(March 7, 2009, The Mercury News)

Foster City residents who take their time in the shower or run the washing machine with just a few shirts inside will soon pay for their wasteful ways.

At a meeting Monday night, the Foster City City Council will consider approving a water rate structure that escalates the cost of water as more of it is used. The aim is to motivate residents to conserve water during a statewide drought.

Currently, water rates are based on the size of a customer’s property and the availability of water and water use. It does not become more expensive with additional consumption.

Under the proposed ordinance, occupants of some small houses, especially if they conserve water, could actually cut their $16 bi-monthly water bills in half. Occupants of large homes who waste the most water could see their bi-monthly rates balloon from $128 to $221.

Among 5,100 houses in the city, the average water bill would rise 10 percent from $41.60 to $45.75 every other month, according to Administrative Services Director Steve Toler.

Residents in the city’s 2,600 multifamily units — which include apartments, condos, town homes and duplexes — would also be charged based on water usage. The formula for calculating their bills is complicated, however, as 30 of the city’s 49 multifamily complexes have master meters that don’t calculate each unit’s water usage.

The proposed ordinance would not affect irrigation and business customers, which combined account for 36 percent of the city’s water use. But the council could decide to include them in July 2010, by which time the city should have been able to develop a fair, tiered-based system for them.The new residential water bill rates are expected to generate about $2.4 million for the city, or about 10 percent more than the current rate would. If residents reduce water consumption 10 percent after the new rate structure kicks in, the city wouldn’t lose any money.

City officials’ research of other communities with tiered rates found that the new formula could result in 15 to 30 percent less water used over the long term, though residents are unlikely to substantially change their habits initially.

Council Member Pam Frisella, a water conservation advocate, said she favors the new policy but fears some residents may simply buy more water instead of cutting back.

“I guess you just take their money, you just can’t make them (conserve),” Frisella said. “If you’re using that much more, maybe we should pay a little visit to see why people are using so much more.”

She added it may be a good idea to strike deals with large families who can’t help but use lots of water so the policy would not be too much of an economic hardship on them.

Foster City officials said about 60 cities in California have either implemented or introduced some form of tiered-based water rates, including seven of the 12 agencies they surveyed in San Mateo County.

The city’s efforts to reduce water are not new. It has already issued 1,500 rebates to residents who purchased low-flow toilets, and 1,400 rebates to those who bought high-efficiency washing machines.

If the council leans toward the rate change Monday, the city would hold a public hearing June 1 and could begin charging the new rates in July.

The council on Monday also will consider charging residential wastewater rates based on flow. Currently, everyone pays a fixed rate for wastewater handling, though the rates for houses are different than for multifamily homes.

Under the proposal, the average occupant of a multifamily home would save $9.23 bi-monthly while the average house occupant would pay an extra $9.68, Toler said. Businesses are already charged wastewater rates based on flow.

E-mail Mike Rosenberg at mike.rosenberg@dailynewsgroup.com.

Water bill changes for single-family residences under proposed usage-based rates:

Water usage bimonthly Current bimonthly rate New bimonthly rate
10 units (low end) $16 $8.50
26 units (average home) $41.60 $45.75

40 units (high end) $128 $221.25
Wastewater bill changes under proposed usage-based rates:

Water usage annually Current bimonthly rate New bimonthly rate
20 units (low end) $81.96 $42.62
43 units (average home) $81.96 $91.64
58 units (high end) $81.96 $123.61

(Original Article Here)

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