Residents off the hook for cost of meters

Some Yuba City water users may no longer have to pay up to $500 when the city converts them from groundwater to surface water.

The city has been selected to receive a $3.5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant for its water meter installation project. The project includes installation of about 3,500 water meters, most of which will be in the former Hillcrest Water System, from flat-rate to metered services.

The city was not expecting to receive the money because the project was determined to be ineligible. But Utilities Director Bill Lewis petitioned the California Department of Public Health to ask for a re-evaluation.

"There were other projects similar to our water meter project that were funded, so we questioned why some were funded and some weren't," he said.

The city was subsequently added to the list of approved projects. The city has not received the check yet, but Lewis said he sees no reason the city would not receive the grant.

For Yuba City to receive $3.5 million is quite remarkable, Lewis said. The state only allocated $150 million in projects for $6 billion in requests.

Yuba City received an additional $900,000 for pipeline installation to service the customers.

Lewis expects installation to start this fall but said it depends on how fast the state turns around the money.

The City Council adopted water fees and charges related to the Hillcrest Water System conversion from groundwater to surface water in February, after months of heated discussion among residents and city officials.

The surface water connection will replace the Hillcrest groundwater source. The $18.8 million project includes plans for a water storage tank and connection piping that allows for future growth.

Opponents failed to defeat the nearly $20-per-month water connection surcharge in November.

Once the conversion is complete, customers had the option of paying up front or a monthly fee for the next several years. Now, existing homes without meters could see a reduction in conversion costs of up to $500 per household.

The grant will pay for the purchase and the contract labor for installation of the meters, Lewis said.

The Hillcrest surface water conversion is progressing as portions of the project start to go out to bid. Customers west of Highway 99, north of Lincoln Road, are already receiving surface water.

Customers on the east side of Highway 99 will receive surface water on a permanent basis this fall, and customers south of Lincoln Road and west of Highway 99 should be on surface water in fall 2010.

Groundwater customers pay the same year-round. Now their bills will grow in the summer and shrink in the winter. When averaged out, it will be about the same, Lewis said

Water meters are a good tool for water conservation, Lewis said.

"It enables customers to see how much water they are using, and if they feel they are using too much, they can cut back and actually measure how much they use," Lewis said. "We always encourage people to use water wisely."

The American Waterworks Association estimates meter installation decreases water consumption by about 30 percent.