SACRAMENTO >> Assembly Bill (AB) 1434, introduced by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), cleared the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications on Monday. The measure addresses water affordability for Californians, specifically for those with low or fixed incomes.
“As the state continues to set improved standards for water quality, residents throughout California are bearing the burden of the cost to upgrading water systems,” Yamada stated. “My constituents in Lake County nearly experienced a rate increase of 77 percent over three years due to the development and construction costs of a new water treatment plant, but luckily a pending settlement agreement was reached. However, the legislature cannot leave communities with limited resources to fend for themselves. AB 1434 will initiate a process to strike a balance for utilities and ratepayers.”
AB 1434 would direct the California Department of Community Services and Development, in conjunction with the Board of Equalization and relevant stakeholders, to develop a statewide Low-Income Water Rate Assistance Program by Jan. 1, 2016. This process is the first step in developing a program that will mitigate the impact of rate increases, according to Dyane Osorio, Yamada”s press secretary.
With new treatment requirements for groundwater, recycled water and wastewater on the horizon such as the pending Hexavalent Chromium standards under consideration by the Department of Public Health, even more infrastructure investment are expected in the coming years that may potentially raise rates for Californians, according to Osorio.
Increasing costs of water can force some households to disconnect service altogether. As the revenue from these households ceases, water providers are forced to increase rates on the remaining ratepayers to cover the costs of their water delivery infrastructure, Osorio stated.
AB 1434 will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Yamada represents the 4th Assembly District which includes all or parts of Lake, Colusa, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
