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Opinion: Turmoil in San Diego’s Water World

What seemed like an internal dispute among San Diego County water agencies is now reverberating in Sacramento and Los Angeles, potentially raising the stakes in the outcome.

At issue is the effort by two small North County water districts to get out from under the San Diego County Water Authority umbrella and hook up with an agency in Riverside County to obtain cheaper water.

North County Communities Wait for Permission to Part Ways with County Water Authority

A county commission will meet again in August to decide whether to allow two North County communities to switch water providers.

“We cannot afford to buy items, such as water, at the super-high rates for our farm to be sustainable,” said Kendall Farms CEO Jason Kendall, during Monday’s meeting at the County Administration Center.

The San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission is considering a proposal to allow the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District to switch water service to Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside County and cut ties with the San Diego County Water Authority.

 

Fallbrook and Rainbow Water Districts Want to Leave the San Diego County Water Authority

The Fallbrook and Rainbow Water Districts want to leave the San Diego County Water Authority because of high costs.

The water district’s say the San Diego County Water Authority is not serving San Diegans well, and they want to join a different authority in Riverside County.

Rural Districts Say San Diego Behind Opposition to Their Exit from County Water Authority

The Fallbrook and Rainbow water districts have pushed back on an Assembly bill that would require a countywide public vote to approve their exit from the San Diego County Water Authority, accusing the city of San Diego of attempting to increase its power.

The two rural districts said in a statement that the city is “trying to make it harder — if not impossible” — for other districts in the county get less expensive water.

San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

Assembly Bill Would Protect Water Ratepayers Across County

May 25, 2023 –  The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors today voted to support Assembly Bill 530, which would ensure ratepayer protections when water districts separate.

The bill was authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner of Encinitas and sponsored by the City of San Diego. It seeks to amend California’s County Water Authority Act so that all voters within such a district can vote on proposed separations from an authority, actions that are also known as detachments. A majority vote in both the separating district and the County Water Authority would be necessary to complete a detachment.

Rainbow, Fallbrook Considering Split From San Diego County Water Authority

NBC 7’s Brooke Martell explains how a split could impact residents in Rainbow and Fallbrook, as well as their neighbors in other communities.

North County Farmers Desperate to Ditch Expensive Water Supplier. Will San Diego Leaders Stop Them?

Should two rural North County communities be allowed to purchase cheaper water from outside of the San Diego region in a desperate attempt to save farming — even if it could mean slightly higher bills for other ratepayers?

Districts Searching for Lower Water Rates Amid a Potential 14% Hike

Talk of a 14% increase in the cost of water is the last straw for the agricultural communities of Fallbrook and Rainbow.

Fallbrook, Rainbow Would Save on Water Bills by Leaving San Diego Wholesaler, Report Finds

Farmers and other ratepayers in Fallbrook and Rainbow could see an average saving on their water bills of more than $20 a month by joining the Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside County, according to a new report.

What Fallbrook and Rainbow’s Revolt Says About San Diego’s Skyrocketing Water Rates

To understand why water agencies in Fallbrook and Rainbow are in revolt, consider the squeeze faced by Ismael Resendiz and the 250-acre cut-flower farm where he grows Protea, Pincushions and Banksia.

Resendiz said his flowers are barely getting the water they need to thrive. He said he’s had to cut irrigation in half over the last two years because of soaring rates. Over the last five years, his monthly bill has jumped from about $25,000 to $30,000 a month.

Now he’s considering dramatically shrinking his crop.