HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 Rate Increase Notice - Commercial Sewer ServiceNOTICE OF INCREASED SEWER RATES AND CHARGES EFFECTIVE
FOR SEWER SERVICE BILLED IN JANUARY 2013
Dear Customer,
An overall rate increase of 7.9 percent was approved by the Otay Water
District’s (the “District”) Board of Directors as part of the annual budget adoption
process completed in May 2012. The new sewer rates and charges will apply to
service billed beginning January 1, 2013 and, depending on your billing cycle, will
apply to service as early as the beginning of December 2012. This letter provides
a 30-day notice of rate increases.
The District is a revenue-neutral public agency. Your sewer bill reflects only
those charges sufficient to support your sewer service. To continue providing
sewer service, the District must adjust its rates for service, implement certain rate
increases, and pass-through costs to its customers that reflect the full cost of
providing the service. Such costs include inspection and preventative maintenance
of the public sewer system, and replacement of aging sewer infrastructure. These
actions protect the public’s investment in the public sewer system, minimize
maintenance costs, reduce the possibility of pipeline breaks, blockages or spills,
and keep sewer rates affordable.
On August 24, 2009, the District adopted a five-year schedule of rates in
compliance with applicable provisions of the law. This sewer rate increase is within
the limits contemplated in the five-year schedule of rates.
For its part, the District has worked diligently to reduce internal costs and
continues to be one of the lowest cost sewer service providers in San Diego
County. To learn more about the Otay Water District, please visit
www.otaywater.gov or contact us via email at info@otaywater.gov.
Dedicated to Community Service
Otay Water District
2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd.
Spring Valley, CA 91978
619-670-2222
www.otaywater.gov Notice of Commercial Sewer
Rate Increase
To meet State of California requirements, customers must pay their fair share of sewer
costs. The Otay Water District is required to determine sewer rates in accordance with the
State’s Revenue Program Guidelines. The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
has grouped commercial customers into various categories and has identified strength
factors for each of these business categories. The standard of measure for strength factors
is the typical sewer strength of a single family residence (SFR). The strength factors
established by the SWRCB are listed below and are used by the District in the calculation of
commercial sewer rates. These factors are in terms of the strength relative to a SFR, with a
SFR having a strength factor of 1.000.
Strength Factors
1.000 Churches
1.000 Low Strength Commercial
1.238 Medium Strength Commercial
2.203 High Strength Commercial
Monthly bills are calculated based on Assigned Service Units (ASUs). The formula to
calculate ASUs is as follows:
Number of ASUs = (((Flow in gallons per day X 0.85) / 250) X Strength Factor)
The typical SFR’s estimated daily flow is 250 gallons per day (GPD). This flow level for
the typical SFR is the baseline or standard of measure by which flows are measured. Flows
for commercial entities vary and are calculated using the reads from the business’ water
meter. This flow is converted to GPD then divided by 250 to put the flow in terms of a
residential equivalence. The reduced flow factor of 85 percent is used to reflect that not all
water used flows into the sewer system.
The number of ASUs is multiplied by the following district-wide sewer rate to get the
monthly sewer bill. The minimum charge for commercial shall be no lower than 1 ASU at
low strength.
Current New
Rate per ASU $41.75 $45.30
This charge is increasing by $3.55 per ASU from $41.75 to $45.30.
Rate Increase Notice
This information reflects only changes to rates. For a comprehensive listing of rates,
please see the Otay Water District’s Code of Ordinances at www.otaywater.gov.