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HomeMy WebLinkAboutS03-City Attorney CITV, OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQU~ST FOR COUNCIL AC'I\"ION From: RALPH H. PRINCE Subject': Application for Increase in Water Rates - Southern California Water Company Dept: City Attorney D~e: October 15, 1985 Synopsis of Previous Council action: 10-7-85 The City Attorney's Office was directed to prepare a resolution showing opposition to the proposed rate increase by Southern California Water Company and requesting that the Public Utilities Commission take immediate action to overcome the problems associated with the distribution of Southern California water and to meet the State water quality standards as soon as possible. . Recommemled motion: Adopt resolution. . JUSTIFICATION FOR PLACEMENT ON SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA The Council directed that this item be on the agenda for OctQber 21, 1985. rJZ~JI4~,~ Signatu re Contact person: Allen R Rrigg!'l FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: n/a Phone: 'i?'iF; Ward: n/" Source: n/a Finance: n/a Supporting data attached: Yes Council Notes: 75.0262 Agenda Item No. ::; -..3 ,. ".", . , '-' '-' ....'" 1 RESOLUTION NO. 2 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO OPPOSING THE RATE INCREASE REQUESTS SUBMITTED BY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WATER COMPANY 3 TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION, AND URGING THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION TO CONSIDER WATER QUALITY AND PROVISION OF 4 SERVICE STANDARDS AS CONDITIONS TO ANY RATE RELIEF GRANTED. 5 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF 6 SAN BERNARDINO AS FOLLOWS: 7 SECTION 1. Recitals. 8 A. On September 24, 1985, Southern California Water Company 9 filed a request with the California Public utilities Commission to 10 impose increases in rates for service for the years 1986, 1987 and 11 1988. 12 B. If fully approved by the Public Utilities Commission, the 13 increased rates would rai~e the rates 13.53% in 1986, 4.31% in 14 1987, and 4.05% in 1988 over present rates. 15 C. These increases represent a 22.28% increase in rates over 16 a three year period, and will increase the average residential 17 bill by $4.82 per month by the end of the three year period. 18 D. Such increases are exhorbitant when compared to the 19 current rate of inflation and the general state of the economy. 20 E. Rates charged by Southern California Water Company to its 21 customers in the area known as the Highland System are currently 22 higher than the rates of the City of San Bernardino, and do not 23 accurately reflect the value of the service provided. 24 F. Water produced by wells operated by Southern California 25 Water Company for its Highland System is inadequate for its own 26 demands, and must be supplemented by water supplied by the City of 27 San Bernardino. 28 G. Storage facilities for the Southern California Water \...... ,-.... ......., '-' 1 Company are grossly inadequate, being of insufficient capacity to 2 assure continued water supply to its customers for even twelve 3 hours in the event of a loss of production capacity due to storm 4 damage, loss of power, or other emergency. 5 H. Transmission facilities of Southern California Water 6 Company are undersized, and provide inadequate capacity to serve 7 its area, consisting primarily of two, four, or six inch 8 transmission and distribution mains, generally regarded in the 9 water supply field as inadequate for a modern community. 10 I. Pressure available from Southern California Water Company 11 fails to meet even the minimum standards established by the state 12 of California, and ranges lower than 10 psi, compared to a minimum 13 maintained by the City of. San Bernardino of 30 psi throughout all 14 of the City's service area. 15 J. Fire flow is inadequate to provide for minimum standards 16 of fire protection, with 1000 gallons per minute being good or 17 ideal, and the Southern California Water Company's fire flow 18 being as low as 167.79 gpm in one hydrant serving the area known 19 as the Oelmann Heights area, with a flow of 530.61 gpm as the 20 highest of the hydrants tested, as determined in recent tests. 21 K. Water produced by wells owned by Southern California 22 Water Company is so high in nitrates that such water fails to meet 23 the state's minimum health standards, necessitating the blending 24 of its water with water from the City of San Bernardino to enable 25 that company's water to meet such minimum standards. 26 SECTION 2. Implementation. 27 A. The Mayor and Common Council oppose the most recent rate 28 request submitted by Southern California Water Company and urge -2- c- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 v -/ the Public Utilities Commission to reject the request in its entirety. B. The Mayor and Common Council urge the Public Utilities Commission to consider the quality of service and water quality provided to consumers when considering this pending request and future rate increase requests, and make any rate increase which may be granted conditional upon improvement in the Company's water quality and improvement in the Company's level of service to its . customers, and that the Public utilities Commission exercise its powers to assure that immediate action is taken to require that the Company's distribution system and water quality be immediately brought up to state standards. C. The City Clerk i6 directed to transmit copies of this 14 resolution to the Public Utilities Commission, Governor 15 Duekmejian, Senators Robert presley and Ruben Ayala, and 16 Assemblymen William Leonard and Gerald Eaves. 17 I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was duly 18 adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San 19 Bernardino at a meeting thereof, held on 20 the day of , 1985, by the following vote, 21 to wit: 22 AYES: 23 24 25 26 27 28 / / / / / Council Members NAYS: ABSENT: City Clerk / / / / / -3- c- I......, ....", .' 1 The, foregoing resolution is hereby approved _this day 2 of 3 4 , 1985. Mayor of the City of San Bernardino 5 Approved as to form: 6 c1Z:9!!~:d/ 7 C1ty 1\:ttorney 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 . -4-