ACC zaps fire-flow request

The Arizona Corporation Commission Wednesday ruled in favor of Sun Citians opposed to paying for an improved fire-flow network when it stripped the request for new pipes and hydrants from Arizona American Water Co.'s rate increase proposal.

The commission, however, unanimously approved a general rate hike, which will go into effect June 1. Arizona American requested that increase to make up for five years with no rate boost, company officials said.

The approved rate increase is $15.41, which would amount to an average 12-cent daily increase. Customers in the Sun City Water District currently pay $11.88 median rate, which water company representatives say is the lowest in the area. By comparison, El Mirage pays a median rate of $29.98.

A group of about 30 dissenters from Sun City rode a bus to Wednesday's hearing to object to the proposed fire-flow increase, which would affect Sun City, Youngtown and a small part of Peoria.

Marv Worthen, president of the Sun City Taxpayers Association, which represented several other groups, including the Sun City Home Owners Association and the Recreation Centers of Sun City, said residents could not afford to pay more for "discretionary" fire flow improvements.

"Increases in taxes, food, gasoline and utilities push residents closer to the danger level of losing their standard of living," he said. "Each increase may be called moderate or insignificant, but they keep adding up."

Sun City Fire District and Youngtown officials supported the fire flow increase. Fire District Chief Jim Sebert said he was disappointed by the commission's decision.

"There were deficiencies in areas of Sun City, because of that and our knowledge of fighting fires (we are) very interested in seeing the system built out," he said.

"We still believe that we could provide a higher level of safety to residents ... with better access to water. We are disappointed. We would've liked to see the enhancements. It would've been a project we would've liked to have available to better protect people in those communities that could use a couple hundred hydrants."

Sebert stressed that firefighters can still protect residents under the current system but that the enhancements would have improved the timing involved in firefighting.

"We're prepared to continue to serve as we've been operating for almost 50 years," he said.

ACC members cautioned Arizona-American officials that the $5 million estimated project cost for improvements to piping and additional hydrants was not mandatory. Nevertheless, company officials said they needed the rate increase to improve the deficient system.

"It is discretionary," ACC Chairman Mike Gleason said during questioning of Arizona-American Attorney Craig Marks.

ACC spokeswoman Rebecca Wilder said Arizona American would have to include a rate increase to pay for the fireflow improvements in a future rate case, which would again come before the ACC, if it chooses to pursue the improvements.