The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is helping income-eligible Sacramento residents save up to $72 annually on their utility bills. The newly-launched Utility Rate Assistance Program (URAP) is designed to offset some of the recent water and wastewater rate increases that took effect last year by applying up to a $6 monthly bill credit to qualifying households. To qualify, residents must complete and submit a URAP application, available at www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities. Residents must also: • Be at or below 100-percent of the Federal Poverty Level (up to $23,050 for a family of four) • Occupy and be responsible for the utility bill for a single-family residence, condomini

When clocks are turned forward on Saturday night, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities reminds residents and businesses tthat they can change their irrigation schedules as well. The City’s current irrigation rules, found in the Water Conservation ordinance state that at the beginning of daylight savings time, residents and businesses may water up to three days a week, based on their address. Addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only and even-numbered addresses may water on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. There is no watering allowed on Mondays. Watering of landscapes must be completed before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. “While the ordinance allow

Residents are invited to see firsthand the challenges of aging water, sewer pipes, pumps and treatment plants As part of Your Utilities. Your Voice., The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is throwing open the doors of two of its oldest pieces of infrastructure- the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant (built in 1923) and Sump 2 (built in 1927) to help the citizens of Sacramento better understand the challenges of its aging water and sewer infrastructure. At each facility, tours will be offered that highlight the historic nature of these facilities and how modern technology is keeping them operating today, while protecting the environment and the health and safety of Sacramento

City Utilities is looking for customer input as it faces challenges with aging pipes, increasing regulations The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, the City’s water, sewer, drainage and solid waste service provider, is seeking residential and commercial customer input on a set of guiding principles that will guide the department’s future services, programs and priorities. Through the initiative called Your Utilities. Your Voice., the department is educating customers about the challenges it faces as well as gathering their opinions about how the department moves forward. “Choices have to be made as we look to the future of the department,” said Dave Brent, Interim Director of t

Would you pay for a city required service that the city does not provide? In the Hagginwood area of North Sacramento, there is a lack of a city required storm drainage system and the City of Sacramento, through its Department of Utilities, continues to bill property owners for a service the city does not provide. For more than twenty years, Hudson Way property owners and tenants have questioned why Hudson Way and other neighboring streets are without a storm drainage system. Property owners pay a storm drainage fee on their utility bills; however, they do not receive the required city service of a well constructed and permanent storm drainage system. Current drainage conditions, as sta

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities will launch the 2011 Recycling Incentive Awards, sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages and the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station on May 2, 2011. Each week through June 27, the City will randomly select recycling containers in a selected Council District and check it for proper recycling. If the container holds only clean recyclables, the City will award owners of clean recycling bins with $100 and the chance to win an iPad2. “Recycling right is the right thing to do. Clean, dry and usable recyclables limits waste going to the landfills and is a win for the environment,” said Marty Hanneman, Director of the Department of Utilities. "So m

Give Smart Sacramento promotes waste free experiences in place of traditional holiday gifts What was your favorite holiday gift of the past? Was it a sweater from J.Crew three years ago? Or maybe it was the CD-Man you got in ’95? I’m guessing it was something that hasn’t gone out of style or become obsolete. My favorite gift in recent memory was a family membership to Fairytale Town. I will always remember the time spent with my children and my family at Fairytale Town, because the memory will never go out of style, be shoved in the back of the closet or go in the "Goodwill" pile. This year, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is challenging you to replace at least one out of

A citizen’s group that advises the Sacramento City Council on utilities rates voted to oppose a November ballot measure that would reverse a 9.2 percent rate hike. Four of the seven members of the Utilities Rate Advisory Commission voted to recommend that the City Council oppose Measure B, the Utilities Rate Rollback Act of 2010. Commissioners Melvin Johnson and Tess Kretschmann were absent from the meeting. Commissioner Ernest Lehr abstained from the vote after saying he had “many problems with the rate-setting process.” He criticized the Department of Utilities’ budgeting practices. The City Council voted to increase rates on residents’ utilities bills last year, and the 9.2 percent s

The Sacramento City Council agreed to fund a $150,000 study of downtown's infrastructure Tuesday night. The purpose is to collect up-to-date information about the core's aging and sometimes outdated infrastructure and identify improvements needed to eliminate obstacles to the kind of infill development outlined in the city's 2030 General Plan and the Downtown Activation Strategy. It was adopted by the council in January. The study is needed to make sure downtown is primed for the development and investment that's expected as the economy picks up. The data also will help the city apply for state and federal funding. An R Street infrastructure study done years ago has been used to get fund

On Thursday, Sacramento planning department staff will recommend against requiring a special land use permit for water and beverage bottling companies. However, city officials and staff will continue to consider creating tiered water rates that could take effect in 2012 or sooner. Staff from the city's Community Development Department will report to the City Council's Law & Legislation Committee, in response to requests made by council members Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond involving Nestlé Waters North America last October. Bottling plants are permitted in zones approved for light industrial, heavy commercial and heavy industrial businesses in Sacramento. A staff survey found that co

A controversial ballot measure to halt a 9.2 percent city utilities rate hike is causing tension between city staffers and backers of the measure. Two local groups, the Sacramento County Taxpayers League and the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates, have gathered signatures to put an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot that would stop the rate hike. The Sacramento County Registrar has found that 5,420 signatures presented by the groups were credible, according to a June 22 report from the Utilities Department. The registrar required proof of 5,420 legitimate signatures to place the measure on the ballot. The City Council voted to increase rates on residents’ utilities bills last year, a

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is seeking volunteers to assist in the City’s water conservation efforts. Water Conservation Ambassadors will be trained to assist residents in finding leaks on their property, present conservation information at community events and how to spot and report water waste. The first training session for Water Conservation Ambassadors will take place on June 29, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Department of Utilities Water Conservation Office, 2260 Glen Ellen Circle. “Over the past year, we have seen a huge increase in the numbers of calls for service and a desire by the community to have water conservation information shared with their organizations or nei

The "City of Trees" just got a little bit greener. RecycleBank, a nationwide recycling incentive program, launched a pilot program May 24 in the South Meadowview neighborhood. Participants earn points for their neighborhoods recycling properly. Blue recycling containers often line the streets, but Jessica Hess of the Department of Utilities said they're often not used correctly. "There is a high amount of contamination," she said. "Many residents use the blue (recycling) containers for their extra garbage." Contamination occurs when nonrecyclable or unclean items are placed in recycling containers. When sorted, these items are taken to a landfill, which costs money and hurts the environ

When clocks are turned forward on Saturday night, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities reminds residents and businesses to change their irrigation schedules as well. The City’s current irrigation rules, found in the Water Conservation ordinance state that at the beginning of daylight savings time, residents and businesses may water up to three days a week, based on their address. Addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only and even-numbered addresses may water on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. There is no watering allowed on Mondays. Watering of landscapes must be completed before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. “While the ordinance allows customers

Backyard composting is easier than you might think. Compost acts as a multivitamin for your garden, reacting with soil to release plant nutrients. You cut down on the amount of trash you bag and throw away, and your yard waste is recycled instead of picked up by a stranger for transporting, processing and dumping. Interest in composting has ballooned in the last few years, as more and more online and community resources are made available for people interested in cutting costs and environmental footprints. The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities hosts Free Backyard Composting Seminars. The next one is March 13 at the Southside Community Garden. In the meantime, here is an assembl

The City of Sacramento is proud to offer many options for our customers to recycle their Christmas trees. Preparing Your Holiday Tree for Recycling Cut trees longer than 6 feet into 3-foot or shorter pieces. Remove trees from stands or plastic bags. Remove ornaments, lights, nails, tinsel and metal rod supports from trees. Artificial trees will not be accepted. Containerized Yard Waste Customers Option 1: After cutting your tree into 3-foot or shorter pieces, place your holiday tree in your yard waste container. Make sure the trimmed pieces fit completely into the container with the lid closed Option 2: Place your tree out for loose-in-the-street collection by 6:00am on your regular

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities Solid Waste Services reminds residents that many of the special items used during the holidays can be recycled or reused. “Everything from trees to boxes and wrapping paper and ribbons can be reused or recycled,” says Edison Hicks, Integrated Waste General Manager. “Even large amounts cooking oil, fats and grease can be recycled by taking them to the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station or North Area Recovery Station.” The City of Sacramento encourages residents to recycle wrapping paper, bottles, cans, mail order catalogs, boxes, and greeting cards by placing them in blue recycle bins with commingled recycling. Christmas trees can be r

By Kevin McCarty, Sacramento City Council, District 6 With California in its third year of drought, the City of Sacramento’s water conservation strategy includes busting people who flood sidewalks. Since June, we’ve been telling residents they can water landscaping on only three specific days per week and there is to be no watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Last year, the City Council decided to ban bottled water at its meetings. We did so in recognition that plastic water bottles are littering the world and the precious water they once contained is often wasted. That’s why I was surprised to learn that the Nestle Waters North America Co. is moving forward with plans for a water bottl

Discussion over a Nestlé water-bottling plant appears to be growing in Sacramento, as the Swiss multinational prepares a facility for operation and new hires begin work. The Sacramento City Council, which was not involved in the decision to approve the plant, will discuss the issue publicly for the first time after a request two weeks ago by council members Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond. They asked the council to consider an emergency ordinance requiring a special permit before Nestlé Waters North America begins bottling city tap water and spring water at a plant in South Sacramento. Such a permit could "trigger" an environmental analysis of this and future facilities, McCarty said We