City of San Diego residents are experiencing unexpected increases in their water bills, with some reporting jumps well over a hundred dollars.
The surge comes months before the city’s proposed water rate hikes are set to take effect in January, leaving many wondering about the cause of these sudden spikes.
Nearly 240,000 residents in parts of southeastern San Diego County will soon see higher water bills. The Otay Water District notified customers that it will implement an 8.3% rate increase effective Jan. 1, saying the “unavoidable” hike is mostly due to charges passed down from its wholesale water suppliers: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the county Water Authority.
Even more increases could be coming as the Otay Water District prepares to approve new sewer service rates later this year.
California’s water system, constructed in partnership with the federal government, was built on a predictable weather cycle every calendar year. Throughout the winter, snow piles in the Sierra before it melts in late spring and flows throughout the state just when farms need it most. For decades, this cycle, paired with our world-class water infrastructure, allowed for reliable water deliveries, captured excess flows in reservoirs and efficiently moved supply to refill our groundwater tables. But that rhythm is slowly changing. State climate indicators show the Sacramento River’s peak runoff now arrives nearly a month earlier — in March instead of April — compared with the mid-20th-century record. Looking ahead, the Department of Water Resources projects the Sierra’s April 1st snowpack will shrink by roughly half to two-thirds before the end of the century.
Over the last century, Southern California has grown and thrived by accessing water from faraway sources including the Colorado River, the Eastern Sierra’s streams and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Massive aqueducts transport water through deserts, farmlands and mountains to sustain 19 million people across six counties.
But these traditional sources of water are projected to become less reliable as global warming shrinks the West’s mountain snowpack and unleashes more intense droughts.
The Waterkeeper Alliance has completed a study on the prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in surface waters throughout the U.S. The “forever chemicals” — so called for their persistence in environments and bodies — have been linked to a wide range of health issues, from cancer to reproductive health concerns.
PFAS are widely found in common household items, such as non-stick cookware, water-repellant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, and some brands of dental floss.
Starting this week, pedestrians and motorists in Escondido will notice traffic impacts due to construction work on San Diego County Water Authority facilities as part of the Southern First Aqueduct Facilities Improvement project.
Work will take place on Bear Valley Parkway just north of San Pasqual Valley Road where a traffic lane and a bike lane on Bear Valley Parkway will be closed, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It’s that time of year – August – when San Diego’s real summer heats up and notices that the city of San Diego is raising water rates hit our mailboxes.
On Sept. 30, the San Diego City Council will take up the uncomfortable exercise of approving a 63 percent hike in water rates and a 31 percent hike in wastewater rates over the next four years.
You are not imagining it. Fire season in California is indeed starting earlier and lasting longer in virtually every region of California than it did two decades ago, researchers have found, thanks largely to human-caused climate change.
In the Sierra Nevada, fire season starts about 24 days earlier than it did in the early 1990s. In the Northern Basin and Range region, which runs along the northernmost border with Nevada, it’s 31 days earlier.
While San Diego may be known for its sparkling beaches, some areas of the county are also susceptible to extreme heat and wildfires, which can pose a continued risk of drought throughout California.
With elevated heat advisories coming into effect in several regions of the county this week, including El Cajon, Escondido and Campo, the risk of drought in these areas also rises.
The worst of Southern California’s ongoing heat wave is expected to land Thursday, but relief is not yet in sight. Temperatures will remain toasty over the weekend, and another hot spell is forecast next week.
Temperatures will hit the triple digits in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys on Thursday, while interior regions of Los Angeles County will see temperatures in the 90s, according to the National Weather Service. Lancaster even has a shot at matching its previous daily temperature record of 107 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Devin Black.
