Officials at the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District on Thursday formally unveiled plans to build a solar canopy array and battery energy storage project at the Harmony Grove Village Water Reclamation Facility in Escondido.
The reclamation facility runs up a power bill of about $5,000 each month and the solar-plus-battery project will help offset the wastewater treatment center’s energy costs.
A North Pacific storm that’s drawing moisture from the subtropics could drop 1.5 inches to 3 inches of rain at the coast and 3 inches or more inland Friday and Saturday across San Diego County, largely bringing fire season to an end, the National Weather Service said.
The system could also produce lightning in many areas, including Mission Valley, where San Diego State University’s football team will host Boise State at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m.
There’s a debate over whether the city of San Diego should or could build a smaller sewage-to-drinking water recycling project than originally planned.
If fully built out, the project costs would top $5 billion. And the City Council is desperate to save ratepayers money. But the city probably can’t build a smaller Pure Water project, even though some want it to, because recycling wastewater is something the city promised to do – or risk being sued by environmentalists.
City of San Diego officials may be rethinking Phase 2 of its Pure Water project, as the $1.5 billion Phase 1 nears completion.
Phase 1 will recycle 30 million gallons of sewage per day. It’s one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the region. But elected officials are debating what the second phase might entail.
Every month, a group meets to debate what should be done with our toilet water. Right, now they’re arguing about the fact that there might not be enough for everybody to reuse.
Three years ago, I wrote about how the city of San Diego was at war with a bloc of Eastern County cities over the region’s wastewater supply. Both wanted to treat it and supply it to residents as drinking water. But their systems are intertwined, and when East County rolled off to do their own thing, it left costs to support the region’s wastewater system on the backs of other cities.
A quick-moving atmospheric river, capable of bringing heavy downpours and mountain snow, is expected to drench San Diego County by late Thursday, and it could offer some early clues about the water year.
California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. January and February are typically the wettest months. So far this season, a Pacific storm in mid-October brought more than an inch of rain in the mountains and about four-fifths of an inch along the coast.
After two fraught years of negotiations amid dire projections for the Colorado River’s reservoirs, California and six other states that rely on the river’s water have yet again failed to reach a deal — despite a federal deadline.
“While more work needs to be done, collective progress has been made that warrants continued efforts to define and approve details for a finalized agreement,” the states said. The written statement released Tuesday included no details about how they plan to manage the river after the current rulebook expires at the end of next year.
Water and sewer rate increases proposed in October to take effect in 2026 for Oceanside residents and businesses were cut in half Wednesday by the Oceanside City Council, but only for a year.
Water department employees initially asked for increases of 6% for water and 4% for sewer in 2026 and again in 2027, but the council pushed for belt-tightening and postponed a decision after complaints from residents at the Oct. 1 meeting.
The warming San Diegans are experiencing this weekend will turn cooler by the middle of the week, with a chance for rain later in the week, forecasters said Sunday.
The cooling is expected by Tuesday, although highs will remain above average as the area of high pressure weakens ahead of an incoming low pressure system.
As San Diego County continues to navigate the complex challenges of water affordability and supply reliability, the Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate Program, or PSAWR, offers a smart, equitable solution that economically benefits the entire region — not just farmers.
Some water agencies have asked: “What’s in it for us?” — especially those who don’t serve farmers directly. It’s a fair question. But the answer is clear: PSAWR helps stabilize water rates across the region, preserve local jobs, protect our economy and sustain the environment of San Diego County.
