DWP Officials Urge Trims in Rationing Surcharge

Ranking Department of Water and Power officials, amid waning Los Angeles City Council support for Mayor Tom Bradley’s plan for mandatory water rationing, have recommended trimming a controversial rationing surcharge, a DWP official said Wednesday.

The Water and Power Commission, which oversees the city-owned utility, is scheduled to consider the proposal to cut the rate from 9 cents a billing unit to 6 cents a billing unit at its meeting today, DWP spokesman Ed Freudenberg said.

The surcharge was the source of much debate during a lengthy council meeting last month on Bradley’s plan to require water users to cut consumption by 10% from 1986 levels. DWP officials at the time said they would not be able to lower the planned surcharge until October. But in the interim, the utility’s top managers have developed the new surcharge plan.