LAKEPORT ? The specter of a water rate increase looms over the heads of ratepayers in Lakeport because California Department of Public Health (CDPH) testing indicated there is too much copper in the city”s water supply, according to Lakeport Utilities Superintendent Matthew Johnson.
“Ratepayers might see an increase in water fees, but at this point the rate study is just speculation,” Johnson said.
The Lakeport City Council voted Tuesday to allow Johnson to apply for a Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan to cover the cost of a corrosion control measures needed to address the excess copper found. Johnson said the loan is for just less than $40,000, and carries a 2.29 percent interest rate.
Councilman Ron Bertsch said if the loan was approved, water bills might increase by 9 cents per month. He said the council intends to look at its finances before a mid-year budget review in December to determine whether the city can afford to withdraw the loan application and solve the problem in-house.
“No one wants to raise anybody”s fees because the economy is so bad. To do the 9 cents (increase) is not worth it,” Bertsch said.
The cost would pay for construction of a new shed to house chemicals and pumps to be used to address the excess copper, according to Johnson. If money can”t be found in the city”s 2009-10 budget, he said construction would likely begin in the late summer of 2009. Johnson said if a rate study were necessary, the city would likely hire a contractor to do it.
The level of copper found in Lakeport”s drinking water supply was 1.4 milligrams per liter, one-tenth more than what the state allows, according to Johnson. He said the CDPH recommended using sodium hydroxide to balance the water”s ph level.
“The calculated dose we would be putting in the water is so minimal that it would not affect the water supply in any negative way,” Johnson said.
The city will need to build a shed to house the chemical and pumps.
Levels of ph fluctuate with temperature and other factors, according to Johnson. He said there was excess copper in the city”s distribution system because of a low ph in the city”s groundwater supply. Johnson said this is the first time excessive copper was found. Samples are taken twice a year, he said.
“It”s very slight, so anything could have played a part in it. It”s just a slight change in the groundwater,” Johnson said.
A from Johnson memo to the Lakeport City Council says that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has not yet issued a notice of violation, but “stressed that they have been patiently waiting for the (loan) application to proceed.”
The Lakeport Utilities Department is working with CDPH and the California Rural Water Association to obtain the necessary funding for the project, according to the memo.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
