Los Angeles residents may soon face a significant increase in their sewer bills, with rates set to rise by 22% in October and continue to increase over the next four years. The Los Angeles City Council will be holding a public hearing on the proposed rate hikes on August 27, giving property owners until the end of the day to submit written protests if they object to the increases.
The first increase in October would result in a typical single-family household paying $92.04 every two months, up from the current $75.40. By July 2028, the same household could expect to pay $155.48 bi-monthly. The rate hikes, which would total more than double the current rates, are based on the amount of water used.
City officials have cited the need to update aging infrastructure and repay bond obligations as reasons for the rate increases. Nearly a third of the city’s pipes are over 90 years old, with treatment plants in need of maintenance. The city’s last sewer rate increase was in 2020, and over the next five years, it plans to spend over $3 billion on capital projects.
While some residents support the infrastructure upgrades, concerns have been raised about the impact on low-income residents. Suggestions have been made to have ratepayers in more affluent neighborhoods absorb a larger share of the rate increases.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently announced that the city of L.A. will pay $20.8 million to fix issues at the Hyperion plant, following a sewage spill in 2021. Overall, residents and officials are grappling with the need for infrastructure improvements balanced against the financial strain placed on residents by the proposed rate increases.
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