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La Jolla Resident’s Water Bill Leaped From $120 to $1,400. Here’s What to do if it Happens to You

/in , /by /La Jolla Lightby Ashley Macklin-Solomon

Part-time Windansea resident Brad Owens recently experienced a one-two punch that some others in La Jolla can empathize with. First, his water bills skyrocketed as much as 12-fold, even in a time when he wasn’t in San Diego. Then he learned his sewer rate for the coming year will be based on the water rate from that time, so his sewer bill will be 10 times its normal amount.

But perhaps more frustrating for Owens is the lack of information available about the policies and procedures of the San Diego Public Utilities Department, which handles water issues, and what can be done about unexplained rate spikes.

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San Diegans Could Soon Pay a Lot More for Water as Long-Delayed Rate Analysis Moves Forward

/in , /by /La Jolla Lightby David Garrick

San Diego officials say they will complete a long-delayed comprehensive analysis of city water rates this year that could lead to sharp increases to help pay for major infrastructure projects such as the Pure Water sewage purification system now under construction.

The last time San Diego completed such an analysis in 2015, city officials voted to raise water rates by 40 percent over four years.

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The Water Shortage Is Over, So Can La Jolla Shower Like It’s 1999?

/in , , /by /La Jolla Lightby Corey Levitan

Last month, California emerged from drought conditions for the first time since December 11, 2011, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, breaking a 376-week streak. In response, the California Department of Water Resources increased the amount of water delivered from its State Water Project storage system from 35 percent of contractor requests, which it announced in February, to 70 percent. So can La Jolla residents similarly up their water use? That’s the last thing they should do, experts say, and it explains why munipical drought restrictions — three-day weekly lawn-watering, recycled water for ornamental fountains, water served in restaurants only upon request — have not and will not be lifted.

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Water Dept. Updates City On Its Reform Policies: ‘We developed Standard Operating Procedures That We Did Not Have Before.’

/in , /by /La Jolla Lightby Ashley Mackin-Solomon

Just over a year after the San Diego Public Utilities Department (PUD) held a meeting in La Jolla to talk with residents about implausible spikes in their water bills, PUD provided the City Council’s Audit Committee with a “progress report” on its activities to ameliorate the concerns. The morning of March 20, PUD representatives addressed changes to water billing operations and the water meter cover replacements program, and told the committee that the majority of City Auditor recommended adjustments to department operations have been implemented. The rest, they said, were expected to be in effect by June.

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Pipeline Rehab Project Coming To La Jolla Shores And La Jolla Heights

/in , /by /La Jolla Lightby Ashley Mackin-Solomon

By the beginning of May, areas of La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Heights will undergo a pipeline replacement project — in piecemeal segments — to replace or rehabilitate more than seven collective miles of underground sewer lines. Arterial streets east of La Jolla Shores Drive, portions of Torrey Pines Road, some of La Jolla Scenic Drive North, and other smaller streets are slated for work.

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