Michael Mudurian served in the Air Force and then settled into his Point Loma home with an ocean view 50 years ago.
For decades, the lifelong bachelor said he had a pretty high water bill because he loved to water his garden and nourish the lush, green grass in his front yard.
At a special meeting on Oct. 7, the Santa Fe Irrigation District board started initial discussions on potential improvements to its corporate yard and administrative offices at their Rancho Santa Fe Village site on Linea Del Cielo. The project, which would address staff space needs, aging facilities and new regulations and compliance requirements, came with a projected cost of $31.3 million, which resulted in sticker shock for both board and community members.
“This is really the first of many steps of looking at a corporate yard facilities needs assessment,” said SFID General Manager Al Lau.
Two recent decisions of the California Court of Appeal have increased risk for California’s local governments as to utility fees and fees imposed to fund regulation. A new statute provides a means to reduce that risk somewhat.
Coziahr v. Otay Water District is a class-action challenge to tiered water rates imposed by a district which serves territory along the international border south and east of San Diego.
From delivering potable water to collecting wastewater, nearly 100 high school and college students got an up-close look at opportunities Oct. 10 during Water Career Day at the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority Water Campus in Encinitas, according to a news release.
Engineering students from Mission Hills High School and students from Palomar College’s Water and Wastewater Technology programs toured the campus, stopping at stations staffed by workers from San Elijo JPA, Leucadia Wastewater District and Olivenhain Municipal Water District.
San Diego Gas & Electric customers would pay 2.7% more on their electric bills starting next year while customers with natural gas hookups may pay almost 9% more, according to a proposed decision released Friday afternoon by the California Public Utilities Commission.
It’s not welcome news for SDG&E’s 3.7 million customers saddled with high power bills, but the potential increase is hundreds of millions of dollars lower than what the utility requested.
For decades South Bay communities have faced the repercussions of failing sewage and wastewater facilities on both sides of the border.
The Tijuana River sewage crisis in San Diego has something in common with a historic water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan: a contractor accused in lawsuits of making matters worse.
On Oct. 1, the San Diego County Water Authority announced that the region has plenty of water to meet demands in water year 2025 regardless of the weather, thanks to regional investments in water reliability and consecutive wet winters.
A water year is a 12-month period that hydrologists use to track precipitation over the winter and spring with to understand how much water is available during the hot and dry summer months. Precipitation that falls during a water year indicates how much water will contribute to stream flow and groundwater. Right now, the focus is on the emerging La Niña weather pattern, which typically brings hotter and drier conditions to Southern California.
Poway’s average residential customers could see a nearly $33 bimonthly increase on their water bill next spring.
The city has planned for 6 percent annual water rate increases since January 2022. The increases are considered adjustments for rate increases by the city’s water supplier, San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA). On Jan. 1, 2025 customers will see an increase of $23.51 to their bimonthly billing period.
Voters in division five of the Sweetwater Authority had a mystery to solve last week: Who’s running to represent them at the water agency?
Sweetwater Authority supplies drinking water to roughly 200,000 people in southwestern San Diego County. Division five encompasses Bonita, the Sweetwater Valley and parts of northern Chula Vista.
San Diego County voters have a lot on their ballots this year — and many of the races might be unfamiliar.
Along with the more publicized races, voters will also be choosing the people they want to lead a range of local elected bodies, including community planning groups, water districts, fire protection districts and more.
