Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority (Authority) recently received $633,540 from the COVID-19 relief fund. The money will cover residential and commercial water debt accrued between March 4, 2020 and June 15, 2021. Funds were distributed directly to the Authority and will be applied to delinquent accounts to cover outstanding balances. Unused funds will be returned to the state, as required
February 2, 2022 – The three major U.S. rating agencies reported strong credit ratings and credit quality for the San Diego County Water Authority kicking off 2022. Newly released analysis by Fitch Ratings, S&P Global, and Moody’s allow the Water Authority to optimize its debt portfolio and minimize the cost of financing vital water reliability projects.
January 27, 2022 – As partners, the City of San Diego and the San Diego County Water Authority will begin negotiations on a project development agreement with the BHE Kiewit Team to develop Phase 1 of the potential San Vicente Energy Storage Facility Project, which could generate enough energy for about 135,000 households.
The proposed project is subject to a full environmental review and regulatory approvals. If the Water Authority and City of San Diego decide to proceed after completing environmental review, the San Vicente Energy Storage Facility would provide up to 500 megawatts of long-duration stored energy upon completion to help meet peak electrical demands throughout Southern California and help meet California’s renewable energy goals.
Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority (Authority) is currently offering two contest opportunities for customers. Both the annual High School Photo Contest and WaterSmart Landscape Contest are now open for entries.
“The Governing Board is proud to offer these yearly contest opportunities to customers as a way to celebrate the importance of our most precious resource – water,” said Board Chair Alejandra Sotelo-Solis. “These contests further the Authority’s goal of serving our community through education and outreach.”
Chula Vista, Calif. – La agencia de agua Sweetwater Authority (Sweetwater) ofrece a sus clientes la oportunidad de participar en dos concursos. Las inscripciones están abiertas para el concurso fotográfico anual para escuelas secundarias y el concurso de jardines WaterSmart.
“La Mesa Directiva se enorgullece de ofrecer estas oportunidades de concursos anuales a los clientes, como forma de celebrar la importancia de nuestro recurso más preciado: el agua,” declaró la presidenta de la Mesa Directiva Alejandra Sotelo-Solis. “Estos concursos promueven el objetivo de Sweetwater de servir a nuestra comunidad a través de la educación y el alcance comunitario.”
Chula Vista, Calif. – The Sweetwater Authority Governing Board voted and approved capacity fees for the South Bay Gaylord Pacific Hotel and Convention Center at its January 12 meeting. This is a significant step in moving to the next phase of the permitting process and progress in the Chula Vista Bayfront Development project.
Spring Valley, Calif. – The Otay Water District has launched a New Year’s-themed Instagram photo contest as one way to help make the community aware of water-saving efforts during the drought. The District encourages participants to use their creativity and share photographs of how they plan to save more water in 2022.
Santee, Calif. – Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve has been named Plan-it Green and Large Park of the Year by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC). This prominent recognition was awarded during the recent 2021 Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE).
The San Diego County Water Authority has earned Climate Registered gold status from The Climate Registry for verifying and publicly reporting its greenhouse gas emissions. The effort fosters transparency for the agency’s climate mitigation initiatives and will help the Water Authority track and validate emissions reductions in the future.
The San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have reached an agreement that will provide water to parts of Southern California facing extraordinary supply constraints due to cutbacks on the State Water Project.
Under a deal approved today by Metropolitan’s Board of Directors and previously authorized by the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors, Metropolitan will secure additional groundwater in 2022 from the Semitropic Water Bank in Kern County. Metropolitan can use that water to serve areas in the northwest and northeast parts of its service area that aren’t connected to its Colorado River supplies and are heavily reliant on limited State Water Project supplies.
“Metropolitan is committed to doing everything we can to bring more water to communities in our service area that are particularly challenged by the drought. We’re thrilled to have the Water Authority partner with us in this effort, supporting the well-being of all Southern California,” said Metropolitan board chairwoman Gloria D. Gray. “We’re all in this together. And we all need to do our part, including using water as efficiently as possible.”
Water Authority Board Chair Gary Croucher expressed a similar perspective. “We thank Metropolitan Board Chair Gloria Gray and General Manager Adel Hagekhalil for partnering with us in a way that benefits all of Southern California,” Croucher said. “We expect that this will be the first of many innovative and collaborative solutions with Metropolitan to sustain our collective economy and quality of life.”
Under terms of the agreement, Metropolitan will purchase 4,200 acre-feet of the Water Authority’s reserves in the Semitropic Original Water Bank in 2022 for $893 per acre foot. Metropolitan also will lease an additional 5,000 acre-feet of “take capacity” from the Water Authority’s water bank account.
Take capacity – a function of groundwater pumping and distribution system size – gives Metropolitan the ability to withdraw more of its own groundwater stored in the Semitropic Water Bank. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons, enough to serve about three typical Southern California homes for a year.
In 2008, the Water Authority secured supplies in the Semitropic Water Bank for the San Diego region in preparation for drought. Due to other supply and storage investments and sustained water conservation in San Diego County, the Water Authority does not need to tap its Semitropic account to meet the region’s projected water demands in 2022, providing an opportunity to make that water available to other parts of the state.
Water years 2020 and 2021 were the driest two-year sequence on record in California. And in August, Lake Oroville – the main reservoir on the State Water Project – reached its lowest point since being filled in the 1970s. Earlier this month, the state announced that if hydrologic conditions don’t improve, State Water Project deliveries next year would be limited to only what is required to ensure the health and safety of residents, and no water would be delivered under the normal allocation system. Access to the Semitropic Water Bank is important because it is strategically located along the California Aqueduct and can supplement the limited state project deliveries.
Much of Southern California can rely on a diverse portfolio of Colorado River water, local supplies and stored reserves, when state project supplies are limited. However, parts of Metropolitan’s service area – including communities in Northern L.A. County, Ventura County and San Bernardino County – cannot receive Colorado River water and are more dependent on state project supplies. Metropolitan has taken important steps to modify its delivery infrastructure to shrink this dependent area.
The agency also continues to promote increased water efficiency across Southern California. Metropolitan’s board declared a Water Supply Alert in August and a Drought Emergency in November, both calling for increased conservation. The board also approved a series of measures to expand rebate and water-efficiency programs. Depending on local conditions, some Metropolitan member agencies have implemented mandatory conservation measures.
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