You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

The Price of Water Just Got More Complicated: San Diego’s Legal Battle Over Tiered Rates

/in , /by /JD Supraby Dean Atyia and Lutfi Kharuf Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

On July 30, 2025, a divided California Court of Appeal issued its long-awaited opinion in Patz v. City of San Diego, affirming the trial court’s judgment that the City’s tiered residential water rates violated Proposition 218 of the California Constitution. The ruling reinforces the strict interpretation of cost-of-service requirements previously articulated in Coziahr v. Otay Water District. However, given the nearly 70-page dissenting opinion, the California Supreme Court may take up the case if the City seeks review.

Full Story

OPINION: Logging Saves Species and Increases Our Water Supply

/in , /by /California Globeby Edward Ring

There are obvious benefits to logging, grazing, prescribed burns, and mechanical thinning of California’s forests. When you suppress wildfires for what is now over a century, then overregulate and suppress any other means to thin the forest, you get overcrowded and unhealthy forests.

California’s trees now have 5 to 10 times more than a historically normal density. They’re competing for an insufficient share of light, water and nutrients, leading to disease, infestations, dehydration and death. Up through the 1980s, California harvested 6 billion board feet per year of timber; the annual harvest is now 25 percent of that. We have turned our forests into tinderboxes, and that is the reason fires turn into superfires.

Full Story

In the Central Valley, a First-Of-Its-Kind Project Is Proving That With a Little Innovation, Water and Energy Can Work Together

/in , /by /Spectrum Newsby Sarah Pilla

In Hickman, solar panels are going up over the Turlock Irrigation District’s main canal. For Solar AquaGrid co-founder Jordan Harris, seeing it covered in solar panels is the realization of a decade-long vision.

“It’s been a crazy journey, this last decade, and it’s a big deal for me to stand here and see that we’re making shade, and electrons,” said Harris.

Full Story

Progress Made on Genesee Ave Construction in University City as San Diego’s Pure Water Plan Continues

/in , /by /CBS 8 San Diegoby Vanessa Paz

If you live in or drive through UTC, chances are you’ve felt the frustration, heavy traffic and daily bottlenecks along Genesee Avenue near State Route 52.

Drivers and businesses alike are feeling the impact.

“Customers get lost trying to get into the center,” said Ethan Stern, whose family owns Lorna’s Italian Kitchen. “You have to go all the way down Genesee, make a U-turn, and come back. I’m sure people get frustrated trying to get here.”

Full Story

How Technology, Resilience Demands, and Cybersecurity Are Transforming the Water Industry

/in , /by /Smart Water Magazineby Olivia Tempest

For 14 years running, the Black & Veatch Water Report has been an essential compass for understanding the evolving landscape of the water industry. The 2025 edition, built on the insights of over 600 U.S. water stakeholders, offers a comprehensive look at the pivotal trends shaping the sector today.

The water industry stands at a critical juncture, grappling with evolving regulations, ageing infrastructure, and significant workforce shifts. To better understand these challenges and the path forward, we sat down with Donnie Ginn, Executive Vice President and Water Solutions Group Leader at Black & Veatch. With over three decades of experience, Ginn’s expertise spans water and wastewater facilities, collection and distribution systems, and complex water conveyance programs. In this interview, Ginn provides a deep dive into the insights from Black & Veatch’s latest Water Report, offering perspectives on how utilities can build sustainable and resilient water solutions.

Full Story

Morning Report: The Water Authority Breakup

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Jim Hinch and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The law firm that helped San Diego embark on an ambitious water deal and guided the region’s legal strategy for 25 years has ended things with the San Diego County Water Authority.

In a new letter, attorneys with Brownstein Hayatte Farber Schreck LLP, told the Water Authority’s general manager that they would not provide legal services the agency wanted. This comes after the agency passed on a separate agreement with attorney Chris Frahm.

Full Story

8 Things to Know About New Research on Earth’s Rapid Drying and the Loss of Its Groundwater

/in , /by /ProPublica

The continents are rapidly drying out and the earth’s vast freshwater resources are under threat, according to a recently released study based on more than 20 years of NASA satellite data. Here are the report’s key findings and what they portend for humankind.

Full Story

Newsom’s Plan to Give Water Agencies More Leeway in Meeting Rules Moves Forward

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

California regulators are supporting a controversial plan backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom — and opposed by environmental groups — that would give water agencies more leeway in how they comply with water quality rules.

The Newsom-backed approach is included as part of a proposed water plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, released by the State Water Resources Control Board on Thursday.

Full Story

California Proposes Major Drinking Water Change: What to Know

/in , /by /Newsweekby James Bickerton

A bill introduced in California by state senators Anna Caballero and Alexandra Macedo, a Democrat and Republican, respectively, would give water agencies immunity from civil lawsuits regarding chromium-6 contamination in their supply if they are actively working on plans to address the issue.

Caballero argued California Senate Bill 466 is needed so water agencies can concentrate on removing the potentially cancer-causing contaminant from their supply, rather than spending their limited resources on legal cases.

Full Story

Smolens: What to do with all that ‘Pure Water’?

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: Nick Serrano

It seems like a good problem to have and one that should be getting even better.

The San Diego region has more than enough water and more is on the way. That’s a rarity in the parched West. It sounds great, but the reality is, it’s an increasingly costly burden.

Full Story