CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : FRESNO : Radon Filter May Double Water Bill

Water bills could more than double in Fresno under a proposed federal Environmental Protection Agency rule restricting radon levels in drinking water supplies, a city official warned. The proposed regulation would require treatment equipment that city water quality chief Martin McIntyre said would be expensive and only marginally effective. McIntyre contended that complying with this regulation would cost the city $191 million, thus doubling or even tripling the current $12.50 monthly rate for a single-family home. He said the expense would not significantly reduce people’s exposure to radon, which the EPA estimates causes 80 cancer cases in the nation each year.