This is just one post in the Conservation Category

Water board turns off rate hike: Long Beach rates will not increase yet, pending implementation of a tiered water rate system

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 11, 2008 at 10:15 am

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

Water and sewer rates will not increase, at least not yet.

The Board of Water Commissioners on Thursday rejected a plan to increase residential water and sewer rates, postponing what the department says is inevitable. The increase has been delayed until the Long Beach Water Department can create a tiered system to encourage commercial, industrial, irrigation and business sectors to conserve water and pay for what dean of the Commissioners Stephen Conley calls a commodity.

“I felt that we’ve addressed this issue for three years, and it’s time to do it on a simplistic basis. Simplistic basis being that we’re talking about water as a commodity, so the more you use, the more you ought to pay. That’s what the residential people do, so it ought to be the same for the other people,” Conley said.

Conley suggested that the water department look at Los Angeles, Irvine and other cities that have tiered rate systems to come up with its own, more simplistic two-tiered system. “We don’t have the detail and the data to be able to create a very refined method of allocation,” Conley said.

However, Kevin Wattier, the general manager of the water department, said that it would probably take many years for the entire project to be implemented.

Ryan Alsop, the director of government and public affairs, said he agrees with Wattier and that the new utility billing system is a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative. The millions of dollars go toward the software, hardware, infrastructure and other necessities for the installation of the new comprehensive utility billing system for the City of Long Beach, headed by the city’s technology services group. This system would include not only water, but sewer, gas, garbage and possibly other services.

The city’s technology services will be going to the City Council on July 22 to award a contract for this project, said Wattier via e-mail.

Read the full text of this story from the Long Beach Press-Telegram by clicking here.

July 11, 2008 · Filed Under Conservation, Long Beach Water Department