Hughson’s residential water rates will rise 50 percent by 2019

City residents will pay much more for water to comply with a state order to lower arsenic levels in the water supply.

The City Council cleared a Proposition 218 process last week and approved increases that will raise the average monthly residential bill from $46.77 to $69.58 over five years.

The first increase of about 6 percent is expected to take effect in August.

The city, which provides water to 2,200 customer hookups, received 39 protests from parcel owners opposing the increase. That was far short of the majority needed to reject the new rates. Proposition 218 requires cities to hold a protest vote before raising utility rates.

The increase will pay for $8.3 million in water service improvements, including a new, deeper well, storage tank and arsenic treatment facility on the south side of town. The city also will sink a deeper well at the wood truss plant on Tully Road and pipe water from the new wells to the treatment facility.

City Manager Raul Mendez said the improvements should satisfy the state order to reduce arsenic levels. The city could pay fines if it fails to comply.

Last year, arsenic levels in Hughson’s wells averaged 7.2 parts per billion, within the state standard of 10 ppb, but some readings were as high as 15.4 ppb. The state requires that the city have three operating wells that meet the standard.

Drilling deeper wells also helps the city meet drinking water standards for nitrates and other potential contaminants, Mendez said.

In 2009, Hughson adopted metered water rates to pay for cleanup of arsenic in the city’s water supply after the state sent a cease-and-desist order. At that time, three of the five groundwater wells violated the state’s tougher standards for arsenic. A facility for treating arsenic was built in the north area of town.

The city will finance the new improvements with a 30-year loan from the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Another option to clean up its water was participating in a regional surface water treatment plant, but the city decided against it in 2011, due to the unknown costs and uncertain timeline for completing the project.

The Turlock Irrigation District agreed last week to sell some of its Tuolumne River water for the regional project, which proposes to treat water for Turlock, Ceres and south Modesto.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Hughson’s residential water rates will rise 50 percent by 2019."