By Julian MITCHELL

The Crescenta Valley Water District is again considering raising its usage rates. The CVWD will hold a public hearing on June 11 at the CVWD boardroom at 2700 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta to present its case and hear responses by the public. If the board feels that enough of the public has reached out against a raise in rates, then it will consider not implementing any increases.

As of now, the proposed raises are a 4% increase in the wastewater rate and an increase of up to 7% in the standard water usage rates.

To have a public record of complaints, the CVWD will be accepting signed letters up until the close of the public hearing on June 11.

“Proper protest letters should have a signature,” said CVWD representative Christy Scott.

According to Scott, the CVWD is accepting emailed letters; however, there still has to be a written signature. In this case, the letter would have to be signed, scanned on to a computer, and then emailed for it to register. (To learn more, see the In Brief section on page 3.)

The maximum proposed increase of 7% would raise average costs by about $5 monthly, according to the CVWD. The water district has stated that a typical household has the smallest meter, a ¾ inch meter, and uses approximately 17 units of water, 17,000 gallons, in a two-month period.

The 4% increase in wastewater rates would have an approximate increase of $1.50 monthly on the average household described above. These costs go directly to collection methods for wastewater as well as treatment of wastewater.

The CVWD sent out information pamphlets on April 26 with information about the increase. The pamphlet cited general maintenance as well as increased demand for water as the reasons for increase.

According to the CVWD, due to a limited amount of ground water in the area, “more expensive” water is being imported to the Crescenta Valley through aqueducts. The CVWD spends 32% of its budget on water purchases and an additional 23% on operating expenses, not including labor.

“There is a list of capital improvement projects,” said Scott, “but the board still gets to prioritize those after it votes on the increase.”

If the proposed increases pass, many of the projects scheduled are rehabilitation projects. The most expensive project on the list is the potential replacement of pipelines on Brookhill Street.

Presently the CVWD is working on flushing its water system. This means that the system has needed a “deep clean” to prevent build up of chlorine and other bi-products, such as sand and rust. That project is scheduled to end in mid-May.

The CVWD board of directors will also be filling a vacancy left by Mike Claessens. Applications are no longer being accepted.

The board meets the second and fourth Tuesdays each month at the District’s Administration Office located at 2700 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta. It is expected to vote on the proposals on June 25, which will be the first meeting after the public hearing.

  Julian MITCHELL