PALMDALE, CA – California water agencies have been strained to provide residents with clean, healthy, low cost water with the drought now entering its fourth year. Palmdale, like many other Southern California communities, has older infrastructure which is relied upon to move water throughout the community. As these systems age and deteriorate, repairs and replacements should be made before the system begins to break down and become more expensive to repair.
The District has proposed a rate structure modification and fee plan, which will standardize monthly meter charges of 1” and smaller and reward customers conserving water with a new “essential” use tier structure based on indoor use and an “efficient” use tier structure based on outdoor use. The rate plan also proposes a drought surcharge that would only be applied to water use above the essential tier.
“Our customers are our top priority,” said Dennis LaMoreaux, General Manager of the Palmdale Water District. “The District prioritizes our projects based on current needs and to keep the cost to our rate payers at a minimum.”
The District will use the new rate structure to ensure that clean, healthy water is consistently delivered to the community through diversifying water sources, investing in water treatment and testing technologies, and ensuring the water delivery system is operating efficiently.
“Conserving our water is a community effort that requires all customers and the District to work together,” said Michael Williams, Finance Manager/CFO for the Palmdale Water District. “We are providing the community with the information they need to make well-informed choices on how they choose to use their water.”
The District will hold their second workshop this Thursday, August 21, 2014 from 5:30 – 8:00pm at Palm Tree School, located at 326 E. Avenue R Palmdale, CA. District management and staff will be on hand to answer questions about the proposed rate structure. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
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