San Diego County Water Authority executives Tish Berge and Kelley Gage were promoted Monday by General Manager Dan Denham. Berge moves from assistant general manager to deputy general manager after two years in her prior post. Gage, who served as director of water resources the past five years, is now assistant general manager.
The San Diego county Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 Tuesday to support state legislation that would require a vote by all customers served by water districts within the County Water Authority before individual districts can leave the authority.
Proposed by Supervisor Joel Anderson in a board letter, the policy follows a July 10 decision from the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission to allow the Rainbow Municipal Water District and Fallbrook Public Utility District to leave the water authority.
California is investing $3 million in an effort to allow researchers to predict when and where ocean waters near Imperial Beach may be contaminated.
The ocean off the coast of Imperial Beach has suffered decades of contamination which includes trash, toxic chemicals and untreated sewage runoff.
Residents in San Diego’s South Bay were left to deal with a strong odor after thousands of gallons of sewage spilled onto a roadway.
The International Boundary and Water Commission confirmed that about 20,000 gallons spilled onto Hollister Street on Monday afternoon.
Nick Serrano, a board member of the San Diego County Water Authority and Deputy Chief of Staff to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said if Fallbrook and Rainbow detach from the water authority, the rest of the ratepayers in the county could see their bills increase as much as 5% per year.
“I think it’s stunning that there is an argument to not allow people to vote, that people do not deserve a say in this matter and we just disagree with that,” Serrano said. “I think at the very least, we believe that the ratepayers, who will be impacted by this decision, should have the opportunity to vote. It’s not to say that detachment can’t occur, but they have the opportunity to vote.”
Fourteen months after Environmental Protection Agency inspectors quietly notified the operator of the Desert View Power Plant that it had repeatedly emitted illegally high levels of mercury and other dangerous pollutants upwind of the low-income east Coachella valley community of Mecca, federal regulators will meet with residents and community groups on Tuesday night.
The Vista Irrigation District, one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
In the 1920s, citrus and avocado farming in the Vista area increased so quickly that the growing region faced the real danger of running out of water. Completing the Henshaw Dam in 1923 made it possible for the Vista community to receive a reliable water source instead of relying on well water.
The arrival of the new water source sparked discussion about forming a water district to secure additional imported water to make continued growth possible. On August 28, 1923, voters approved the formation of the Vista Irrigation District (VID) in a landslide: 104 votes to four votes in a 100% voter turnout.
In front of Imperial Beach’s deserted shoreline dotted with red “warning” signs, members of San Diego’s legislative delegation announced Friday that $3 million from the state budget will fund a new model aimed at more accurately predicting sewage contamination days in advance at South County beaches.
The San Diego County Water Authority board of directors has voted unanimously to appoint Dan Denham as general manager, following the retirement of former GM Sandra L. Kerl in June.
“We are fortunate to have Dan’s knowledge of the San Diego County Water Authority and his depth of experience managing multiple programs, including the landmark agreements that have ensured a safe and reliable water supply for San Diego County,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority board, after the vote on Thursday.
Before joining the agency in 2006, Denham served in various capacities at the city of San Diego’s Metropolitan Wastewater Department, Financial Management Department and mayor’s office. He holds undergraduate degrees in public administration and economics, and a graduate degree in public administration, all from San Diego State University.
San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
Fire weather days in San Diego increased by 3 days annually on average between 1973 and 2022, per an analysis from Climate Central, a nonprofit climate science research organization, Axios’ Andrew Freedman and Kavya Beheraj report.
