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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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End to Longtime Water Agency Feud Will Benefit VC Ratepayers

/in , /by /Valley Roadrunnerby newsdesk Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the San Diego County Water Authority June 2 announced the settlement of a 15-year legal dispute over rates and the price term of an exchange agreement between the agencies. At a news conference in San Diego, leaders from two of the state’s largest water agencies hailed the conclusion of all pending litigation, highlighting their commitment to fostering greater teamwork on a range of issues that affect nearly 19 million Southern California residents. The settlement dismisses all pending appeals, maintaining earlier judicial decisions on various matters.

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Facing an Algae Bloom, Sweetwater Authority May Need More Water

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Philip Salata

Facing its largest seasonal algal bloom in 20 years, the Sweetwater Authority may need to buy water to address the problem. At its May 28 board meeting, the South Bay agency agreed to increase its budget for the year in case it must purchase more water to dilute the water supply. The agency says doing so would help mitigate changes to the water’s taste and odor caused by the algae. With the new budget approved, the agency will gauge whether it will need to go through with the purchase, said Justin Brazil, the authority’s water quality director.

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Water Authority Floats Lower Rate Hike — Council Says Not Good Enough

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Tessa Balc Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Slowly but surely the San Diego County Water Authority has scaled back on next year’s proposed water rate increase. Officials initially proposed an 18 percent increase, then lowered their proposal to 12 percent. On Tuesday, they came down on the rate hike again, suggesting to the San Diego City Council an increase of 10.4 percent. That wasn’t good enough for several councilmembers.

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Should a Discounted Water Rate for San Diego Farmers Go Away?

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phillip Molnar Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County’s cash-strapped water authority is considering a plan that could remove a discount it gives to local farmers — something farmers claim could put them out of business. The authority gives a roughly 25% discount to about 1,000 farmers, who grow everything from flowers to avocados. Critics say removing the discount is shortsighted because it threatens to kill off a customer class the water authority can’t afford to lose. At the same time, rates for other customers may increase to cover the authority’s costs.

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The Water Authority Built San Diego’s Economy. Support It; Don’t Tear It Down

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Past Chairs of the Chamber of Commerce Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In late 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis produced some eye-catching numbers about our region. It found our gross domestic product (GDP) had reached roughly $262 billion. That’s bigger than 25 U.S. states and countries like Greece, Hungary and Morocco. It’s proof the path San Diego has been on over the last 30 years – a diversified economy that supports entrepreneurs and working families alike – has had positive results. Yet that success was not always a given.

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Morning Report: A New Future for Water

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Voice of San Diego Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

We had a line in this weekend’s post about the big Southern California water legal settlement signed yesterday that got some attention and may actually be a story itself. I reported that the settlement had laid the groundwork to allow the San Diego County Water Authority to sell some of its abundance of water to other agencies the Metropolitan Water District serves. If San Diego doesn’t have any buyers among them, Met itself could buy the water. And if Met doesn’t want it, then something really interesting could happen.

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