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Council approves higher construction‑meter deposit and new fee for noncompliant backflow devices
Summary
The council approved changes to water user fees: construction‑meter deposits rise from $2,800 to $3,800, daily rental increases from $1 to $2, and a new $107 service restoration fee will apply when a customer’s private backflow device is noncompliant and service must be shut off and restored.
Following a public hearing, the Garden Grove City Council adopted amendments to several water user fees intended to improve cost recovery for meter and backflow‑related services.
Finance and Public Works staff explained the changes: the refundable deposit for construction meters (which protect hydrants and measure usage) will increase from $2,800 to $3,800 to reflect the current replacement cost of a 3‑inch construction meter. The daily rental fee, unchanged for more than 20 years, will increase from $1 to $2 to better cover routine replacement and staff time. The council also approved a new service restoration charge of about $107 to recover the cost of on‑site visits and water turn‑on/turn‑off when a privately owned backflow prevention device fails to submit a required passing test and the city must suspend and later restore service.
Staff noted the new fees follow the city’s principle of full‑cost recovery for user fees; state law requires a 60‑day notice/appeal period for new or increased fees, so the changes become effective 60 days after the council action. A public commenter expressed general support for the meter fee changes.
Why it matters: The fee changes shift costs more closely to the users of temporary construction meters and to property owners who fail to maintain required backflow prevention devices, encouraging timely compliance and reducing general fund subsidies for these services.
