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NOAA Winter Outlook: Drier, Warmer Weather for San Diego Region

/in , /by /ABC 10 San Diegoby Tali Letoi

If you’ve been feeling like it’s a little warmer than usual this time of year, you’re not wrong. Experts from the National Weather Service say this heat isn’t going away anytime soon. Meteorologist with NWS Adam Roser says Santa Ana winds are playing a big role in the warmer weather many in the valleys are feeling right now.

“We do have some Santa Ana winds today, which helps warm up the valleys a lot, so that’s why you’re kind of feeling it pretty warm,” said Roser.

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Elo-Rivera Wants City to Build Solar to Combat High Water Rates

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer

What if San Diego blanketed land, reservoirs and buildings its Public Utilities Department owned with solar and used the money it made off that power to subsidize skyrocketing water rates for poorer people?

That’s the idea San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera pitched during an uncomfortable series of debates over raising water rates on San Diegans by 63 percent over the next four years. The Public Utilities department owns 42,550 acres of land – about the size of Washington D.C. It could, in theory, lease that land out to solar developers and help bring down water rates, fix dams or otherwise prop-up a city department key to ensuring water is treated and distributed to 1.4 million people.

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$286M Upgrade Done For Carlsbad Water Plant

/in , /by /North Coast Current Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority, Nick Serrano

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant has completed a $286 million upgrade to its seawater intake and discharge system, a state-mandated project designed to protect marine life while maintaining the facility’s water production capacity, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Tuesday, Oct. 28.

The work was finished on schedule and $29 million under budget, according to a Water Authority news release.

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While San Diego Leaders Balk at High Rates, City Debates Less-Ambitious Sewage Recycling Plan

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In September, the San Diego City Council gave the mayor a month to find ratepayers savings on water rates. Tuesday’s the councilmembers’ second attempt to pass a 63 percent water and 31 percent wastewater increase over four years.

Nothing has changed in the proposal.

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Divided Council Oks Steep San Diego Water and Sewer Rate Hikes

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick

A sharply divided and visibly frustrated San Diego City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to raise water rates 31% over the next two years and increase sewer rates 31% over the next four years.

The council did not soften any of the proposed rate increases, which have been declared necessary by two outside consultants, city staff and the city’s independent budget analyst.

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San Diego City Council to Again Take Up Water and Wastewater Rate Increases

/in , /by /ABC 10 San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego City Council will again consider a steep increase of water and wastewater rates Tuesday, following a decision last month to punt the discussion in hopes of friendlier numbers.

In city documents ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, those changes did not appear to come about. The proposal before the council is to increase water rates by 63% through 2029 and wastewater rates by 31% in the same period.

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San Diego County Water Costs Could More Than Double Over a Decade, Officials Warn. Here’s Why.

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Lucas Robinson

San Diego County Water Authority officials expect wholesale water rates to soar by as much as 150% over the next decade, driven in part by the agency’s struggles to sell some of its supply — struggles it expects to get worse because of San Diego’s billion-dollar Pure Water project.

A grim reality of high water costs might persist for residents and businesses in much of the region if the authority doesn’t find new buyers for its water, according to a draft of the water authority’s long-term financial plan presented to water officials on Thursday.

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New Way to Turn Sewage Into Drinking Water Could Transform San Diego’s Pure Water Behemoth

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick

San Diego may shift the second phase of the city’s Pure Water sewage recycling system to a more efficient purification method that could save billions of dollars, preventing steep jumps in local sewer and water bills.

The new method could dramatically change the size, scope and cost of the massive project’s Phase Two, which had been expected to be nearly twice as large as the nearly complete first phase.

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Big Water Rate Vote Is Coming

/in , /by /Voice of San Diego

We’re on the edge of our seats. Tomorrow the San Diego City Council will decide whether to charge San Diegans more for water over the next four years.

As our MacKenize Elmer reported, not approving the rate increase could wreak havoc on the city’s Public Utilities Department. And while the San Diego County Water Authority’s leader said they won’t turn off the water if the city can’t pay its water bill, not paying up could cost the city a lot in fees.

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La Mesa Residents Frustrated by Noise From Alvarado Water Treatment Plant

/in , /by /CBS 8by Shannon Handy

Residents living near the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant in La Mesa continue to struggle with loud noises that have persisted for months despite mitigation efforts, according to neighbors interviewed about the issue first reported in June.

The noise stems from a filter restoration project at the plant, which is owned by the City of San Diego. The project was originally expected to be completed in September, but a new completion date has been set for the end of November, according to a city spokesperson.

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