Calaveras County residents push back on proposed water rate increase

Community members say senior citizens and low-income families would be most impacted, if proposal is passed

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Community members say senior citizens and low-income families would be most impacted, if proposal is passed

Calaveras County residents like Paul Bloom say they are feeling the impacts of inflation and high living costs.

Bloom is a retired Arnold resident who says he makes do with small jobs for people here and there.

But he is most worried about his neighbors, who are senior citizens, and how high living costs are impacting them.

“My neighbor, that lives right next to me, it’s a couple. They’re in their eighties and they can’t even pay for their fire insurance now,” Bloom said. “Their attitude is ‘if the house burns down, I’ll just pick up and move in with my kids.’”

For many, increases on any bills, particularly their water and sewage bills, is not something they say they can handle.

But that’s exactly what the Calaveras County Water District is proposing.

Proposition 218 is currently on the table and if passed, water district officials say it would essentially double customers’ current bills over a 5-year period.

Based on estimates provided in charts by the Calaveras County Water District, the proposed increases at the maximum rate would mean the average customer would go from paying roughly $68 for water to over $150 by the fifth year.

Wastewater rates would go from $210 to roughly $365.

“So, you’re looking at a $600 payment every 2 months,” Bloom said.

But Michael Minkler, the water district’s general manager, says that may not be the case even if the proposition is approved.

“The board still has discretion to adopt less than what was proposed,” Minkler said. “Then each year during the 5-year schedule of the rate increases, the board has discretion each year to adopt something lower.”

But many residents say they are skeptical.

“My concern is that if they approve that amount, they’re going to use it,” Bloom said. “What’s going to happen? Are they going to raise it another 100% in the next five years? And what about after that?”

While Minkler says the reason for the increased rate proposal is in part to help with company salaries, he says it’s mostly aimed to help with costs of construction and improvements of critical infrastructure projects.

According to Minkler, community members are not the only ones feeling the impacts of inflation, as operations costs have gone up for the district in at least the last 2 years.

“An easy example of this is the cost of electricity for us has nearly doubled in the last year,” Minkler said.

Construction costs are also going up, according to Minkler.

He said updates are also needed for some areas where systems have been around since the 1960’s and 70’s. There are also other areas of concern.

“The Arnold Wastewater Plant is currently undersized. Both the collections system portions of the collections system and the treatment plant itself are currently undersized for the community that it serves, so, we’ve had spills, and that can have an environmental and public health impact” Minkler says.

Minkler said the work is especially needed since many parts of Calaveras County are considered at higher risk for fires than other parts of the state due to elevation and dense forests.

“We can’t provide water and wastewater service, we can’t provide fire flow for our communities if we don’t have the infrastructure in place to maintain those services,” Minkler said.

Minkler says no rate increases are scheduled as of now, but if Prop 218 passes, they would take effect starting in October.

Bloom says he has written letters of concern to state and government officials, calling them to act. He is also coming together with residents to try to put a stop to the proposed rate increases.

“Right now, I would be concerned with the number of seniors, they literally will have leans put on their homes, or even the young families,” Bloom said.

Bloom says he and Minkler have gotten together to discuss some possible solutions including gathering a community panel to help them move forward.

Minkler says the water district is pursuing grants to help lessen potential costs for customers.

The proposition will be discussed and voted on during an upcoming CCWD board meeting on Sept. 13.

All residents are encouraged to attend and make their voices heard.