SqCWD Water Issues Abound

Projects still at risk of being left “High and Dry”

By Noel Smith

Property owners and contractors that have received a “Conditional Will Serve Letter” from the SqCWD Board of Directors are still not home free. Here is what the latest SqCWD Newsletter says about whether the district is truly obligated to provide them water: “Conditional will serve letters are not guaranteed water service should the District initiate a moratorium.”

If you are interested in whether the District Board is still seriously considering declaring a moratorium and pronouncing the “Will Serve Letters” they recently issued null and void — which includes the Twin Lakes Church project — leaving these projects literally “high and dry,” attend the SqCWD board meeting June 3 at 7 pm at the New Brighton Middle School, 250 Washburn, Capitola.

Did you know that SqCWD Rates increase July 1?

The Santa Cruz Water Department has already declared their water budgets and that they will charge penalties for those using over their allotment. The SqCWD is not far behind. On July 1 water rates for all tiers of water usage will increase by a little over 19 percent. This is in response to the April 25 declaration by Governor Brown, which called on all Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent.

We have included a table that shows the increases by tier and by classification of water user.

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SqCWD Budgets to Go Into Effect this Fall

It’s time to look closely at your water bill beyond what you are paying, to see how much water you are using. Starting this fall, not staying within the budget set for you by the District could mean paying a lot more for water, as they will charge you a penalty for being over-budget. It’s like being overdrawn at the bank, it can get expensive.

According to Melanie Schumacher of the SqCWD, you will be given a couple of months to adjust your usage before the penalties will kick in. Another factor is the number of people in your household because it starts with an allowance of 75 gallons per day, per person. The district will be sending a notice in the mail that includes a declaration of how many people live in your home for you to mail back.

The bookkeeping required for this process will mean at least one more person will be employed by the SqCWD.

We have included a table to help you determine how much water you are using per person.

First Aquifer Users’ Meeting “Well” Attended

According to Melanie Shumacher of the SqCWD, the first of a series of meetings with co-users of the mid-county aquifers, which was held May 13, was well attended. Over 70 people showed up ranging from customers of Soquel Creek Water District/Central Water District, private domestic well owners, mutual well owners, nursery owners, wine growers, and other small farm owners. There was a presentation by John Ricker, County Water resources Division Director. Following that there was a Q/A with Kim Adamson and Ralph Bracamonte (General Manager and District manager of the two agencies)

Shumacher said, “Lots of great questions with several meeting attendees wanting more information on data of the basin and what the role of the group/committee is. The tone of the meeting was very open and collaborative.  The main point of the evening was to initiate an open conversation about groundwater issues, recognize that we collectively need to work together towards addressing groundwater sustainability.”

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SqCWD Rate Increases Starting July 1

Stage 2 Water Shortage Rates

Single Family Residential

Tier 1 – $4.53 – Increase      =        $0.73 • 19.1%
Tier 2 – $7.63 – Increase       =        $1.23 • 19.1%
Tier 3 – $11.62 – Increase     =        $1.87 • 19.1%
Tier 4 – $17.28 – Increase     =        $2.78 • 19.1%

Multi-Family Residential

Tier 1 – $6.32 – Increase       =        $1.02 • 19.2%
Tier 2 – $7.81 – Increase       =        $1.26 • 19.2%
Tier 3 – $9.30 – Increase       =        $1.50 • 19.2%
Tier 4 – $10.85 – Increase     =        $1.75 • 19.2%

Non-Domestic/Commercial

Flat rate – $7.71 – Increase   =        $1.24 • 19.1%

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Water Bill Conversion

Residential water budgets can be adjusted based on the number of people in a household. Currently, our water bills are in Units Per Month.  We encourage our customers to start tracking their use this summer so they can get themselves prepared before the water budgets actually go into effect.  This table shows how “Units per Month” convert to “Gallons Per Person Per Day”