-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [RL] Water Rates
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 08:48:22 -0700
From: Jay O'Brien <jayobrien@att.net>
To: Rio Linda Elverta Mailing List <riolinda@vrx.net>
CC: Bob Reed <RReedCG@aol.com>

Here's an article for comparison. This is in the City of Santa Rosa, who, like RLECWD, uses rate consultant Bob Reed. "Do the math".
 

This originally had a link to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, but apparently they don't leave articles on line very long. Here's the text of the article:

Study finds residents already conserving because of higher rates in city

June 8, 2001

By MIKE McCOY
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Santa Rosa's City Council and Board of Public Utilities rejected raising water rates after learning Thursday its residents are among the most conservation-minded in Sonoma County.

Consultant Bob Reed, hired to examine the city's water-rate structure, said the existing rates already encourage greater conservation than displayed by all but one of Santa Rosa's nine partners in a water delivery system that siphons water from the Russian River.

"There is no compelling reason for the city to change its rate structure," Reed told the council and board members. In a comparison of monthly bills and daily water use among the 10 partners in Sonoma and Marin counties, Reed said the average Santa Rosa household pays $24.86 a month and uses 8,700 gallons of water.
 
Only households within the Marin Municipal Water District pay more ($34.66 a month) and use less (8,300 gallons).

The lowest bill was charged by Rohnert Park, a flat $15 a month for unlimited water use, and its households accounted for the second highest use, 11,000 gallons a month on average. Windsor households recorded the highest average monthly use, 11,700 gallons a month, and pay $16.63 a month on average under that city's tiered rate structure.

Deputy Water Resources Director Virginia Porter said not only does Santa Rosa's water-rate structure encourage conservation, so do the city's wastewater rates, which also charge on a per-1,000-gallon basis.
 
Porter said for each 1,000 gallons of water saved on indoor uses, 1,000 gallons fewer go into the sewage system. That reduces the average homeowner's combined monthly water and sewer bill by $7.50 for each 1,000 gallons, she said.

The push to review water-rate structures is being fueled by an agreement among the 10 partners, which include several water districts along with Novato, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Windsor and Santa Rosa.

As part of that agreement, all 10 members agreed to review their rate structures and make changes to encourage greater conservation if warranted. The agreement attempts to implement measures, including pricing structures, in the face of potential water shortages over the next few years.

Together, the 10 partners provide water to about 600,000 residents in the two counties.

The 10 are dependent on an aging well and aqueduct system operated by the Sonoma County Water Agency that has failed to keep pace with the demands of growth, mostly peak demands during hot summer months. The water agency has discussed a $140 million plan to expand the system and increase its delivery capacity to 149 million gallons, but the project has been on hold for several years because of lawsuits filed by environmental organizations.

The current delivery system can provide 84 million gallons a day, and a new pumping station on the river near Forestville that could boost daily production by 8 million to 10 million gallons a day isn't expected to be completed until 2004.

Because of that, the 10 partners have agreed to divvy up the 84 million gallons until additional supplies become available.

Reed said Santa Rosa's rate structure, which charges the same amount for each 1,000 gallons used, encourages conservation without unfairly penalizing larger households through a tiered system. A tiered system increases the amount charged for higher levels of water used and can result in larger families paying more on a per-capita basis.

Board of Public Utilities member Ross Liscum said Santa Rosa's system is fair to everyone. "Regardless of who you are, you pay for what you use," he said.

Reed said Rohnert Park's rate structure, which provides unlimited water for only $15 a month, fails to penalize those who waste water.

Rohnert Park, however, has plans to install water meters on 6,000 to 7,000 homes within a year, a $3 million project that would allow the city to implement a rate system based on use.

You can reach staff writer Mike McCoy at 521-5276 or e-mail mmccoy@pressdemocrat.com