Water Budget Will Reflect Higher Costs

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Marked increases in the cost of buying water and in equipment repairs were responsible for a 5% increase in the 1992-93 Capistrano Valley Water District fiscal budget, district officials said.

No personnel changes or new programs were included in the $8.5-million budget recently approved by the district--a boost of about $400,000 from last year.

“It was pretty much a hold-the-line budget,” said Jim Widner, district business manager.

A 23% rate increase for purchasing water from the Metropolitan Water District had a large impact on the budget, Widner said. The district declined to pass along the full cost of the rate hike to customers because the board of directors approved a 12% increase in residential rates last month, he said.

About 80% of the water used in the San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point portions of the district is bought from MWD. The remaining water production comes from local wells.

Another change that some district customers will notice is a new method for allocating water.

During the water crisis last year, the district adopted a rationing system that established a water consumption limit for each household. Families exceeding the limit were hit with a surcharge.

Limits were the same for all customers, regardless of the size of their lots. This year, parcels over 7,000 square feet will have water-use levels established according to the size of the property.