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Water Conservation Garden Loses San Diego County Water Authority Funding

/in , /by /East County Magazineby Karen Pearlman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
The fate of public access to the Water Conservation Garden in Rancho San Diego is a little less certain after another partner, the San Diego County Water Authority, on Thursday voted to withdraw its funding and participation from the Water Conservation Authority, operators of the Water Conservation Garden.
The Garden is a six-acre site focused on natural resource conservation and sustainability. It was initially funded starting in 1990 and opened with strong backing during an era of major drought issues in 1999. A demonstration site for water-wise landscaping that offers programming reaching across the county, The Garden had been receiving support from the SDCWA since 2001.
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County Water Authority Approves Water Rate Hike, but It’s Lower Than Originally Forecast

/in , /by /KPBSby John Carroll Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA)Thursday approved a new wholesale water rate for the next fiscal year. The agency said the 8.3% increase is less than what it originally forecast earlier this year.

“The reductions were achieved by cutting budgets across the agency, including capital improvement projects, operating departments, the Board of Directors, and equipment replacement,” the Water Authority said in an announcement. “In addition, the adopted rate was lowered by third-party water exchanges and financial benefits from the conclusion of litigation between the Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.”

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San Diego Residents Protest Water Rate Hikes as County Votes on New Pricing

/in , /by /ABC 10 News San Diegoby Dani Miskell Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego residents from underserved communities, seniors, to recent flood victims, gathered to protest against proposed water rate increases at the San Diego County Water Authority on Thursday. The water authority’s board met to deliberate on future pricing. It’s why residents came to share during public comments their demands for any future rate hikes not to be passed down to customers.

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Rate Increase of 8.3% Approved by Water Authority Board

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Jennifer Vigil Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority’s board on Thursday approved a wholesale water rate increase for 2026 following a public hearing. Officials with the Water Authority said they were able to minimize impacts on ratepayers through a number of cost-saving actions as the board also approved the agency’s recommended budget for the next two fiscal years.

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County Wholesale Water Rate to Rise 8.3% in January, Less Than Half of Earlier Proposals

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Wholesale water rates in San Diego County — a key factor in how much local residents and businesses pay for water — will rise next year by less than half of what officials were predicting last winter: 8.3% instead of 18%. But the Jan. 1 increase, which the county water authority’s board of directors approved Thursday after months of debate and negotiation, is still a substantial hike that brings the cumulative two-year increase to 23.1%.

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Watersmart Makeover: Lush Island Vibe, Low Water Living in Santee

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Caron Golden

Jason and Taylor McAllister may just have the most beautiful landscaping on their cul-de-sac block in Santee. For Jason in particular, being able to show off the couple’s home is particularly meaningful because he grew up in it and had helped work on the yard as a teenager. Jason moved away in December 2000 but returned for good in February 2020, the year his mom died and he inherited the home. She had been sick for quite a while and the house clearly needed updating. The landscape — both front and back — had gone to nothing but weeds and also needed a lot of love.

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County Water Authority Votes June 26 Whether to Withdraw From Water Conservation Garden: Petition Launched to Save Garden’s Funding

/in , /by /East County Magazineby Kristin Kjaero Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

On June 26, San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) will vote on a staff recommendation (link is external) to end its sponsorship and funding for the Water Conservation Garden (link is external). The Garden says accessibility to the public is at risk if SDCWA withdraws, and started an online petition(link is external) campaign to request that an option to stay, be added to the Committee’s agenda. The petition has received 1,319 signatures in its first 24 hours. One can also send an email (link is external) addressed to committee members via their clerk.

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San Diego is Seeing More Weather That Fuels Wildfires

/in , /by /Axios San Diegoby Kate Murphy and Nadia Lopez

Hot, dry and windy weather that fuels wildfires is becoming more common in San Diego County and much of the western U.S. amid climate change, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: What used to be several months of fire season is stretching in some places into a yearlong phenomenon, straining fire departments and others tasked with controlling or containing blazes. Driving the news: The number of hot, dry and windy — fire weather — days rose by 37 in the Southwest and 21 in the West on average between 1973 and 2024, per an analysis from Climate Central, a climate research group.

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San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District End 15-Year Dispute With Settlement Agreement

/in , /by /Hoodlineby Ben J. Acostas

After a prolonged period of legal strife, the San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have called a truce, ending a 15-year dispute over water rates and pricing. This settlement is a significant step towards cooperation in managing Southern California’s water resources, which impact nearly 19 million residents.

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San Diego City Council Approves Ordinance to Protect Tenants from Utility Overcharges

/in , /by /MSNby Molly Sheets

The San Diego City Council unanimously approved the Residential Tenant Utility Charges Ordinance on Monday, aimed at preventing landlords from overcharging tenants for essential city-provided utility services. The new measure, spearheaded by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, covers water, wastewater and waste management services.

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