California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The State Water Resources Control Board recently heard proposals for fines and fees for residents who waste water. To help meet Governor Jerry Brown’s mandatory cutbacks during the California drought, water agency heads argued for potential fees and fines to encourage water conservation. In their eyes, it is one of the most necessary tools to force Californians to save water.
Ultimately, the board made no decision to move forward with increasing water rates or fines. Part of the lack of action has to do with the legality of rate tiers, especially since the 4th District Court of Appeals ruled that tiered rates violate a voter-passed law that prohibits government agencies from overcharging residents for services. Because the price of getting the water is not increasing, government agencies are not allowed to up-charge residents. That ruling ultimately struck down rate tiers in San Juan Capistrano.
“We are pushing people to conserve, and we have systematically withheld some of the tools they need,” Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation, told the Associated Press.
According to the Associated Press, “Two-thirds of water districts use some form of tiered water pricing to encourage conservation. Many say their rates are legal because higher water use requires them to tap into more expensive supplies.”
