Water Authority Approves Plans for Conservation

The Suisun-Solano Water Authority adopted its Urban Water Management Plan Tuesday night.

The plan was created not only to be in compliance with state law but to help more accurately keep track of water usage and billing for conservation efforts. Steps taken within the plan would also make the water authority eligible for state grant money.

“The key is, the thing we had to approve tonight, if the city ever wants to have any grant opportunity (and) save the ratepayer some money we have to do that,” said Robert Hansen, board president.

The approval comes at a time when rate hikes have been considered to cover operational expenses and replace aging infrastructure. Hansen said the plan would allow for the water authority and experts to see where water is being wasted; currently the urban water supplier is not billing for as much water as it is producing. Hansen admits this will still likely result in a rise in payments for ratepayers in Suisun.

“There’s diversity right now,” said Hanson. “There are those who want to keep the water rates as cheap as possible, and then there are those of us who want to look at the long range. You have ups and downs in the economy but what we want to try to do is build a small gradual increase in water rates over the long haul instead of these big spikes up and down. “

The Urban Water Management Plan calls for various actions to be made that would assist in conserving resources and, ultimately, money. It includes an update of the billing system, documenting conservation efforts, and public participation and education of the plan.

One of the most debated issues prior to approving the plan, however, was wording for the action of “participating in a regional climate change analysis.” Board members Sam Derting, Mike Hudson and Mike Segala were adamant that wording in the plan be changed from stating the board would “coordinate with other agencies” in keeping with the regional climate change analysis. Removing the phrase altogether would likely jeopardize future state grants the board applies for. The plan was passed unanimously contingent on amending the phrase.

“My concern with this is that by putting this in the Urban Water Management Plan, that all of a sudden that means coordinating with other agencies and they tend to do the dictating on how that coordinating is…” said Hudson. “I want to limit that statement because right now that’s a pretty blanket statement; that’s a blank check.”