You are now in San Diego County category.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s senior lien credit rating was upgraded to AAA by S&P Global Ratings. Water authority officials say Wednesday’s one-notch upgrade marks the first time it has achieved a triple-A rating. The authority, in a news release, called the upgrade “a boon for ratepayers who will benefit from lower financing costs.” S&P credited the upgrade to strong financial management, robust drought planning, increased storage capacity due to the San Vicente Dam Raise, and reserves for managing contingencies, among other factors.

Water quality at Southern California beaches has shown marked improvement for the second year in a row in what experts say is a continuing byproduct of the severe drought that has cut polluted runoff into the Pacific Ocean.

About 97% of Southern California beaches received an A or B grade for water quality during the busy summer months, according to the annual Beach Report Card released by Heal the Bay, an environmental group.

A program aimed at softening the blow of costly irrigation system upgrades may bring relief for local avocado growers who are struggling to survive unrelenting surges in their water bills.

“It’s been very, very challenging to address these water issues,” Tom Bellamore, president of California Avocado Commission, told a group of growers at a May 17 workshop held in Fallbrook. “This may provide some ray of hope.” The gathering attracted about 100 growers, grove managers, association officials and other participants to the forum that focused on a cost-sharing program launched by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s staff is scheduled Thursday to propose increasing rates paid by its 24 member agencies next year.

The proposed hikes are 6.4 percent for untreated water and 5.9 percent for treated water in calendar year 2017, similar to the hikes adopted by the Board of Directors for this year.

The agency receives water from a variety of sources, including the wholesaler Metropolitan Water District, and distributes it to local districts and cities that, in turn, supply customers.

Customers in San Diego County cut back on water consumption by 23 percent in April, compared to the same month three years ago, marking the largest monthly reduction since September, the San Diego County Water Authority reported Monday.

The state-mandated target for the county as a whole is to reduce consumption by 13 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2013. The goal was lowered recently from 20 percent after the region was given credit for bringing a desalination plant in Carlsbad online.