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.
The San Diego Water Authority approved a 3% wholesale water rate increase for 2027 on Thursday during a board meeting largely devoid of members of the public.
The utility said an increase is necessary to meet revenue requirements, operational needs and fiscal goals.
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.
The rate hikes announced Monday will be discussed in a public hearing before the water authority Board of Directors at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Just a few years ago, San Diego residents were being urged to conserve water as the West grappled with one of the worst droughts in centuries.
Today, the region finds itself in a very different position: exploring ways to help neighboring states facing growing water shortages.
The San Diego County Water Authority Monday proposed a 3% rate increase for 2027, with similar adjustments tentatively planned through 2032.
SDCWA leaders said while the rate hike was painful, it was actually below the national rate of inflation and a significant decrease from earlier projections — at least partly due to two water-sharing agreements with other agencies signed this spring.
Cathy Spence didn’t grow up gardening. She attributes that to the multiple moves her military family made when she was growing up — before they settled in Chula Vista. Now, she lives with her husband David in the same area — with their cute scruffy terrier mix rescue, Skipper.
They bought their house in 2018 after both retired from the military. David had been an emergency manager in the Army Corps of Engineers, while Cathy was a Department of Defense worker in the family services side of the Army and Air Force in Alaska, then in Germany, Georgia and Japan.
It’s the entrance from the street that creates anticipation for seeing just what’s in the backyard.
There’s going to be a lot — an extravagant palette — of color. The plants will have low water needs. And it’ll be just a little eccentric. Oh, and did I mention all the color?
Arizona agencies have taken a key step that could eventually allow the state to buy desalinated ocean water.
Central Arizona Project (CAP), Salt River Project and the Arizona Department of Water Resources – along with the Southern Nevada Water Authority — recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a desalination plant in Southern California.
The ongoing drought in Arizona is prompting everyone to examine what lies ahead.
Acquiring water in the Grand Canyon State becomes increasingly difficult as water resources dwindle, including the Colorado River.
