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The Fresno Bee, Calif., Lewis Griswold Column: Visalians See Higher Water Bills This Year

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Lewis Griswold, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Mar. 29--Water bills to Visalia homeowners have edged up since Jan. 1 because California Water Service Co., under pressure from the city, went to the Public Utilities Commission for a rate hike for groundwater recharge.

For metered residential customers, typical boosts range from 36 cents to 70 cents per month, said local Cal Water manager Phil Mirwald.

On the low end, bills rose from $11 to $11.36 per month; on the high end, from $23.05 to $23.75 per month. That includes the meter charge.

Meanwhile, "flat rate" customers on 10,000-square-foot lots without meters -- typical for older neighborhoods -- saw their bills go up 86 cents a month, from $21.18 to $22.04.

Meters have been required on new construction since the late 1980s.

Unmetered lots of 6,000 square feet or less pay 63 cents more per month, lots up to 16,000 square feet pay $1.09 more, and lots up to 25,000 square feet pay $1.37 more.

Cal Water, a private company providing water to city residents and businesses, gets water from wells.

The City Council, worried that too many gallons are being pumped without being replenished, passed an ordinance last year imposing a $14-per-acre-foot pumping fee on Cal Water starting Jan. 1. Cal Water then went to the PUC for a rate increase.

An acre-foot is about 325,000 gallons of water.

The city expects the pumping fee to generate $400,000 a year, to buy water for groundwater recharge and to build more recharge basins.

WATER PURCHASES: Flood releases from Lake Kaweah are now flowing in the creeks and ditches of Visalia.

But two weeks ago, the water in Evans Ditch and Packwood Creek came from the Friant-Kern Canal east of Visalia.

The city paid $6,000 for the water, which ran from March 10-19 for ground-water recharge, buying it through the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District. The money came from a separate ground water recharge fee of 35 cents per month that the city charges with the water bill.

The city might get a chance to buy more Friant water because the Bureau of Reclamation said it will sell "Section 215" water through May.

BUCK OWENS: Maverick's Roasting Co. in Visalia has claim to one the last signatures ever penned by an originator of The Bakersfield Sound.

Country and western performer Buck Owens, 76, died Saturday in Bakersfield. Only three weeks ago today, Owens made a surprise visit to Maverick's Roasting Co. in Visalia to see up-and-coming fiddle player Elana James perform.

Gary Brown of Visalia, who books Western acts into town, asked the legend if he'd sign the guitar hanging on the wall behind the coffee roaster. Owens said sure.

CORRECTION: Financial Title Co. will move into the former Kerr Rug building at Center Avenue and Locust Street in Visalia.

Information provided to The Bee last week was incorrect.

Lewis Griswold's column appears Wednesday, Monday and Friday. He can be reached at lgriswold@fresnobee.com or (559) 622-2416.

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Gottschalks

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Fresno Bee

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