News 9 San Diego Blog

SAN DIEGO — The new year ushered in higher water rates for San Diegans who joined residents countywide in paying more to cover the rising wholesale cost of water.

In November the San Diego City Council approved a 7.75 percent rate increase for typical single-family homeowners after agreeing with a staff report that said the city had no choice but to recoup the additional money it is spending on water. The study estimated the EC of the higher rates approximately rise to approximately $30 million more a year everywhere in the city.

The raising of prices is the sixth jump since 2007 for the taxpayers of San Diego who are levellings of financing to the coolant circuit on buying more expensive water. Typical single-family customers in San Diego will see their 2010 bills rise by about $5 a month though the exact amount will vary with use.

Increases elsewhere have been staggered over the past several months and they are likely to continue even as customers are asked to continue conserving water as Californias drought persists into its fourth year.

There is the sense that there will be another double-digit (jump) next January said Jim Barrett head of the San Diego Water Department and a board member for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California the regions main water wholesaler.

Barrett said the board will get its first look at updated rate-increase proposals this month and hold a public hearing before it makes a final decision. The metropolitan one had approved an increase in average rate of 19.7 percent April spent and it then projected a similar increase for 2011.

What it represents is the end of the era of cheap water the brick of Timothy President of the council of metropolitan said then.

To sprinkle the civils servant blame the increasing costs on several factors including poor budgeting by the metropolitan one and an apprehensive supply water provided by Scandinavian California and the Colorado River.

In spite of some rains of steeping this winter it proves that the residents in the county of San Diego and through southernmost California will be inside during another year of a restricted utility of water.

We always play the correction said Sue Sims to the State Department of the water resources. Looking at the real possibility of a fourth dry year we must prepare now conserve now and act now so that we have enough water for homes farms and businesses in 2010 and in the future. . .