The cost of water in Brea will get a slight bump come July 1.
A rate adjustment approved by the City Council in February 2016 will increase rates by 2.5 percent and raise charges for fixed costs from 17 to 20 percent.
The average user will see their bill increase about $3.50 a month.
The increase is expected to help the city’s water utility meet operation and maintenance costs, debt service obligations and create sufficient funding for on-going replacement costs. The additional revenue should also add to the capital reserves.
The City Council last week agreed to leave the planned rate increase in place. It was originally adopted during the drought when Brea suffered a budget shortfall after people started using less water following state-wide drought measures implemented in June 2015. City officials at one point said revenue was short about $150,000 a month.
Starting in June, the city will study for three months how much water residential customers are using to see what conservation efforts people have adopted permanently after the drought, Cindy Russell, administrative services director, said.
“Conservation is the new normal and we have to assess that,” she said, “and analyze the water usage during what is a peak time.”
The council is expected to to meet in November to make recommendations on water rates going forward.