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Emergency Water Delivery-Tijuana-San Diego County Water Authority

Water Authority Delivers Emergency Water Supply to Tijuana

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Fast action by the San Diego County Water Authority and its partners is helping maintain water service in Tijuana after problems with the city’s aqueduct emerged in December.

Emergency water deliveries started last week after a coordinated effort between the Water Authority, Otay Water District, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). The typical multi-month approval process was compressed into a few days to avoid additional water supply shortages in Tijuana.

Agency accelerates emergency water delivery

“We’re extremely proud of how quickly the Water Authority staff worked to meet the emergency water needs of our neighbors to the south,” said Mel Katz, Water Authority Board Chair. “Coordinating with multiple agencies and getting the necessary approvals in just three days was a team effort and is a credit to the Water Resources and Operations & Maintenance departments.”

Cross-border emergency deliveries started more than 50 years ago and are governed by an agreement between the United States and Mexico to provide Tijuana with a portion of Mexico’s Colorado River supply. The Water Authority provides emergency water deliveries to Mexico through a cross-border connection in Otay Mesa. These deliveries use Water Authority, Otay Water District, and MWD facilities to transport the emergency supplies from the Colorado River to Mexico, which pays transportation costs on deliveries to Tijuana and provides funds for meter connection upkeep. Deliveries are typically planned months in advance due to the number of government agencies involved.

Coordination with multiple agencies

On January 2, the Water Authority received a request for emergency water delivery to Tijuana. Water Authority staff immediately expedited the complex approval process during this unplanned Tijuana aqueduct outage. Those steps included working with the U.S. International Boundary & Water Commission, Otay Water District, and MWD to confirm system capacity availability and establish costs associated with the additional emergency deliveries.

The current water deliveries are scheduled to continue until the end of February. Consistent with the previously approved schedule, planned water deliveries will restart in April and continue through September 2023.

(Editor’s note: The Otay Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across San Diego County.)

Two student artists representing the Otay Water District are among the 37 Southern California students whose artwork will appear in the 2023 “Water Is Life” Student Art Calendar. Photo: MWD student artwork

San Diego County Student Artwork Featured in 2023 Calendar

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Six San Diego County student artists are among the 37 Southern California students whose artwork will appear in the 2023 “Water Is Life” Student Art Calendar.

The “Water is Life” Student Art Calendar is produced annually by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, or MWD. It showcases student artwork visually illustrating important water conservation messages. Member agencies submit artwork for consideration among the winners of their local competitions.

The six regional winners for 2023 were invited to describe the inspiration behind their artwork in a virtual award ceremony to honor their achievements on December 8.

“You give us hope for a better future,” MWD board chairwoman Gloria D. Gray told the students.

Student winners from the San Diego region

Catalina Jones and Clare Brandt represent the Helix Water District in the calendar. Photo: MWD student artwork

Catalina Jones and Clare Brandt represent the Helix Water District in the calendar. Photo: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Catalina Jones, a sixth grader at Lemon Avenue Elementary School, and Clare Brandt, a third grader at Our Lady of Grace School, represent the Helix Water District in the calendar. Jones won third place in the Grades 5-8 category, and Brandt won an honorable mention in the grades K-4 category in the Helix WD competition. Catalina’s teacher is Lori Korovec, and Clare’s teacher is Jessica Collins.

Second grader Melanie Garcia represents Sweetwater Authority with her winning student artwork. Photo: MWD

Second grader Melanie Garcia represents Sweetwater Authority with her winning artwork. Photo: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Second grader Melanie Garcia from El Toyon School represents Sweetwater Authority with her artwork. Her captions are “Water is Life. I Love Water. Water is the best.” Her teacher is Silvia Loera-Toledo.

Two students from the Otay Water District have their artwork featured in the calendar. Khilee Haull is a seventh grader at Hillsdale Middle School and won first place in the Otay WD contest. Christian-Kealoha Rogacion is in the fifth grade at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and won second place in the Otay elementary school category. Christian’s teacher is Mrs. Dare.

“With daily reminders about the drought that we have in Southern California, I thought it was important to incorporate this into the art curriculum, and we did have a lot of fun with it,” said Elizabeth Cordle, Khilee’s art teacher. “It was very rewarding as an art teacher to see how creative students could be.”

Water awareness

“We are proud of the creativity and water awareness that the students representing Otay have demonstrated through their posters,” said Eileen Salmeron, communications assistant, and poster contest coordinator. “As California’s drought continues, the artwork in this calendar will serve as a reminder that when it comes to water, every drop counts.”

Conservation message through artistic expression

“Every year, students show us their artistic talents in helping us promote the need and value of saving water through their imagination and creativity,” said MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. “I am so thankful for this opportunity to engage with the youth of Southern California, as they are our future leaders and innovators.”

The “Water is Life” Student Art Calendar was created 34 years ago. It selects student art submitted from grades K through 12 to help convey vitally important water conservation messages. The annual calendar is distributed to 13,000 recipients each year.

(Editor’s note: The Sweetwater Authority, Helix Water District, and Otay Water District, are three of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.) 

San Diego’s Zombie Water Pipeline Project is Dead Again. For Now.

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego’s proposal to build its own $5 billion pipeline to the Colorado River and bypass paying Los Angeles for water is now in a state of the undead –technically lifeless unless local water officials choose to revive it again.

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Drought Emergency Declared for All Southern California

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune / Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Joshua Emerson Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.

The decision from MWD’s board came about eight months after officials declared a similar emergency for 7 million people who are dependent on supplies from the State Water Project, a vast network of reservoirs, canals and dams that convey water from Northern California. Residents reliant on California’s other major supply — the Colorado River — had not been included in that emergency declaration.

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Drought-Hit California Cities to Get Little Water From State

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne

California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to start 2023, water officials announced Thursday.

The news of limited water comes as California concludes its driest three-year stretch on record and as water managers brace for a fourth year with below-average precipitation. But if the winter is wetter than expected, the state could boost how much supply it plans to give out — as it did last year when allocations started at 0% and ended the winter at 5%.

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Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District-customer rebates-MWD-SDCWA

Rincon Water Rebates a Hit With Customers

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Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District reports that it completed an initiative to provide nearly $1.2 million in rebates to customers and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program.

The rebates were made possible following years of litigation by the San Diego County Water Authority against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for violating existing exchange agreements between the two agencies. The customer rebates come as residents across the county prepare for the holiday season, giving Rincon Water customers a boost to help put food on the Thanksgiving table and some extra gifts for family members next month.

Water rebates to customers

“When the San Diego County Water Authority won their lawsuits against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, we had to decide on what to do with about $1.2 million that was returned to us,” said Clint Baze, General Manager of Rincon Water. “The Rincon Board of Directors said the decision was easy because the money belongs to our customers and that is where it should go. It was the right decision, and it reflects our values of integrity, transparency, and fiscal accountability.”

The Water Authority’s lawsuit against MWD resulted in the SDCWA disbursing over $90 million to 24 member agencies, including Rincon Water. The SDCWA suit was filed against MWD in an effort to remedy overcharges from 2011-2017.

Located in northern San Diego County, Rincon Water is an urban water district consisting of more than 8,600 metered connections, of which 89% are residential customers. Its industrial customers include companies ranging from a high-tech trauma hospital, a nationally popular brewery, and a large vital utility, among others.

Rincon Water delivers customer service to ratepayers

“We take our obligations to our customers seriously – in this case, it meant returning the money as fairly and efficiently as possible, thereby giving the customer the ability to make the decision on how to spend it rather than absorbing it into the budget,” Baze said. “Rincon Water continues to lead through our excellent customer service, our top-tier water and wastewater system, and our commitment to building a sustainable system for the future.”

Rincon Water provides safe and reliable potable and recycled water to a population of 32,000 people through more than 8,000 customer connections. Our potable distribution system consists of nine enclosed reservoirs with the storage capacity of 22.5 million gallons. The potable water system consists of over 117 miles of 8″ or bigger pipeline and four pump stations and has a peak production of 10 million gallons per day.

(Editor’s note: The Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District  is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.) 

San Diegan Lois Fong-Sakai Elected MWD Board Secretary

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County Water Authority board member Lois Fong-Sakai has been elected secretary of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Fong-Sakai, who represents the City of San Diego on the Water Authority board, is a registered civil engineer in California and Nevada. She becomes the first Asian-American to service on the board of the Los Angeles-based water wholesaler serving nearly 19 million people in six counties.

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Rincon Water Rebates a Hit With Customers

/in , /by /Business Wire Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District announced today that it completed an initiative to provide nearly $1.2 million in rebates to customers and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program. The rebates were made possible following years of litigation by the San Diego County Water Authority against the Metropolitan Water District for violating existing exchange agreements between the two agencies.

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San Diego County Water Authority board member Lois Fong-Sakai has been elected secretary of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

San Diegan Lois Fong-Sakai Elected MWD Board Secretary

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San Diego County Water Authority board member Lois Fong-Sakai has been elected secretary of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Fong-Sakai, who represents the City of San Diego on the Water Authority board, is a registered civil engineer in California and Nevada. She becomes the first Asian-American to service on the board of the Los Angeles-based water wholesaler serving nearly 19 million people in six counties.

“It’s a great honor to serve not only San Diego County, but all of Southern California,” said Fong-Sakai. “Extreme drought conditions create significant challenges that will be best addressed through collaboration and cooperation across the region.”

Fong-Sakai one of four Water Authority delegates to the MWD board

Fong-Sakai has served on the Water Authority board since April 2015 and is one of four Water Authority delegates on the 38-member MWD Board of Directors, which represents 26 member agencies in Southern California.

Fong-Sakai says her new role may expand to take advantage of her expertise as a parliamentarian and member of the National Association of Parliamentarians for 35 years.

“I’m hopeful that I can help with running more efficient meetings,” said Fong-Sakai. “Parliamentary procedure is not a lot of stuffy rules about how meetings should be run. It allows all voices and opinions to be heard respectfully, including those of the minority positions. With open and inclusive discussions and debate, we, as an organization can only be stronger.”

In remarks accepting her new position, Fong-Sakai shared her family history, from her Chinese American and Japanese American relatives who first came to the U.S.in the 1850s and embraced democracy despite widespread discrimination. Nearly a century later, Fong-Sakai’s Japanese-Americans relatives, American citizens and legal residents, were forcibly moved to internment camps where they remained for three years following the attack at Pearl Harbor.

As part of her new role, Fong-Sakai is passionate about ensuring everyone has a voice. “As secretary, I will seek to allow all voices and opinions to be heard respectfully, including those of minority positions,” she said. “Open and inclusive discussions will make Metropolitan stronger and benefit everyone in Southern California.”

Fong-Sakai closed her remarks by sharing a Chinese proverb. “’One chopstick is easily broken, while a bundle of chopsticks is not.’ Indeed, when we work together, we are indeed greater and stronger than the sum of its parts.”

Experience in water planning and policy; dedication to building sustainable water systems

Fong-Sakai has more than three decades of experience in water planning and policy including work as a project manager and engineer for major water projects for the West Basin and Central Basin water districts, and the industrial wastewater treatment plant at San Francisco International Airport.

She helps raise funds to plan, design, and build sustainable water systems in nine developing nations as a member of the American Water Works Association’s Water for People charitable organization. Fong-Sakai is past president and a current member of the Society of Women Engineers, California Water Environment Association, and the Asian Business Association. For the past 25 years, she has volunteered with the foster organizations Polinsky Childrens’ Center and Promises2Kids, and was named San Diego County’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year.

Fong-Sakai is the Chief Financial Officer at Jade Coast Software, Inc., a business she owns with her husband Willie. She is a member of Professional Photographers of San Diego County and Senior Coordinator of the International Exhibition of Photography at the San Diego County Fair. She earned both her master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering and bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of California, Berkeley.

Water Agencies Unite and Commit to Reducing Demands on Colorado River

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Recognizing that a reliable water supply is critical to all economies and communities relying on the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin, more than 30 water agencies and providers have committed to take additional actions to reducing water demands and helping protect the Colorado River system.

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