You will likely see an increase in your water and sewer bill starting August 1st. The Coachella Valley Water District is considering rate hikes Tuesday but customers, against it, can actually stop the increase.
The rate increase would affect areas in the Coachella Valley Water District. This includes homes in La Quinta, Palm Desert, Mecca, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, North Shore, Bombay Beach, North of I-10, and parts of Cathedral City.
The proposed increase is expected to add about two dollars per month on a residential water bill but could go as high as four dollars. Currently, the average homeowner pays approximately $30.96 per month. Under the proposed rate increase, the same average monthly bill would be $32.94, according to the CVWD website.
The board is also considering raising sewer rates by two dollars per month.
If you live in La Quinta or Mecca, the proposed sewer bill would be just more than $29 per month.
CVWD says the rate hikes are necessary and the district had already made five million dollars in cuts. "These increases cover costs that cannot be eliminated – the cost of securing long-term water supplies for the Coachella Valley and the environmental mitigation costs that we are subject to, in addition to the need to cover prior year’s borrowing from reserves to balance the budget. We also must maintain 2,000 miles of pipelines, more than 100 wells and 60 reservoirs to meet the daily water demands of the valley," CVWD stated on its website.
Under Proposition 218, the board cannot consider a rate hike if more than half of customers oppose it. A CVWD spokesperson says 137,435 ballots were sent out.
CVWD mailed out notifications that the base could be increased by up to 18¢ per Ccf (Ccf is one hundred cubic feet, a standard billing unit equivalent to 748 gallons) over the next two fiscal years. After further evaluation and costcutting, CVWD staff compiled a proposed budget for 2010-11 that calls for a 9¢ increase. The final decision will be made by the Board of Directors.
