UCAN has named Pat Zaharopoulos, Esq. and Dr. Murtaza H. Baxamusa to its Board of Directors. Details.

With the most current round of UCAN's inserts in the City of San Diego water bills, our phones have been lighting up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. One thing we've noticed is that many people do not know how to read their water bill. The callers can definitely see how expensive their water bill is each month, but they don't know what each line item represents. We can help break though all the confusion, but we have to warn you that you can't unsee the horrors that are the Four Horsemen of the Water Bill.

You've probably already noticed that the format of your water bill has changed, but don't be suprised to see a few of the numbers change as well.  July 1 is the date that your new annualized sewer service charge comes into effect.  If you're suspicious about the figure on your bill, you can use this rough guide to verify that your charge is correct.

“Sewage Recycling” “Toilet-to-Tap” “Reservoir Augmentation” “Indirect Potable Reuse” etc. etc. etc. The names for this process go on ad nauseam and reflect San Diego’s split on the subject, but the truth is that there are many concerned that need to be addressed from a factual stand point.

UCAN is member supported and accepts no outside advertising.

Don't pay your water bill!  You heard me right, don't pay your water bill!

Not what you're used to hearing, right?  The City of San Diego Water Department has a widespread billing error this month, so be a savvy consumer and check your bill before you write the check this month.

The error we've been alerted of is on the sewer service charge.  As some background, this is an annualized charge, which is a fancy way of saying that it's an average that updates once a year.  That once a year begins on July 1, but folks have seen their sewer service charge change on the service period ending July 1, which shouldn't be happening.

Here's a quick and easy way to check if you have one of the incorrect bills.  Look at the amount listed for "Sewer Service Charge" on your bill (for residential bills it should be the fifth item listed).  If that amount is different than the sewer service charge on your previous bill, then you've got one of the bum bills.

If your bill is incorrect, just sit tight: the City is aware of the error and sending out corrected bills.  You can try calling, but the City of San Diego's customer service line is slammed right now.  And if you already paid the incorrect bill in error, you should see a credit on you next month's bill for the difference.

San Diego currently provides 25% of the revenue for Metropolitan Water District but only gets an 18% share in voting. Wouldn’t it be fair if those who pay get more of a say? The Met is in the business of buying and selling water. It would make more sense for everyone to have voting power proportional to the amount they are investing in the business.

San Diego County Grand Jury says: CWA member agencies have not communicated clearly to their customers about the reasons for water rate increases.