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.
What was supposed to be a quick fix has turned into nearly a year of frustration for Escondido residents. Harding Street has been partially closed since January for aqueduct repairs, leaving drivers to navigate detours and congestion.
“It used to be two-way traffic,” said longtime resident Adrian Tejada. “My concern isn’t only for residents, it closes off shopping areas, so there’s only one way to come in.”
The Imperial Irrigation District recently held two workshops to update the public on the status of the negotiations on how Colorado River water will be distributed after the current guidelines expire at the end of next year.
The mood of the meeting reminded me of similar hearings back in 2003 when the IID was under heavy pressure to sign the Quantification Settlement Agreement, a basket of contracts that established new rules about water sharing in California. Most prominently, the QSA implemented the ongoing water transfers of nearly 500,000 acre-feet of water to the San Diego Water County Authority, MWD, and Coachella. The mood of those 2003 meetings was gloomy. And so it is now.
When it comes to water, honesty matters as much as infrastructure. On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council narrowly approved a two-year water rate increase — 14.7 percent next year and 14.5 percent the following year — rejecting staff’s push for a four-year plan. The Council’s message was clear: They want answers and accountability, not finger-pointing.
City staff continue to blame the San Diego County Water Authority for rate hikes, citing higher wholesale costs and claiming the Water Authority “has too much water.” Yet when a councilmember asked what the city’s rate increase would be if the Water Authority raised rates by 0 percent, staff offered only double talk. That moment crystallized a larger issue — a troubling lack of transparency about the city’s own cost drivers, from deferred maintenance and energy costs to the growing expense of building the Pure Water program.
