The San Diego City Council took no action on a potential water rate hike Tuesday, allowing the issue to move forward to a November council debate and vote.
An increase of 9.8 percent by January 2016 has been proposed by the city's Public Utilities Department. The rate would then increase again by nearly 7 percent in July 2016, and under the proposal, San Diegans would see an increase every July until 2019.
Despite residents' progress in conservation, the rate is going up due to the increased cost of purchasing water including contracts with the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Metropolitan Water District, and the cost of the city’s Pure Water recycling program, city officials said.
The recycling program aims to produce about a third of the city's water supply in 20 years.
A residential customer whose monthly bill is now around $36 would see a hike to a little over $39, according to a city report. Customers now paying $71 would see their bills go above $77.
The new rate structure is getting support from local clean water activists.
"I think this is actually a really wise investment of our rates, our dollars, for our local economy, the environment and our community at large," said Julia Chunn-Heer with the San Diego Surfrider Foundation. "So we need to take care of our water infrastructure in order to maintain our quality of life."
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The Council will vote on November 17 on the proposed rate hike. City utility executives say they are also working on a rate structure that would reward conservation efforts in the billing process.
