THOUSAND OAKS : Water Rates Likely to Increase by 14%

Customers of California-American Water Co. in Thousand Oaks will see their rates increase by about 14% if the Public Utilities Commission concurs with a PUC administrative law judge.

Judge John Lemke issued a decision on the proposed rate increase last week. It would be the company’s first rate increase in three years.

Under Lemke’s ruling, the bill for the average customer who uses 2,080 cubic feet of water every month would rise to $43.15, up from the current rate of $38.18, an increase of nearly 14%.

The bill for someone who uses 500 cubic feet a month will rise to $17.98, up from $15.64, a 15% increase. A customer who uses 5,000 cubic feet a month will see an increase to $90.70 from $79.88, about a 13.5% rise.

Lemke gave the utility about half of the 28% increase it had originally sought.

California-American had agreed to a lower amount under a settlement with the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, an arm of the Public Utilities Commission that intervenes in all utility cases on behalf of customers.

California-American serves 17,000 customers in Thousand Oaks west of Moorpark Road, and the Las Posas area near Moorpark.

Company officials have said the increase will cover part of the $8-million cost of the new Potrero 2 and Shopping Center 2 reservoirs in Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks.

Also contributing to the increase were higher insurance costs and higher costs of water testing mandated by tougher environmental regulations, officials said.