TURNING ON THE TAP COSTS KERN COUNTY

A Grand Jury report shows the monthly water bill for rural residents can be triple that of the cities, especially in eastern Kern County. Smaller utilities have charged customers as much as $200 a month due to old pipes, maintenance costs in difficult terrain, low numbers of customers, and state testing regulations.

The utilities say they are asking the state to fund pipeline repairs so they do not have to pass those extra costs onto consumers. The report also recommends metering so customers are only charged for what they use.

Kelli Forsch