies, Ward and other officials believe
"I think it's a very positive step forward to solve this very complicated problem in
He is proposing that the county contribute a yet-to-be-determined amount of money for
The grant announcement comes a year after the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board banned new septic tanks in
Officials from Eastern Municipal Water District, which would oversee the sewer system, plan to meet Oct. 8 with officials from Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, which oversees most of
Eastern officials are proposing to pay for environmental studies and a portion of design studies, including the entire cost of the design study for the area of
The water control board passed the septic-tank ban because of fears that future home development could cause a situation worse than what occurred during the winter of 2004-05, when a county survey found 28 percent of polled
There are an estimated 1,390 homes and more than 2,500 vacant lots in
The sewer system, which will take four to five years to design and build, would likely be paid for over 30 years through an assessment district that would require voter approval.
If every lot in
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ssewer27.3dae7d4.html
####
No comments:
Post a Comment