Water meters: It's too soon for results

By Melanie Turner - Davis Enterprise staff writer

Then: Back in 1990, two things took place that eventually led to Davis' current system of billing its citizens for water.

State law began mandating that all new construction include water meters, and the Davis City Council decided to retrofit all older houses built without water meters. Most commercial and apartment buildings already had meters.

It took about seven years to retrofit the entire city, including single-family homes built before 1990 and the city of Davis' own facilities.

Traditionally, single-family residences in Davis were charged a flat rate for water based on their lot size. The metered rate replaced the lot charge with one based on actual water consumption.

Because metered rates proved to be highly controversial, the council opted at first to spend a year educating the public.

Beginning in 1997, the city read water meters, compiling information on how much individual citizens would have paid under a metered rate system. In May 1998 the city provided citizens with side-by-side comparisons of how much they paid versus what they would have paid.

Some people's costs would have been more, some less.

"It was all over the map,'' said Bob Weir, assistant public works director.

The city's first metered water rates went into effect in September 1998, following a 4-1 council vote in May 1998 to implement the rates. The decision followed numerous hours of testimony by concerned citizens.

The idea was to create a more fair system of billing, and to save water. There was no incentive to turn off the hose, take a shorter shower, or be conscious in any way about water conservation under the flat rate system, city officials said.

Now: The first six months of data collected by the city shows a decrease in water use citywide of about 17 percent, according to Weir.

The city has collected just six months worth of data given a lag time of about three months between when meters are read and when people are billed. According to Weir, the city needs more data to begin to get a good idea of whether water use is up or down.

``We've told the City Council and the Natural Resources Commission you need a year's worth to get a good picture,'' Weir said.

While the dip does not surprise public works officials, data from the hottest months, May through August, is not yet in. It is during those months that the city expects to see the greatest amount of water use.

``What I cannot tell you is that's because of metered rates,'' Weir said of the dip. ``We definitely need to wait until we have a full year's worth of data.''

Even then, he cautioned, ``We definitely don't want to go out on a limb.'' Trends over the long term portray the most accurate picture, he said.

There are many factors that could affect usage, from the number of new residents to the amount of rainfall and the number of days over 100 degrees, for instance.

When the council voted for metered rates, council members were informed by staff that they could expect to see a reduction in water use from 15 to 20 percent, based on what other communities have seen.

Weir speculates that the dip could partially be the result of efforts by the city since late 1997 to raise people's consciousness.

The Public Works Department will report back to the City Council early next spring with a full year of data, with recommendations on whether rates should be raised.

As customers conserve, revenues to the Public Works Department decrease. And the department requires a minimal level of revenue to fund on-demand water supply to all customers.

Based on an assumed 20 percent reduction in water use, the city originally considered setting rates to make sure there would be enough revenue to operate the city's water system.

If the staff's 20 percent projection proves true, it would mean a shortfall in revenue of $300,000 to $500,000, according to Weir.

In response to citizens' skepticism about the 20 percent, the council voted to create a rate based on no conservation, in essence authorizing that reserves be tapped in the program's first year.

``Right now, revenues are not keeping pace with expenditures and day to day where that money comes from is reserves,'' Weir said. ``And that's one of the reasons that enterprise funds and all operating funds have reserves.''

He added, ``Council wanted to err on the side of getting metered rates estimated, knowing they could adjust for what Davis is going to experience in conservation.''

In 2000, the council will be in a better position to set rates. Weir projects that rates will have to go up to reflect water conservation.

According to information compiled by the city, in recent years Davis' single-family home water use has significantly exceeded that of other nearby metered communities. Davis uses more than 11 million gallons a day, or 225 gallons per person.

Even so, Davis residents currently pay less for water than residents in other communities.

Residents in Davis pay $192 a year (assuming 1,500 cubic feet per month), while residents in more than 400 Northern California communities pay an average of $313 a year (assuming the same quantity used).

Since metered rates were first implemented, the city has been working to help consumers save money and to make sure everyone is aware of the conversion.

For instance, when a person's bill has seen a big increase, they are sent information about water conservation and alerted to potential water leaks. The top 1,000 accounts in terms of dollar increases were sent this information, city officials said.

The city will also conducts water audits upon request, looking for things like obvious leaks, and examining how the irrigation system is set up.

More information, such as how to use your city services bill to monitor water consumption and detect leaks, is also available on the Internet, at www.city.davis.ca.us/city/pworks/water/usebill.htm.

Monday, Aug. 2, 1999