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Guest Opinion: Help stop increases in water rates

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I’m writing about a serious problem facing San Diego County and I’m asking for your help to protect our economy from predatory water rates and charges being considered by the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. I invite you to take a moment and weigh in on this important issue.

The MWD board is scheduled to vote April 12 on a rate proposal that would increase the cost of treated water for our region in 2017 by 62 percent and increase the cost of untreated water by 12 percent. The district’s public relation’s spin is that the “average” cost increase for its entire service area is 4 percent — but that number doesn’t apply to the San Diego County Water Authority. MWD’s methodology increases San Diego County’s costs while lowering costs for Los Angeles, without any rational basis for doing so.

The huge proposed increase in the treated water rate is the result of a new fixed treatment charge that will be a permanent tax that doesn’t go away no matter how much or little treated water MWD’s member agencies actually purchase. It accomplishes this feat by basing the charge on treated water purchases during the time period 1998-2007; MWD’s approach is not supported by water industry practice or California law.

MWD is also increasing by 6 percent the “wheeling rate” paid by the water authority to transport its independent Colorado River water to San Diego. And, it is proposing to increase property taxes by $112 million in 2017 and 2018, in a manner that is inconsistent with the laws that govern MWD.

Lastly, MWD is continuing to impose rates and charges based on a methodology ruled illegal in superior court last year. The judge invalidated MWD’s transportation rates for 2011-2014, finding that they violated numerous provisions of California law and the state Constitution. He also ordered MWD to pay the water authority $188.3 million in damages and $46.6 million in prejudgment interest. The judge mandated that MWD “enact only legal transportation and wheeling rates in the future” and “set its rates based upon cost causation” – that is, MWD must charge for its services based only on what it costs to provide them. Despite the clear ruling, MWD is poised to adopt two more years of illegal rates.

Please join me in asking MWD to make its rate model public, and produce a cost-of-service study and rates and charges that conform with state law.

Please consider submitting a letter or email in opposition to the MWD’s proposed actions. The letter or email should be addressed to MWD Board Chair Randy Record and may be emailed to Dawn Chin, Office of the Board of Directors, at dchin@mwdh2o.com. Emailed letters should indicate in the subject line “Comment Letter – Rates and Charges for 2017 and 2018.”

Mail written comments to: Randy Record, Chair, and Members of the Board of Directors, Metropolitan Water District, P.O. Box 54153, Los Angeles, CA 90054-0153

Comments are due to MWD by Monday, April 11.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our region’s water supply reliability efforts.

Mark Weston is chair of the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Water Authority.

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