‘Drought surcharge?’ What drought?
Record Staff Writer @Alexbreitler STOCKTON — Those who diligently read their city of Stockton water bills might have noticed a strange line item: A drought surcharge, amounting to 23 cents per unit of water consumed.
The “drought surcharge” is really a conservation surcharge.
But even with the water rate hikes on the books, along with the surcharge, the utility could be $1.5 million in the red next year, city staff told the council earlier this week.
For a family using 15 units of water — a “unit” is 748 gallons — the current drought surcharge amounts to $3.45 per month.
The surcharge will increase to 27 cents per unit in July, however.
Factoring in the water rate increases as well as the surcharge, some residents will be paying quite a bit more overall.
City officials next month are expected to consider ending twice-a-week watering restrictions that were put in place during the drought.
This won’t solve the city’s revenue problem, but by saving more water you have at least some control over how much you’ll pay each month.
And of course, the fewer units of water you use, the less that so-called “drought surcharge” will cost you.