San Diego could raise water rates by 61% and sewer rates 32% over four years to cover sharply rising costs for workers, imported water, chemicals, energy, construction projects and other priorities.
The increases, which would incrementally kick in between January 2026 and January 2029, are recommended by two new studies analyzing future revenues and expenses for the city’s water and sewer systems.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s skepticism about fluoride has become a focal point in the debate about whether he’s suitable to run the nation’s health department.
His pledge that the Trump administration would “advise all U.S. systems to remove fluoride from public water” has sparked outcry among dentists and some public health experts who say that fluoridated water is safe and essential for protecting oral health in children.
A board member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has been censured for making a racist remark about an Arab American employee.
The MWD board of directors voted to censure John Morris, a member representing the city of San Marino, after an investigation found that he used a racist term when he referred to a staff member at a board event last year. The district said the investigation was conducted in response to an anonymous complaint and determined that Morris’ remark violated the MWD’s antidiscrimination policy.
On a May afternoon, customers fill empty five-gallon jugs at vending machines beside the front door of the Aqua Bar water store in Escondido. Inside, the store’s owner chats with regulars turning the faucets at two large metal sinks. Customers come and go, wheeling carts full of newly-filled containers out to the trunks or flat-beds of waiting cars.
Aqua Bar is roughly in the middle of a neighborhood that could be the water vending machine capital of San Diego County.
An invasive species in the San Joaquin County Delta is putting water officials on high alert.
Despite its name, the golden mussel isn’t native to the Golden State, but instead to Southeast Asia. Now, some lake boat ramps and launches are closed, to try and keep the invasive species at bay.
Continued funding for a giant underground tunnel that would reroute part of drought-prone California’s water supply was approved by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
The $142 million in funds for pre-construction and planning costs is key to the Delta Conveyance Project, which state officials have described as critical to water supplies and transport around the state due to aging infrastructure and climate change-related shifts in precipitation.
In response to community concerns, Sweetwater Authority recently announced the detection of a small amount of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in treated water from the Sweetwater Reservoir.
The detected concentration was below levels that would necessitate mitigation measures, meaning additional water treatment is not required. However, regulatory guidelines mandate notification to customers about such findings.
Scott Maloni was sworn in Dec. 5 as the newest member of Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors.
Voters in OMWD’s Division 2, consisting of communities in Carlsbad and Encinitas, selected Maloni as their representative by 58.31% to the Board of Directors as one of four candidates in the Nov. 5 election. Incumbent Division 5 member Neal Meyers, who was appointed to the board in 2021, won election by 54.48%, according to San Diego County Registrar of Voters results.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has publicly commended the San Diego County Water Authority’s (SDCWA) latest move to diminish ratepayer costs through a fresh water-saving agreement. Gloria highlighted the agency’s collaborative effort at the Colorado River Users Association conference, resulting in a significant $20 million savings for regional ratepayers.
Gusting Santa Ana winds will again batter much of Southern California Monday and into mid-week, raising concerns about potential wildfires.
A red flag warning of critical fire danger conditions will be in effect until 4 a.m. Wednesday for the San Diego County mountains and inland valleys.
