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As we enter the peak water-use months of summer and early fall, it’s worth taking a moment to assess the value of this resource that is often taken for granted. After all, water makes everything possible in this semi-arid region, from baseball fields and microbrews to biotech and backyard gardens. We recently asked 1,000 county residents what they thought about the value of water as part of the San Diego County Water Authority’s long-running series of public opinion polls. On an unaided basis, two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) said they considered water a good or excellent value.

 

When the San Diego County Water Authority filed its initial rate case lawsuit in 2010 against the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, we knew it would be a marathon. Seven years later, we passed another important marker in the long-running litigation when a June 21 ruling by the state Court of Appeal sided with the Water Authority and the San Diego region on several significant issues. The decision includes a few key takeaways: The Water Authority has a right to significantly more water from MWD than MWD had credited.

In spring of 2014, Wendy and Lee Hadovski decided it was time to do their part and save water. They had two motivations: One was to reduce their water bill, and the other was their concern about California’s severe drought. At the time, their front yard in San Diego’s El Cerrito neighborhood was 80 percent grass, along with some plants that needed too much water to maintain. Plus, the yard’s sprinkler system was not efficient. The couple signed up for a four-class WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series sponsored by the San Diego County Water Authority.