Supply and Demand

News updates on the regional water supply and water use, including current reports, future projections, and long-term planning.

Sierra Nevada Snowpack Feb 27 2020 California DWR-WNN

California’s Winter: Wet Times, Dry Times and Water Supplies

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After a wet and snowy start, California’s winter has gone bust. The 2019-2020 water year started off with robust precipitation after a series of storms in November and early December 2019. But the new year has not been as bountiful. Dry conditions in January and February added little to the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Drought-resilient water […]

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During today’s ceremony, city leaders and water experts placed a giant Google Maps “location pin” into the ground at the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility, which marked that the new recycled water project is now officially on the map. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

First Advanced Water Purification Facility in San Diego County is On the Map

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City of Oceanside officials and regional water industry leaders gathered today to break ground on Pure Water Oceanside, the first advanced water purification facility in San Diego County. The $67 million project – scheduled to be completed in 2021 – will purify recycled water sourced from the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility. “Today, we […]

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Vactor Truck-Leucadia Wastewater District-

Water Agencies Team Up to Reduce Potable Water Use

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The Olivenhain Municipal Water District and Leucadia Wastewater District are reducing potable water use by switching to recycled water to flush sewer lines in their service areas. With the recent installation of new equipment by both agencies, recycled water is now available to Leucadia for sewer line maintenance in the Village Park neighborhood in Encinitas […]

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Portfolio Tour July 2019

California Agencies Release Draft Water Resilience Portfolio

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Three California state agencies today released a draft water resilience portfolio intended to help the state manage more extreme droughts and floods, aging infrastructure, declining fish populations and other challenges. The California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Food and Agriculture developed the draft to fulfill Governor Gavin Newsom’s April 29, […]

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Crews loaded the 130,000 pound stainless steel cone onto a barge and finished assembling it above water before lowering it into the reservoir. Image: Water Authority

New Oxygenation System to Improve Reservoir Water Quality

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The City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department last week took a major step toward completing an innovative project to improve water quality in Lake Hodges. A newly installed oxygenation system, designed by city engineers, will introduce highly oxygenated water to the bottom of the reservoir to reduce the accumulation of excess nutrients and harmful […]

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San Diego County Water Authority Special Agricultural Water Rate program

New Agricultural Water Rate Program Benefits San Diego County Growers

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The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors Nov. 21 approved a new and permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate program structure that offers lower water rates to farmers in exchange for lower water supply reliability. Unlike the current temporary program, the structure of the new water rate program will let new participants join as […]

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Mammoth Mountain received record snowfall in May 2019. Photo: Mammoth Mountain, Inc. California Reservoirs

Water Year 2020 Begins With Robust Reservoir Storage

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Last winter was a bountiful one in terms of water supply for California, but it’s still too early to tell whether 2020 will be as generous. The 2018-19 winter was one for the record books, with above-average precipitation. Snow continued to fall in late-spring, with several inches or more in the Sierra Nevada and the […]

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San Diego regional water quality regulators issued a new permit for the development of permanent, stand-alone seawater intake and discharge facilities at the Carlsbad Desalination Plant. Photo: Water Authority

Fitch Boosts Desalination Plant Bond Rating

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Bonds from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and pipeline were upgraded to BBB and given a stable outlook in a new report from Fitch Ratings, affirming the project’s sound management and its ability to provide a stable, reliable source of drinking water to the San Diego region. As the largest, most technologically advanced and energy-efficient plant […]

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(L to R): Sandy Kerl, San Diego County Water Authority acting general manager; Cynthia Koeler, WaterNow Alliance executive director; Paula Kehoe, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission director of water resources; and California-Nevada Section of AWWA Executive Director Tim Worley. Photo: Water Authority

‘Big Ideas’ Diversify San Diego Region’s Reliable Water Supply

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Ensuring water for future generations requires investing and investigating big ideas, according to Sandy Kerl. Kerl, acting general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, shared some of those ideas today in San Diego, as she delivered the opening remarks at the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association annual fall conference, which […]

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Visitors learn about technology used to purify and recycle water at a recent Pure Water Oceanside open house. Photo: City of Oceanside

Pure Water Oceanside Project Construction Slated For 2020

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The City of Oceanside is joining the City of San Diego and East San Diego County in adding advanced purified water to its drinking water supply. The Pure Water Oceanside project is expected to break ground next spring and begin producing advanced purified water in 2022. The Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District […]

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San Diego Military Economic Impact Study 2019

Reliable Water Supplies Sustain San Diego’s Military Sector

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The military sector accounts for more than 20% of the San Diego region’s economy, and that would not be possible without a safe, reliable water supply. The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, including Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, provide the water needed for military operations, military families and military contractors. […]

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Storage in Lake Mead - San Diego County Water Authority - Public Opinion Survey - 2019

Survey: San Diego Region Strongly Supports Enhancing Water Reliability

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San Diego County residents strongly support efforts to continue improving water supply reliability and they largely trust local water agencies to do that work, according to a regional public opinion survey released today by the San Diego County Water Authority. An overwhelming majority (94%) of respondents favor expanding the use of recycled water for agriculture […]

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Lake Jennings - East County Advanced Water Purification Program - Woranuch Joyce

EPA Action Plan to Boost Water Reuse Across U.S.

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The U.S. EPA today released a draft plan to advance water reuse nationally at the WateReuse Association Symposium in San Diego. The National Water Reuse Action Plan identifies 46 proposed actions organized around 10 strategic objectives, including leadership and collaboration, to support the implementation of water reuse. “Forty states anticipate experiencing fresh water shortages in […]

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Padre Dam Demonstration Facility-Padre Dam MWD photo

California Moves To Boost Recycled Water

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A new plan recommends four strategies to advance water reuse in California over the next three decades – an important part of both the state and regional water resilience portfolio. The California WateReuse Action Plan includes a comprehensive set of proposed actions that will more than double the use of water recycling in California and […]

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Brewing Month 2019-Water Authority-RB

Craft Beer Industry Economic Impact in San Diego Rises to $1.2 Billion

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As the nation’s “Capital of Craft,” San Diego County is home to more than 150 breweries that boast nearly 6,500 local jobs. In 2018, the regional craft beer industry produced $1.2 billion in economic impact, according to a report by California State University San Marcos and the San Diego Brewers Guild. California has more operational […]

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