Tag Archive for: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

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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San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

MWD Elects Lois Fong-Sakai as Board Secretary

/in , /by

San Diegan and registered civil engineer Lois Fong-Sakai has been elected secretary of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Los Angeles-based water wholesaler that serves nearly 19 million people in six counties.

Fong-Sakai, who represents the City of San Diego on the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors, is the first Asian-American to serve as an officer of the MWD board.

“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’s relatives were Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans who came to the United States in the 1850s and embraced the importance of voting and civil discourse – elements of democracy that Fong-Sakai is passionate about in her new role. “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.”

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Public Comment Wanted for MWD’s Recycling Program Pure Water Southern California

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1by Sarah Pilla

MWD has been working on a new source of reliable water called the Pure Water Southern California recycling program, that takes cleaned wastewater and purifies it into high-quality drinking water.

MWD is asking for public comment on this project through Nov. 14.

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More Water Restrictions Likely as California Pledges to Cut Use of Colorado River Supply

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

With the Colorado River in crisis and reservoir levels continuing to decline, California water agencies that depend on the river are planning to significantly reduce their use of water from the river starting next year. As a result, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California said they plan to endorse mandatory conservation measures next year to begin rationing water for cities and local agencies that supply 19 million people across six counties.

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