NEW HIKES ON TAP FOR THE VALLEY? TIERED SYSTEM BEING PROPOSED FOR WATER BILLS.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer PALMDALE - Homeowners could see their water bills jump more than one-third next summer in parts of Lancaster and west Palmdale, and by lesser amounts in Lake Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and elsewhere in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley . Los Angeles County Waterworks waterworks: see water supply. officials are proposing to hike prices for their nearly 58,000 local customers and to institute three tiers of rates - conservation, normal and excessive - in which water gets progressively costlier as a homeowner uses more each month. ``These structures were designed so that 90 percent of our customers will only use water in the conservation and normal tiers,'' said Greg Even, a senior civil engineer with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control. . Coming as the valley's underground water supply dwindles and water officials, independent well owners and farmers gear up for a court fight over rights to pump the water, the price-hike proposals will be put before homeowners this week at public meetings. A public information meeting for waterworks customers in Lake Los Angeles, Pearblossom, Sun Village and elsewhere in the eastern valley - waterworks regions 24, 27, 33, 35, 38 and 39 - is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Alpine Grange Hall, 8650 E. Ave. T-8, Littlerock. The public information meeting for regions 4 and 34 - which cover parts of Lancaster and west Palmdale - is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lancaster Library, 601 W. Lancaster Blvd. For the more than 50,600 homes and businesses that the Waterworks District supplies in west Palmdale and Lancaster, county officials have proposed hiking hiking Walking, often among hills or mountains, as recreational sport. It represents an activity in its own right and also figures in backpacking, camping, hunting, mountaineering, and orienteering. water rates 31-33 percent in March and 8-9 percent in July. The rates for the 7,200 east valley customers are proposed to rise 19-37 percent in March and another 1-5 percent in July. Lancaster and Palmdale customers now pay $9.34 to $14.01 a month for the first 500 cubic feet of water - about 3,700 gallons - and 54 cents to 95 cents plus a 5 cent surcharge An overcharge or additional cost. A surcharge is an added liability imposed on something that is already due, such as a tax on tax. It also refers to the penalty a court can impose on a fiduciary for breaching a duty. for each additional 100 cubic feet. Most Lake Los Angeles residents pay $11.46 a month and 60 cents plus the 5 cent surcharge for each additional 100 cubic feet. Other rural east valley areas pay as much as $17.88 a month plus $1.22 and the 5 cent surcharge. County officials say water rates must go up because the county will be paying more for the water it gets from the California Aqueduct The California Aqueduct is a 444 mile (715 km)-long[1] aqueduct in the United States that carries water from Northern California to Southern California. , is spending $7 million to modify water purification  It has been suggested that , , and be merged into this article or section. facilities and will spend $1.4 million a year storing water underground in the valley's declining aquifer aquifer (ăk`wĭfər): see artesian well. aquifer In hydrology, a rock layer or sequence that contains water and releases it in appreciable amounts. . California Aqueduct water prices are expected to increase 32 percent over the next three years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time county said. Besides hiking rates for customers, county officials say the waterworks fee charged to new home builders will go up 74 percent, and a new ``water supply acquisition'' fee is to be instituted. Details of the three-tier rate structure were being worked out, but a tentative proposal would institute the ``excessive'' rate when customers exceed 6,500 cubic feet a month in the summer and fall and 3,000 cubic feet in the winter and spring. Other Antelope Valley water agencies have already instituted new tiered price rates that charge higher rates as more water is used. The proposed rate increases must be approved by the county Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. . Charles F. Bostwick, (661) 267-5742 chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO Proposed rate hikes for Los Angeles County Waterworks District customers in the Antelope Valley will be explained at two meetings this week. A public information meeting for waterworks customers in Lake Los Angeles, Pearblossom, Sun Village and elsewhere in the eastern valley - waterworks regions 24, 27, 33, 35, 38 and 39 - is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Alpine Grange Hall, 8650 E. Ave. T-8, Littlerock. A public information meeting for regions 4 and 34 - which cover parts of Lancaster and west Palmdale - is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lancaster Library, 601 W. Lancaster Blvd. For more information, call the waterworks office at (626) 300-3302. CAPTION(S): box Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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