You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

The Water Authority Punted on Extraordinary Rate Increases

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After hours of debate, San Diego’s water importer (because the region has to buy most of its water from outside the county) decided to raise rates just a smidgen – and put off the doom-iest part of its proposed water price spike until next month.

Why? Well, a lot of local water district representatives (there are 33) weren’t comfortable with how the city of San Diego (the region’s biggest and most powerful water buyer) wanted to try and stave off bigger rate increases. And the city, which has the power to ram through anything it wants, hit the pause button instead.

Full Story

Water Community Rushes to Calgary’s Aid Amid Water Crisis

/in , /by /American Water Works Association Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In times of crises, water utilities stand together to support public safety and reliable service. This was the case recently when the City of Calgary’s water infrastructure suffered a critical blow. On June 5, the City of Calgary issued a notice to the public about a 78-inch feeder main break after reports of massive streams of water spewing out of the ground. The city quickly enacted water restrictions to conserve water. Further evaluation showed that the break was more complex than initially thought, prompting a state of local emergency.

Full Story

Water Rates Look Poised to go up – But Not as Steeply as Feared.

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Local water bills might not be going up quite as sharply next year as expected.

The County Water Authority’s board tentatively shrank a proposed rate hike for wholesale water from 18 percent to 14 percent on Thursday — despite concerns the move could hurt the water authority’s credit rating. An increase in wholesale rates will force nearly every local water agency to pass on the extra costs to its customers, but just how much gets passed on could vary widely.

Full Story

Water Authority Approves 4% Rise in Wholesale Rates – Maybe More to Come in July

/in , /by /Times of San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved an
increase of approximately 4% in wholesale rates for 2025. But that might not be all. The panel plans to assess the need for additional increases after a public hearing in July, according to an agency news release. The approved increase was designed to cover pass-through costs from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California that start accruing on July 1.

Full Story

Morning Report: San Diego’s Water Gets (a Little) More Expensive

/in , /by /Voice of San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After hours of debate, San Diego’s water importer (because the region has to buy most of its water from outside the county) decided to raise rates just a smidgen – and put off the doom-iest part of its proposed water price spike until next month.

Why? Well, a lot of local water district representatives (there are 33) weren’t comfortable with how the city of San Diego (the region’s biggest and most powerful water buyer) wanted to try and stave off bigger rate increases. And the city, which has the power to ram through anything it wants, hit the pause button instead.

Full Story

REPORT SUMMARY: The Magnitude of California’s Water Challenges

/in , /by /Maven's Notebook

California is on the brink of a water crisis, with projections showing a potential decrease in water availability by 4.6 to 9 million acre-feet yearly.  Despite conservation efforts, scarcity is inevitable, according to a new report titled “The Magnitude of California’s Water Challenges.”

Commissioned by the California Municipal Utilities Association and written by Jay Lund at UC Davis, Josue Medellín-Azuara at UC Merced, and Alvar Escriva-Bou with UCLA, the report outlines the state’s water management issues and predicts future water losses.  These estimates aim to guide public policy and investment choices in addressing California’s pressing water concerns.

Full Story

California’s Water Innovation: Technologies Driving Sustainability in the Golden State

/in , /by /San Diego Community Newspaper Group

Water is critical to California’s economic development, supporting environmental preservation as well as extensive agricultural, industrial, and recreational activities. The high demand for water, particularly in the hot summer months when prolonged droughts and water shortages are common, is fueling growing conflict between different user groups and regions over water availability.

Full Story

OPINION: The Case for Water Rate Increases

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Jim Madaffer and Gary Arant Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Most San Diegans don’t often think about the journey water takes before reaching our faucets. It involves hundreds of miles of pipes, multiple treatment plants and countless moving parts to deliver a reliable water supply to our region, which has nowhere near enough natural water sources to sustain us.

Any disruption along the way could have serious implications for local families and businesses. As a result, regular maintenance isn’t just a good idea, it’s an absolute necessity.

Full Story

OPINION: Deferring Maintenance on our Water System is a Risk We Can’t Afford to Take

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Jim Madaffer and Gary Arant Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Most San Diegans don’t often think about the journey that water takes before reaching our faucets. It involves hundreds of miles of pipes, multiple treatment plants and countless moving parts to deliver a reliable water supply to our region, which has nowhere near enough natural water sources to sustain us.

Any disruption along the way could have serious implications for local families and businesses. As a result, regular maintenance isn’t just a good idea, it’s an absolute necessity.

Full Story

San Diego’s Water Prices Face Doomsday Increase

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Thursday is doomsday for water prices in San Diego.

That’s when the region’s water importer – the San Diego County Water Authority – debates whether to boost its prices a whopping 18 percent come Jan. 1. The price increase is massive compared to previous rate increases, and the Water Authority’s biggest customer, the city of San Diego, is pretty ticked off. For the last five years, water rates rose between 5 and 10 percent per year. The last time San Diego passed a higher price spike was 2010 at 20 percent.

Full Story