City Council May Approve Higher Water Rates Today

The new and higher water rates being considered by the LA City Council today are meant to encourage residents to conserve. Translation: if you don't conserve water by at least 15%, then you could be paying a much costlier bill. However, if you already conserve water, you will not be penalized for not conserving another 15%.

This is all coming down the pipeline from the LADWP because of the recent drought and a 2007 federal court decision that limits the amount of water from the Sacrament-San Joaquin Delta in order to save an endangered species of fish.

Add to that this: the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors next week (.pdf) will consider dropping water allocation to cities by up to 15% with hefty fines if more is used. Rates will also be increased.

And although Los Angeles has had some programs to conserve water over the past couple years, Long Beach has soared in its successes. 21 months ago, Long Beach instituted strict water usage regulations (.pdf) and last month hit a 10-year low in consumption, or 14% drop in average water use.