Rosamond Community Services District

Water Rates

Q. Was a notice sent to customers about this increase?

A. Yes, notices were sent to all customers in May 2009. Meetings were held and information was presented in the newspapers to notify customers of the proposed changes. On June 30, 2009 a public meeting was held and customers had an opportunity to submit written protests. Only a few protests were received and the board approved these new rates at the meeting that night.

Q. If I own property in Rosamond but do not have any buildings on it, will I have to pay these rates?

A. Only those customers who are connected to the RCSD water and sewer will pay these fees.

Q. What size meter do I have?

A. If you have a single family home you have a .63 (5/8") meter. To learn meter size of other types of residential or commercial accounts, please complete the RCSD inquiry form and submit. We'll respond to your request as soon as possible.

Q. What is an HCF?

A. This is the measurement of how much water is used. HCF is a hundred cubic feet of water and is equal to 748 gallons.

Q. Why are there two charges for water and sewer?

A. For both water and sewer there is a base charge to cover fixed costs of operations. The water use and sewer HCF charge are to provide funding for variable costs associated with higher water and sewer usage.

Q. How is the HCF charge for sewer calculated?

A. While water use can be measured with a meter, there is currently no method to measure what water is sent to the sewer. By using the average water usage of the lowest two winter months when outdoor irrigation is minimal, it provides the best reflection of the amount of water being returned to the sewer by our residential customers and therefore is representative of the amount of sewage that must be processed. The fee is charged to cover variable treatment and disposal costs.

Q. Why did our rates go up?

A. Rates need to be set to reflect the cost of operation of the water and sewer systems. Over the last four years there have been no increases in the rates charged to customers while the costs of operation and maintenance have increased, resulting in the need to use reserves to meet required expenses. The rate study that was performed helped identify the current requirements for daily operation and for building reserves for emergencies and replacement of aging infrastructure.