You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

San Diego homeowners who use less water could see their monthly water bills increase next year under a proposed rate change that would eliminate the city’s tiered pricing system.

The proposal, prompted by a court ruling in a case against the city of San Diego, would replace the current system in which customers who use less water pay a lower rate, and those who use more water pay more. If approved, all customers would pay the same rate, regardless of how much water they use.

The San Diego County Water Authority approved an updated Urban Water Management Plan.

The unanimous SDCWA board vote June 25 approves a plan which predicts 561,564 acre-feet of total annual supply by 2050. The update, which will be submitted to the state’s Department of Water Resources and will also be used to assess adequate supply for potential new development, also includes a water shortage contingency plan.

Wholesale water rates in San Diego County — a key factor in how much local residents and businesses pay for water — will see the smallest hike in years next January, thanks to recent deals selling off excess local supply.

Rates will rise 3% in January, about half the 5.8% hike County Water Authority officials estimated before the water-sharing deals reached this spring with two agencies in Riverside County.

California’s acceptance of desalination has ebbed and flowed over the years as the state grapples with shoring up water security in the face of constant drought conditions. Recent discussions over “water swaps” have generated excitement over the possibilities.

While regional water-sharing arrangements between neighboring states and California could result in new desalination facilities, the process of converting seawater into drinking water comes with a host of regulatory hurdles that make planning, permitting and operating reverse osmosis plants extremely challenging in California.