Water Rates to Change July 1

At its most recent meeting, the City Council voted on and approved new rates for water for its Fiscal Year 2012-13, which will go into effect for all residents on July 1.

There's good news, and bad news - some rates will actually go down; others will go up.

The City explained that, at least in part, the rate changes are necessary because wholesale water rates by the provider the District gets its water from are going up. In a public hearing notice mailed to all residents recently, the City indicated: 

"The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has indicated the need to increase its wholesale water rate to the District by 12 percent, to $2.95/ccf. In response, the District proposes to raise its base consumption charges by 17.7 percent to $3.13/ccf."

Editor's Note: In this instance, "ccf" is equal to a unit of 748 gallons of water.

However, in a bit of good news, the City has proposed that Fixed Meter Charges will go down, by 10 percent.

The City also indicated in the public hearing notice that the local water district has a goal of lowering water consumption within the District by as much as 20 percent by the year 2020.

"[The District] is using a three-pronged approach in achieving these goals: 1) conservation education; 2) use of conservation-based water rates; and, 3) expanded water rebate programs," the notice read.

The notice went on to explain that tiered rate structures will be applied to both single- and multi-residence customers - meaning, as you use more water, the rate per "ccf" will increase. The bottom of the tier will begin at $2.35/ccf; at the second tier, the rate will be $3/13/ccf, and the top tier will be $4.70/ccf.

Commercial water customers will be charged a flat rate of $3.13/ccf, putting them in the middle of the tiered structure.

In other good news, the notice also indicated that the City has recommended there be no rate changes to wastewater for Fiscal Year 2012-13.

The City encourages everyone to do their part in helping to reduce water consumption throughout the District.

As an incentive, the City is expanding its water rebate offerings. Examples of how residential customers can save money include:

• High Efficiency Toilet Retrofit: Replace your high-use toilet (more than 3.5 gallons per flush) with a low-water use toilet (1.3 gallons per flush). REBATE: $150 per toilet, up to 3 per home.
• "Lawn Be Gone" Program (through water district): Convert at least 200 square feet of lawn to a drought-resistant plant material (see list of approved materials). REBATE: 50 cents per square foot, up to $500 max.
• Smart Irrigation Controller Rebate: Conversion from older irrigation devices to an approved smart irrigation device or the addition of smart irrigation devices to a landscaped area. REBATE: 100 percent of cost, up to $150 max.
• Landscape Water Use Audits: Available to Customers using at least 60 ccf bi-monthly. OFFER: Free evaluation of your outdoor water use by an irrigation expert.
• Synthetic Turf Rebate: Conversion of existing lawn with a synthetic surface. Any existing irrigation system must be removed. REBATE: $4 per square foot, up to $2,000 max.
• Washing Machine Rebate: Replace an older machine with a new Energy Star model. REBATE: Up to $125.

There are also many rebate/offer programs for irrigation customers and combination domestic/irrigation meter customers.

For more information on the City's rebate/offer programs, visit the information page on the City website.

For more information on the City's water and sewer services and rates, visit http://www.fostercity.org/Services/water/

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