LA County Approves Water Rate Increases for Specific Areas

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved five years of water rate increases for Marina del Rey, Malibu and areas of the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.

The Department of Public Works said the rate hikes are needed to cover increases in wholesale water costs. They come on top of other increases being phased in since 2012 to pay for higher operating costs.

Customers served by the Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts and Marina del Rey Water System will receive notices of the new rates, which will go into effect 30 days later.

Overall, 2015 rates are estimated to be higher by 7.6 percent in Marina del Rey, 8.6 percent in Malibu, 10 percent in Acton, 5 percent in Antelope Valley’s Waterworks District No. 40, 5.8 percent in Val Verde and 3.7 percent in Kagel Canyon.

Additional increases are expected over the five-year period.

Supervisor Don Knabe asked what Marina del Rey residents should expect.

“Most of these are pass-throughs,” Knabe acknowledged, but “is there any end in sight?”

A department spokesman said costs are expected to stabilize in 2017.

The board gave the department the authority to pass-through rate increases through 2019, but asked for a report back in 2017.

—City News Service

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