Request to Update Clovis Rates

A request to update water rates and what it means for you

EPCOR is a regulated utility, which means that the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) decides what rates should be after a long and careful review of the information and costs in a rate case. That process can take about nine months.

Your water rates are based on what it cost to provide your service nearly a decade ago. Current rates don't reflect how much operating costs have changed or what it costs to maintain, fix and replace the water system serving your home or business.

The application is asking to adjust rates to be more consistent with what it currently costs to provide your service. It also updates rates to reflect two important things – $20 million in infrastructure improvements invested since the last rate case, and the lower corporate tax rates that went into effect December 2017.

What does that mean for you?

Your bill is specific to your individual water use. For the average residential customer on a 5/8-inch meter who uses about 700 cubic feet of water every month, the increase is about $3 per month.

Download a copy of the rate case.

Customer assistance programs

The less water you use, the lower your bill will be. The average home uses 935 cubic feet of water each month. Some people use less, but some people use much more. We know every customer is unique, and that's why we're requesting programs that can help.

Deployed Service Member Credit — waives the water bill for active duty men and women away from their homes on temporary deployment.
Low Income Assistance Program — a $10 monthly credit for all eligible water customers, no matter where they live.
Disabled Military Veterans Credit — A credit of $10 a month for eligible veterans.

Supporting documents

Infrastructure and your water service

Aging water infrastructure is a national, trillion-dollar issue. It's also a local issue. To keep your service reliable and your water quality high and safe, we must maintain, fix and replace the wells, pumps, pipes and treatment facilities that bring your water to you. The costs to purchase water, and to power the plants and systems that treat and deliver it to you, are also increasing.

Over the next decade, EPCOR needs to spend more than $40 million to keep our water systems operating safely and reliably. Because the underground aquifer that water comes from is declining, we also need more wells to provide enough water to meet demand. We now have 72 wells, twice as many as were needed 20 years ago. But those 72 wells produce the same amount of water that half the amount of wells did 20 years.

What about conservation programs?

Conservation is important to EPCOR, and our Clovis customers are very water conscious. We've updated the existing rebate program and also included programs to help our customers and educate the next generation through elementary school programs.

What's next?

The NMPRC has set a schedule for the rate case, including a public hearing on March 12, 2019 at 9 a.m.

You're invited to an open house to learn more about this application.

November 14, 2018 — 6 to 7:30 pm
Clovis Civic Center
801 Schepps Blvd
Clovis, New Mexico 88101

You can also submit comments by mail to the NMPRC, referencing Case No. 18-00124-UT:

Records Bureau
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
P.E.R.A. Building
P.O. Box 1269
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1269

Comments can also be submitted by email. For instructions, visit nmprc.state.nm.us.

You can find a copy of the application here or by looking up Case No. 18-00124-UT using the Case Lookup Edocket function on the NMPRC's website.

Questions

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