Lomita City Council Seeks Update to Water Master Plan and Maintains Existing Water Rates

During the June 1, 2021 City Council Meeting, the Lomita City Council approved the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Water Master Plan and Hydraulic Model.

The City of Lomita establishes water rates sufficient to make the necessary upgrades and infrastructure improvements to keep our water system running smoothly and safely.  An accurate plan for future improvements is critical to that process. The City’s 2015 Water Master Plan provides functional data and insight and has served as a guide for the infrastructure improvements and upgrades the City has made over the last few years.  It also has allowed the City to better plan for future demand throughout the water system.  As the City has made upgrades, and as costs of construction and planning have changed over time, the City is now looking to update the Water Master Plan to reflect the current state of the Water System and plan for future projects to further improve system reliability and water quality. 

As we do so, the City Council has unanimously decided to accept the recommendation of the Water Subcommittee to postpone consideration of any water rate adjustments until the Water Master Plan update is complete – the last adjustment to the City’s Water rates took effect in January 2020.  This action means that although operational costs have increased as the City has been required to purchase costly imported water during upgrades being made to our local production facility, the City’s current rate structure will remain in place with no increases to residents this year.   

“As we go forward, we need an accurate plan in place so our residents can see exactly how their money is making improvements to their water system, but now is not the time to be adding costs to our residents’ pocket books,” said Mayor Mark Waronek. “It’s important we hold off on any rate adjustments until we have an updated Water Master Plan for our community and we get ourselves past the terrible effects of this pandemic.”

“Increasing the sustainability and resiliency of  Lomita’s water system is critical and our Master Water Plan must accurately reflect the needs of our community in the future” said Public Works Director Carla Dillon. “The updated Water Master Plan will also provide us with more precise cost estimates, so our residents can be assured that the rates they pay for their water are going toward projects that continue to improve water quality and reliability.” 

The City is committed to sharing information and helping community members understand where their water comes from, and how their system is run. Residents are encouraged to visit LomitaWater.com to find all the latest water-related information and sign up for Lomita Water News Alerts.

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