LIHU‘E — The county Board of Water Supply on Thursday approved a new water calculation system to take effect July 1. All rates will increase slightly, but the move will mostly affect households that use more than 35,000 gallons of
LIHU‘E — The county Board of Water Supply on Thursday approved a new water calculation system to take effect July 1.
All rates will increase slightly, but the move will mostly affect households that use more than 35,000 gallons of water a month.
The measure will help avoid an abrupt fee increase in about two years, said David Craddick, chief engineer at the Department of Water.
The DOW recently secured $60 million in bonds to be used in capital improvements over the next three years. The department will start paying back the interest in those bonds now, and the principal will be added in two years, Craddick said.
Non-action now would probably require a steep increase in consumers’ bills when the principal kicks in. To avoid that, the DOW modified the way the water bill is broken down, Craddick said.
He said in the last couple years the department lost about nine to 10 percent in collection revenues, because of lower consumption.
The loss may seem large, but Craddick said the whole nation is experiencing reductions in water and energy consumption, due to the economic crisis. In some places, he said, communities have reduced utilities as much as 15 percent.
The move is forecasted to bring in roughly an extra $1.7 million in revenues if consumption stays the same, according to Craddick.
Currently, consumers pay a flat fee, which depends on the meter size, plus the water usage, which is divided in three blocks of monthly water usage; up to 10,000 gallons, between 10,001 and 20,000, and over 20,000.
Water from Block I costs $3.20 per 1,000 gallons. Block II water costs $4 per 1,000 gallons. Block III water costs $6 per 1,000 gallons
This is all set to change July 1.
Water users will continue to pay a flat monthly fee, but it will increase slightly.
Meters with a 5/8” pipe will increase to $13.20 from $10 per month; meters with a 3/4” pipe will increase to $22 from $14; meters with a 1” pipe will increase to $31.20 from $20 and so forth.
The fees continues to increase as the metering pipes get wider. The largest metering pipes on Kaua‘i are eight inches wide. There are only two of those on island, and they cost $580 per month to maintain. This fee will increase to $1,380.
Under the new system, if customers with a 5/8” pipe utilize less than 1,000 gallons per month, all the customer will be charged is the flat fee.
Instead of three blocks of users, the new system will carry four blocks.
The rates for Blocks I, II and III will cost the same as the current ones, but will have lower consumption limits. The new addition, Block IV, will increase 4.16 percent, compared to Block III.
Block I will be for water usage between 1,000 and 7,000; Block II will be for water usage between 7,001 and 14,000; Block III will be for the water used between 14,001 and 17,500; and the newly-created Block IV will be for usage of over 17,500 gallons of water a month.
In the overall scope, the new rates will increase the revenue about 5 percent.
Water destined for agricultural use will remain the same. The last time the agricultural flat fee increased was January 2008; the last time the agricultural water consumption fee increased was January 2010.
The flat fees for agricultural, starting at $15 for a 5/8” meter, are slightly higher than residential and commercial rates. But the consumption charge is a flat across-the-board fee of $1.60 per 1,000 gallons. The last time this fee increased was last January.
The cheaper agricultural fees don’t reflect the actual cost of the water. Farmers pay about half of what the service is actually worth, according to Craddick.
Cracking down on abuse
Craddick said there has been abuse in the past and investigators will look into finding homeowners who claim to use the cheaper agricultural rates in properties that produce no agricultural income.
There are also other problems of abuse, concerning consumers who use a much wider private fire service inlet line. A 5/8” meter that goes alongside an 8” wide fire line, for example, registers about 163 times less water than the actual water usage.
Craddick said that some users have connected regular water systems to the fire lines, which should be used solely for fire sprinklers and other private fire protections. The net result is almost free water, but that is coming to an end.
The DOW will be cracking down on illegal fire line usage. For each thousand gallons of water registered in a 5/8” meter connected to an 8” private fire line, the user will pay for 163,840 gallons, at a rate of $6,25 per 1,000 gallons metered. So each 1,000 gallons would cost illegal users $1,024.
Craddick said he hopes the high water fee will be enough to stop illegal tapping of fire service lines.
Go to www.kauaiwater.org for more information.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
