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Santa Clara Valley: Keep pumping fee for water supply funding, says editorial

Posted by: Maven on March 20, 2010 at 5:10 am

From the Silicon Valley Mercury News:

“The Santa Clara Valley Water District is in a bind. A court ruling on a lawsuit by well owners has placed a major source of the district’s revenue, a groundwater fee, in serious question. So the public agency now is asking the well owners for permission to continue charging them the fee, which brings in $70 million a year — a quarter of the district’s budget.

They might well say no, but that would be a mistake. It’s our water supply they’re toying with. Keeping the system strong is important not only for residents but for the region’s economy: Nothing, not even high taxes, will drive companies away as surely as uncertainty about the water supply.

The water district maintains that supply, among other responsibilities. It provides water to the utilities and private companies that sell it to consumers. About half of that water comes from wells — but two thirds of the well water is put into the ground by the water district, drawing on reservoirs and imported supplies. This is the basis for the fee, which owners call the pump tax. Other water districts have similar fees, some significantly higher. … “

Continue reading this article from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.

March 20, 2010 · Filed Under Bay Area

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