There is no question that the cost of water in San Juan Capistrano has spiraled out of control. Water bills have doubled and in many cases tripled, just within the past two years. For many residents, especially those on fixed incomes, water, a basic necessity, is becoming unaffordable.

I came to the City Council with the mission to bring clean water to residents in the most cost-effective manner possible. I did not bring with me any preconceived notions as how best to achieve this mission. After researching the complex interrelated financial and engineering issues for more than a year, I have concluded our city must get out of the water business.

The reasons for the high cost of water are numerous. Some of the factors contributing to the high cost of water were outlined in a recent independent water-utility audit report commissioned by the City Council. The audit listed inefficiency, mismanagement and debt as factors contributing to the high cost of water. However, the primary culprit lies in the groundwater recovery plant itself. It is tremendously expensive to operate. The groundwater recovery plant devours millions of dollars each year in personnel, maintenance and basic operation costs. Despite whatever talking points you may have heard or read, the costs are only expected to increase. For example, with the expansion of “green” energy being mandated throughout the state, both the cost of our water and the electricity it requires to operate it will only further skyrocket the household budget in the future.

Furthermore, the bond debt for the groundwater recovery plant construction is over $42 million, which costs us more than $2.8 million per year in bond debt payments. If you add the cost of personnel, maintenance and basic operation costs needed to run the plant, all of us taxpayers are on the hook for more than $5 million per year, according to the recent audit report. It is no wonder the groundwater recovery plant has bled cash from its inception and the present deficit in the water utility is estimated at $6 million. What began as a noble if not naïve idea has become an insatiable monster that is threatening to consume the fiscal health of San Juan Capistrano.

If the plant offered cost-effective clean water, we would be applauding its efficiency and usefulness. Instead, all these expenses add up to one glaring reality: San Juan residents cannot afford the groundwater recovery plant, especially when buying our water elsewhere would cost less than what we are currently paying to produce our own water. My colleagues continuously assert that imported water is also increasing in cost, and it is. However they fail to acknowledge that the groundwater recovery plant water costs increase equally if not faster than that of imported water. Furthermore, we only lease the groundwater recovery plant and will never truly be water-independent. Sadly, there is no short- or long-term benefit for you, the taxpayer.

Many constituents have asked what we can do to rein in our spiraling water costs. In my opinion, the answer is for our City Council to acknowledge their mistake(s) and simply yet assertively get out of the water business. There will be a few issues that need to be worked out, most notably to renegotiate the bond debt with the San Juan Basin Authority, but with a determined City Council, these issues can easily be resolved.

Unfortunately, the current City Council majority lacks the will and continues to stubbornly ignore reality, all the while defending the fiscal black hole that is the groundwater recovery plant. In November, we, the victims of this debacle, will have the opportunity to gain control by sending fiscally responsible representatives to the City Council.