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An annual study finds high bacteria levels and low oxygen levels in creeks and streams of inland San Diego County, and concludes water quality is suffering amid the ongoing drought. The Los Angeles Times says the 2015 San Diego Coastkeeper report released this week ranked the inland water quality as fair to poor – with no watershed earning good or excellent status.

The county’s northern watersheds received fair ratings. Most central and southern watersheds received marks of marginal, while the Tijuana area was rated poor. Coastkeeper used data from 360 samples taken at various sites throughout the year.

“If you’re going to be serious about using markets to allocate water, the first thing you have to do is let the market determine the price,” says Reed Watson, the executive director at the Property and Environment Research Center, or PERC, a nonprofit think tank based in Bozeman, Montana.

If California wants to ease the effects of its drought, Watson says, government should get out of the way and leave resource allocation to the market. “You have to have markets that actually work, that allow competing users to resolve their competition amicably and efficiently.”

Two days after it ended restricted water deliveries to its member agencies thanks to improved statewide supply, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Thursday began a $2.2 million advertising effort to encourage residents to continue conserving. “El Nino helped, but after drawing down our reserves the last four years to record low levels, we all must continue using water as wisely as possible to rebuild those reserves and be prepared for what lies ahead,” MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said.

The San Diego Association of Governments wants to put a tax increase on the November ballot. The measure proposes a half-cent sales tax increase on county residents to fund transportation and infrastructure around the county for the next 40 years.

The proposed tax hike already has a number of critics. It’s being opposed by environmentalists and community leaders who don’t like the way the money would be used. About 40 percent of the money would go toward public transit, according to the proposal, including things like a new trolley line from San Ysidro to Kearney Mesa and improvements on existing bus services.

Two days after it ended restricted water deliveries to its member agencies thanks to improved statewide supply, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Thursday began a $2.2 million advertising effort to encourage residents to continue conserving.

“El Nino helped, but after drawing down our reserves the last four years to record low levels, we all must continue using water as wisely as possible to rebuild those reserves and be prepared for what lies ahead,” MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said.