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Low water conditions reveal the light-colored rink traces along the rock-wall shoreline at Lake Mead, showing the decreased water level from years of drought conditions in the Colorado River basin. Innovative water sharing agreements can help to mitigate this. Photo: Christopher Clark / U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Reclamation

Water Agencies Evolving to Address Changing Realities

California water agencies including the San Diego County Water Authority are exploring ways to better manage sporadic periods of abundant rainfall — part of a larger effort to meet the ever-changing realities they face logistically and economically.

Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham recently discussed the evolution of regional water management on the Southern California Water Dialogue. The Water Dialogues are a monthly forum exploring water-related issues of regional interest.

The backdrop for the discussion is what many call “climate whiplash” — for instance, when three years of record drought from 2020 to 2022 were followed by abnormally high rainfall in 2023. In the future, California could experience shorter but more extreme wet seasons between periods of drought.

View the webinar here.

Creative portfolio approach to water management

At the Water Authority — the agency responsible for long-term water planning in San Diego County — Denham said the lack of regular rainfall and little access to groundwater has forced the Water Authority to be more creative than most water agencies in securing a safe, reliable water supply.

“We embarked upon a 20-to-30-year process to diversify the Water Authority’s supply portfolio. Our board directed a portfolio approach to ensure that we had not only sufficient supplies but also made significant investments in infrastructure,” explained Denham.

“We’ve adopted cutting-edge conservation and techniques. We’ve sponsored legislation at the state level. And we’re at the forefront of many water use efficiency programs,” said Denham.

With those investments and actions as the foundation, the time is right to set a vision for the coming decades. “The future of water in Southern California — of course, reuse is going to be a big component of it — but I do believe a lot of it is going to be sharing resources and developing partnerships,” Denham said.

Advancing long-term water-sharing partnerships

Top (L to R): Mel Katz, chair SDCWA Board; Jim Madaffer, Vice Chair Colorado River Board of CA and SDCWA Board member; Gloria Cordero, MWD’s representative to the Colorado River Board; Adan Ortega, chair MWD Board; J.B. Hamby, Chair Colorado River Board of CA. Bottom (L To R): Dan Denham, SDCWA General Manager; Camille Touton, Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Adel Hagekhalil, MWD General Manager; Jamie Asbury, Imperial Irrigation District General Manager. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Signing the historic agreement: Top (L to R): Mel Katz, chair SDCWA Board; Jim Madaffer, Vice Chair Colorado River Board of CA and SDCWA Board member; Gloria Cordero, MWD’s representative to the Colorado River Board; Adan Ortega, chair MWD Board; J.B. Hamby, Chair Colorado River Board of CA. Bottom (L To R): Dan Denham, SDCWA General Manager; Camille Touton, Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Adel Hagekhalil, MWD General Manager; Jamie Asbury, Imperial Irrigation District General Manager. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Denham said investing in a long-term partnership with the Imperial Irrigation District in a water conservation agreement has proved key. “Those types of partnerships have continued and had been successful over the past 20 years,” said Denham.

“This is what our diversification looks like. This is 25 years’ worth of investment in resiliency, transitioning us from an imported water agency with one source of supply to where we’re at today with a really diverse resource mix,” said Denham.

Denham says in addition to maximizing reuse, sharing resources and developing partnerships to share those resources will become vital. The Water Authority signed a landmark agreement with the Metropolitan Water District and the Imperial Irrigation District in late 2023.

“What we were able to do was take advantage of those high runoff years in Northern California, bringing that State Water Project water down to San Diego and leaving some of our Colorado River conserved water in Lake Mead – 50,000-acre feet – which raised the reservoir by six inches. It could not have been done without the partnership that we have in relationships developed over time with the Metropolitan Water District and the Imperial Irrigation District. I look towards more of this to the future,” said Denham.

Flexibility to optimize water resources

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In October 2003, the San Diego County Water Authority, Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, State of California and U.S. Department of the Interior completed a historic set of agreements to conserve and transfer Colorado River water.

While planning for drought is necessary, it’s also necessary to devise a plan flexible enough to take advantage of high-runoff years.

“What do you do in those high runoff years, in those years of abundance? Some of that speaks to storage,” explained Denham. “The Water Authority has increased its largest surface water storage reservoir. It’s doubled in size. But the Water Authority — like others in the Metropolitan Water District service area in California, is realizing that those surface water storage reservoirs are pretty full.

“What does that speak to next? Flexibility, and the sharing of resources. If our reservoirs are full, or we don’t have the demands for the investments that we’ve made, whether it’s in the Colorado River supplies or the Carlsbad desalination plant, perhaps there’s another partner in Southern California or in the Lower Colorado River Basin that we can exchange supplies with.

“What I mean by that is we do have supplies that can be managed in a different way,” said Denham.

Established in 1998, the Water Dialogue explores the common interests among Southern California water agencies, environmental organizations, and public interest organizations, and serves as a clearinghouse and advocate for projects, activities, and processes that will improve the quality and reliability of Southern California’s water supply.

The Water Dialogue represents members including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Southern California Watershed Alliance, Sierra Club, West Basin Municipal Water District, Central Basin Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Irvine Ranch Water District, Trabuco Canyon Water District, Southern California Water Coalition, Atwater Consulting Group, Jacobs and Caltech/JPL/NASA.

 

Summer 2023 Citizens Water Academy participants tour Olivenhain Dam. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Applications Open for Spring 2024 Citizens Water Academy 

The San Diego County Water Authority is accepting applications for the Spring 2024 Citizens Water Academy class. In three class sessions, participants will learn firsthand about critical water issues affecting the region and go behind the scenes with water planners, managers, engineers, and other staff to gain a deeper understanding of the Water Authority’s life-sustaining mission.

The application period is open from January 29 to March 1, with the class taking place in mid-May. Participants must attend all three sessions to graduate. Applications are available on the Water Authority website 

Spring 2024 Schedule: 

Session 1 – Wednesday lunch hour, May 15 via Zoom. Welcome and overview by Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham.  

Session 2 – Thursday evening, May 16. Dinner, presentations, and activities. Topic: planning for a water-resilient future.  

Session 3 – Saturday, May 18, half day. Breakfast and lunch, and behind-the-scenes tours of the Water Authority’s Control Room, Emergency Operations Center, and Olivenhain Dam and Pump Station. 

Building A Network of Water Industry Ambassadors 

Since the Citizens Water Academy was launched in 2015, nearly 800 civic leaders have participated and become water knowledge ambassadors. The Water Academy is geared toward civic and business leaders. Class participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and professions. They include civic and business leaders as well as elected official representatives from across the region.  

“It’s easy to take our safe, reliable supply of water for granted,” said General Manager Dan Denham. “We turn on the faucet and there’s the water, ready to be transformed into our morning cup of coffee. But how that water gets from point A to point B requires an astounding work of engineering and strategic planning. The Water Academy is all about connecting our community to this intricate world.” 

Citizens Water Academy participants learn about Operations and Maintenance over breakfast. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Citizens Water Academy participants learn about Operations and Maintenance over breakfast. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority.

Award-Winning Program 

The Citizens Water Academy launched in Fall 2014 and was honored with the Silver Bernays Mark of Excellence Award from the San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in 2015. 

Graduates give the program top reviews, with 99% of participants saying they would recommend the Water Academy to a colleague and nearly 50% of graduates participating in the Water Authority’s alumni network.   

Northern California water industry leaders tour the FlorAbunda Nursery in the Elfin Forest area to see water use efficiency measures in place. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Water Management and Efficiency Highlight San Diego Tour

Officials from Northern California visited San Diego County this week as part of a tour focused on regional water use and reliability investments that have been touted as a national model of water management.

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham welcomed about two dozen leaders at the start of the event, explaining how San Diego County’s long-term investment strategy is fueling a new approach to water management. In 2022, drought created dire water shortages across Southern California, but San Diego had sufficient supplies due to a combination of conservation and investments.

Behind the scenes look at water management

FlorAbunda Nursery founder Dana Groot is a fifth generation nurseryman. He founded the nursery in 2001. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority water management

FlorAbunda Nursery owner Dana Groot is a fifth-generation nurseryman and president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

“That got us to a point where we started thinking about how we can do things even more differently, and we started working on cooperative agreements with Metropolitan and Imperial Irrigation District and other Southern California water providers to share some of this water we have invested in,” said Denham.

The Water Authority was represented by Board Vice Chair Nick Serrano and Secretary Frank Hilliker, along with Board Member Lois Fong-Sakai and Gail Goldberg, two of the Water Authority’s delegates to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California organized the tour, in collaboration with the Water Authority for the San Diego portion. MWD was represented by Board Chair Adan Ortega and other Board members, along with General Manager Adel Hagekhalil.

The “inspection trip” was designed to give county officials from the Bay-Delta region a behind-the-scenes look at water management in Southern California, where water management, climate and infrastructure are very different than in the northern part of the state.

Tour highlights: Pure Water San Diego, FlorAbunda Nursery

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham welcomed about two dozen leaders at the start of the event, explaining how San Diego County’s long-term investment strategy is fueling a new approach to water management. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham welcomed about two dozen leaders at the start of the event, explaining how San Diego County’s long-term investment strategy is fueling a new approach to water management. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

The tour started with City of San Diego Utilities Director Juan Guerreiro at the City of San Diego’s Pure Water program – a  phased, multi-year project that will provide nearly half of San Diego’s water supply locally by the end of 2035. Pure Water San Diego will use proven water purification technology to clean recycled water to produce safe, high-quality drinking water. In addition, said Serrano, the city has year-round permanent mandatory water restrictions in place, designed to promote water conservation as a permanent way of life in San Diego.

“We are enormously proud of our citizens and our local water conservation efforts which have reduced City’s per capita water usage to 100 gpcd for the past five years,” Serrano said.

Next, visitors stopped at FlorAbunda Nursery in Escondido’s Elfin Forest. The nursery was founded by Dana Groot, a fifth-generation nurseryman whose ancestors founded the Sluis & Groot Seed Company in Holland in the 1870s. FlorAbunda focuses on the commercial production of premium poinsettias and hydrangeas, with five generations of flower and seed production experience and the best of modern genetics and growing techniques.

The FlorAbunda Nursery in Elfin Forest is a wholesale grower of potted hydrangea, poinsettia, succulents, house plants and other flowering plants, using high-efficiency drop irrigation. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority water management

The FlorAbunda Nursery in Elfin Forest is a wholesale grower of potted hydrangea, poinsettia, succulents, house plants and other flowering plants, using high-efficiency drop irrigation. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Groot, who serves as president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, showcased the water efficiency of San Diego County’s farm industry. San Diego County is home to more farms – more than 5,500 – than any other county in the U.S., and it is the nation’s top producer of nursery plants and floriculture. Driven both by the cost of water and a conservation ethic, the region’s farmers are strong proponents of water stewardship.

At FlorAbunda, Groot’s five-acre farm is entirely on high-efficiency drip irrigation. “The goal is to keep the water on the targeted areas,” said Groot, who was joined for the tour by Farm Bureau Past President Enrico Ferro and Hilliker, who sits on the Farm Bureau Board. “It’s kind of been a company policy. Everything is going to be on drip. We thought it was the responsible thing to do.”

After leaving San Diego County, the tour group headed for MWD’s Diamond Valley Lake, and then points north, including the Grace Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center.

Officials recognizing the Quantification Settlement Agreement 20th Anniversary (L to R): Jim Barrett, Coachella Valley Water District GM, Miguel Luna, Chair of the Legal and Claims Committee with the MWD Board, State Assemblyman David Alvarez (D-80), Water Authority GM Dan Denham, Colorado River Board of California Vice Chair and Water Authority board member Jim Madaffer, Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz, Jamie Asbury, IID GM, MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil, IID GM Alex Cardenas. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Milestone Water Agreement Marks 20th Anniversary

San Diego County and Southern California water industry leaders commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), cited as a model of collaboration, relationship building, and voluntary conservation efforts among Southern California’s water agencies.

The QSA is a historic set of water agreements enabling California to live within its Colorado River apportionment, helping provide reliable water supplies for all users. Speakers at the commemoration event highlighted how the QSA continues to meet its goals while protecting agriculture and addressing the environment.

Learn more about the significance of the historic QSA in this video presentation.

QSA Partnership Called ‘Game Changer’

San Diego County Water Authority (Water Authority) Board Chair Mel Katz described the positive change in water management ushered in by the QSA as “a set of more than two dozen agreements that represent the dawn of a new era in water management in San Diego County and the Southwest – an era of water efficiency and supply reliability despite climate extremes.” Katz recognized the conservation efforts of the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and Imperial Valley farmers.

San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz speaks at the Quantification Settlement Agreement 20th Anniversary celebration. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority water agreement

San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz speaks at the Quantification Settlement Agreement 20th Anniversary celebration. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

IID Board President Alex Cardenas reported Imperial County agriculture has conserved 7.5 million acre-feet over the 20 years of the agreement, while still enabling agriculture to succeed. The Valley’s agricultural economy has grown from $1.8 billion in 2003 to $2.6 billion in 2023. according to the latest crop reports.

Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham said the Water Authority, IID, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), and the Coachella Valley Water District continue to work together to ensure flexibility in how the river is managed and the needs of each agency are met. “We are getting to a place where we can be creative and do things differently.”

MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil called the QSA a great success and a great lesson. “We all came together. It was tough, but it was important.”

California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot congratulated the QSA partners on their achievement via a video message, calling it a “game changer” that remains as important today as it was 20 years ago. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla also offered his congratulations via a video message, crediting the leadership of all partners for their efforts to sustain the QSA.

Invited guests listen to water industry leaders and elected officials recognize the 20th anniversary of the Quantification Settlement Agreement. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority water agreement

Invited guests listen to water industry leaders and elected officials recognize the 20th anniversary of the Quantification Settlement Agreement. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego Assemblyman David Alvarez told those gathered it was important to celebrate what was accomplished through the QSA. “The significance to me of the QSA is the listening that occurred,” he said, noting that the QSA brought agencies together to listen to each other as partners to create a set of mutually beneficial agreements.

Colorado River Board of California Vice Chair and Water Authority board member Jim Madaffer said the QSA provides a model of flexible river management, calling it a lesson “that we are so much better when working together than separately.”

Looking toward the challenges ahead on the river, water industry leaders noted the QSA must be a part of critical water discussions as agencies seek collaborative solutions to ensure the Colorado River can continue to be a reliable water source well into the future.

QSA-2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement-San Diego County Water Authority-IID-Colorado River

QSA: Landmark Conservation Pact Marks 20 Years of Water Security for San Diego

Twenty years ago, in October 2003, water officials from across the Southwest signed the largest water conservation-and-transfer agreement in U.S. history, the QSA, or Quantification Settlement Agreement. The agreement has provided decades of water security for San Diego County and benefits for numerous partners across the Southwest. In total, that pact supplies more than half of the water that sustains San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents and $268 billion economy.

The 2003 QSA, provides more than 30 million acre-feet of high-priority conserved water to the San Diego region over multiple decades. It helped stabilize demands on the Colorado River and reduced California’s overdependence on surplus supplies. The historic set of more than 20 agreements resulted from years of negotiations between the San Diego County Water Authority, Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, State of California, and the U.S. Department of the Interior that culminated in a signing ceremony at Hoover Dam.

2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) forged conservation model for Southwest

“This landmark water deal has stood the test of time, providing numerous benefits both in the San Diego region and more broadly across the Southwest,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority Board of Directors. “One of its most important accomplishments is that it brought water agencies together as collaborators. We’ve had disagreements along the way, but history has validated the value of our collective efforts to provide water security.”

Key components of the QSA included limiting how much water California would take from the Colorado River and a water transfer based on voluntary conservation. The agreement between the Imperial Irrigation District and the Water Authority, the cornerstone of the QSA, remains the largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer in the nation.

Conservation measures

Under the agreement, the Water Authority pays the IID to implement a variety of irrigation system and on-farm conservation measures that collectively save 200,000 acre-feet a year, which is transferred to San Diego County. Conserved water will continue to flow to the San Diego region through 2047, but that agreement can be extended through 2077 if both parties agree. (An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, or enough to serve three single-family homes for a year.)

In addition, the Water Authority secured $257 million in state subsidies to help pay for lining portions of the All-American and Coachella canals. As a result of those projects, the Water Authority is receiving 77,700 acre-feet of conserved water annually for 110 years.

Water-use efficiency

The QSA settled long-standing disputes over water inside California, and it provided a means to better manage the river through voluntary conservation programs and a storage program in Lake Mead. Today, the agreements continue to meet the primary goals of ensuring Colorado River water in California and the Lower Basin is put to beneficial use, that agricultural water-use efficiency improvements are adequately funded, water rights are protected, and the environment is addressed, most notably at the Salton Sea.

“The QSA, through its mutually beneficial formula of providing secure water supplies through voluntary conservation, offers a template for other regions of the Southwest as we collectively seek to live within the reduced flows of the Colorado River,” said Dan Denham, Water Authority general manager. “I’m very proud of the work we and our QSA partners have done to get to this point – and I recognize that more collaboration, resilience and vision will be needed to thrive in a hotter and drier future.”

Environment Report: The Fist Bump Seen ‘Round Politifest

The San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have traditionally bumped heads on many fronts – particularly over the cost of transporting Colorado River water to San Diego. But their new leaders quite literally bumped fists on our Politifest stage – a universal gesture of respect, approval, maybe even agreement?

Desalination and Future of Water Supply in Southern California

The cutting-edge world of desalination and the future of water supply in Southern California is the topic for conversation and insight from water agency officials in a new podcast. The four distinguished guests are from San Diego County Water Authority, Eastern Municipal Water District, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and South Coast Water District.

Dan Denham-desalination-water supply-podcast

Desalination and Future of Water Supply in Southern California

The cutting-edge world of desalination and the future of water supply in Southern California is the topic for conversation and insight from water agency officials in a new podcast. The four distinguished guests are from San Diego County Water Authority, Eastern Municipal Water District, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and South Coast Water District.

Learn how these projects work, their impact on California’s thirst during dry times.

From coastlines to arid inland regions, seawater and brackish water desalination projects are popping up like never before. But how do they work? What is the environmental impact? And can they really quench California’s thirst during those dry times? Are they truly drought proof?

These four are each at the helm of a water agency contributing to this critical conversation: Dan Denham, General Manager of the San Diego County Water Authority; Joe Mouawad, General Manager of the Eastern Municipal Water District; David Pedersen, General Manager of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District; and Rick Shintaku, General Manager of the South Coast Water District.

Watch the “What Matters Water TV + Podcast” here

San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

Tish Berge and Kelley Gage Appointed to Key Leadership Positions

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.

Berge oversees finance, government relations, public affairs, administrative services, and human resources at the Water Authority.

Deputy General Manager Tish Berge

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San Diego County Water Authority Deputy General Manager Tish Berge. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Assistant General Manager Kelley Gage

Gage oversees the water resources, engineering, and operations & maintenance departments.

Kelley Gage-Gage-Assistant General Manager-leadership

San Diego County Water Authority Assistant General Manager Kelley Gage. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Depth of knowledge and experience

“Tish and Kelley are veteran leaders in the water industry who bring a depth of knowledge and experience that will continue to benefit the region and our retail member agencies,” said Denham.  “We have an exceptional leadership team at the Water Authority, with Tish and Kelley at the forefront.”

Berge joined the Water Authority as assistant general manager in February 2021, and since joining she secured $18.5 million in state funding and negotiated project labor agreements and memorandums of understanding with labor. From 2017 to 2021 Berge served as general manager of the Sweetwater Authority, leading the agency to earn a “District of Distinction” award from the Special District Leadership Foundation.

Before that, Berge served as Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District’s director of administration and finance and as assistant general manager for San Elijo Joint Powers Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Certified Special District Manager and Registered Professional Engineer.

Gage has been with the Water Authority for more than 19 years, working in the fields of water supply planning, environmental planning, and water and regulatory policy. She started with the agency in 2001, then rejoined the Water Authority as director of water resources in 2018. From 2015 to 2018, Gage served as the senior director of water resources at Eastern Municipal Water District. She has also worked for the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, and the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. She has a bachelor’s degree in geology and environmental science from Michigan State University.

Agency Veteran Dan Denham Appointed GM of San Diego County Water Authority

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.

Dan Denham-Water Authority General Manager-Denham

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority