FPUD approves 2019 rates

The 2019 rates and fixed charges for Fallbrook Public Utility District water and sewer customers were approved by the FPUD board Dec. 13.

The board’s 5-0 vote adopted the water, recycled water and wastewater rates and charges as well as various fees for new service.

“It was in accordance with the long-term financial plan. We developed a five-year financial plan, and each year we looked at the rates proposed in that plan,” FPUD general manager Jack Bebee said. “We were able to adopt rates that were lower than what was in the original plan.”

Some of that savings was due to lower than expected cost of water, while the savings also involved lower district operations costs than expected. The financial planning process began in April 2017 and included public hearings and other community outreach measures.

FPUD’s policy which is intended to stabilize district revenue in the event of increased or decreased water sales collects approximately 80 percent of the district’s costs through monthly fixed charges and approximately 20 percent through water purchase rates. FPUD measures volume sales in units of 1,000 gallons.

The domestic rate per unit was increased from $5.62 to $5.96 for the first five units each month, from $5.71 to $6.05 for the sixth through 30th unit, and from $6.95 to $7.37 for each unit over 30. Customers utilizing the Special Agricultural Water Rate will have a three-tiered rate if a home is also served; the increase is from $5.62 to $5.96 for the first five units, from $4.83 to $5.12 for the sixth through 20th unit, and from $4.17 to $4.42 for each unit over 20.

For agricultural use only, the SAWR rate per unit was increased from $4.17 to $4.42 for all units. The commercial agricultural domestic tiered rate increased from $5.62 to $5.96 for the first five units and from $4.83 to $5.12 for each unit over five. Commercial agriculture customers with no domestic usage will experience a per unit increase from $4.83 to $5.12 for all units. Each unit for customers using a meter for irrigation only was increased from $5.80 to $6.15. The commercial rate was changed from $5.79 to $6.14 per unit, the increase for government customers is from $5.70 to $6.04 per unit and water provided for construction purposes rose from $7.17 to $7.60 per unit.

Due to conditions of San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California rebate agreements, the retail price for recycled water must be at least 85 percent of the lowest applicable potable water rate or at least 80 percent of the average of the first tier and second tier rates. Recycled water furnished within the FPUD service area was increased from $4.81 to $5.10 per 1,000 gallons. Recycled water sold outside the FPUD service area is sold by contract with specific customers.

Customers in the DeLuz High Pressure Service Area and the Toyon Heights service area also pay a pumping charge to cover the cost of electricity. That charge had been $0.69 per 1,000 gallons and is now $0.73 per 1,000 gallons.

For potable water, the fixed monthly service charge increases, which cover both water fixed charges and standby service charges, are from $63.84 to $67.63 for 3/4-inch meters, from $94.13 to $99.78 for 1-inch meters, from $169.67 to $179.85 for 1 1/2-inch meters, from $260.33 to $275.95 for 2-inch meters, from $502.11 to $532.23 for 3-inch meters, from $774.10 to $820.55 for 4-inch meters and from $1,529.64 to $1,521.41 for 6-inch meters.

For each backflow prevention device, the fixed monthly service charge to cover FPUD’s costs of annual inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement was increased from $4.87 to $5.16 for 3/4-inch devices, from $5.73 to $6.07 for 1-inch devices, from $10.59 to $11.23 for 1 1/2-inch devices, from $12.71 to $13.47 for 2-inch devices, from $25.40 to $26.92 for 3-inch devices, from $39.68 to $42.06 for 4-inch devices and from $79.34 to $84.10 for six-inch devices.

FPUD’s fixed charges do not include the county Water Authority’s Infrastructure Access Charge used for CWA fixed expenditures which are incurred even when water use is reduced or the Metropolitan Water District’s Readiness to Serve Charge.

The monthly Infrastructure Access Charge was increased from $2.93 to $3.01 for 3/4-inch meters, from $4.88 to $5.03 for 1-inch meters, from $9.76 to $10.02 for 1 1/2-inch meters, from $15.62 to $16.04 for 2-inch meters, from $31.24 to $32.12 for 3-inch meters, from $48.80 to $50.18 for 4-inch meters and from $97.60 to $100.32 for 6-inch meters.

The Readiness to Serve Charge did not change and is $2.23 for 3/4-inch meters, $3.72 for 1-inch meters, $7.41 for 1 1/2-inch meters, $11.86 for 2-inch meters, $23.74 for 3-inch meters, $37.10 for 4-inch meters and $74.17 for 6-inch meters.

The annual adjustment for FPUD’s Water Capital Improvement Charge, which is dedicated to funding water capital improvement projects including debt service, is based on the Construction Cost Index.

The monthly capital improvement fixed charge was changed from $8.58 to $9.12 for 3/4-inch meters, from $14.30 to $15.20 for 1-inch meters, from $28.60 to $30.40 for 1 1/2-inch meters, from $45.76 to $48.64 for 2-inch meters, from $91.52 to $97.29 for 3-inch meters, from $143.00 to $152.01 for 4-inch meters and from $286.00 to $304.02 for 6-inch meters.

FPUD also has a capital improvement pumping charge which is allocated to capital improvements in the DeLuz High Pressure Service Area and the Toyon Heights zone; that charge remains at $0.10 per 1,000 gallons.

If a property is connected to an FPUD sewer line, a volumetric wastewater charge, which is based upon adjusted water deliveries, is applied to both occupied and unoccupied properties.

The rate is per 1,000 gallons of estimated wastewater flow and was increased from $9.44 to $9.86 for residential and for agriculture domestic including commercial agriculture, from $9.37 to $9.79 for government, school, church and low-strength commercial users, from $11.57 to $12.09 for medium-strength commercial users and from $14.44 to $15.09 for high-strength commercial users.

The monthly fixed wastewater charge rose from $9.28 to $9.70 per equivalent dwelling unit, while the monthly Wastewater Capital Improvement Charge per equivalent dwelling unit was unchanged at $11.16.