The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has introduced a significant incentive to encourage residents and businesses to plant trees, offering up to $500 in rebates. This move is part of an enhancement to their existing turf-replacement program, aimed at reducing water usage and improving urban canopy coverage across the region.
Chula Vista, Calif. – To assist customers with costs associated with leak repairs, Sweetwater Authority is offering a rebate of up to $75 for repairs made from March 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023. The special rebate is in celebration of the national Fix a Leak Week, which serves as an annual reminder to check household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks.
Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority received a rebate of $205,891 from the San Diego County Water Authority. The funds are a result of the SDCWA litigation against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The money is from attorneys’ fees paid by MWD to the SDCWA. In total, the Authority has received $2,151,194 from the SDCWA rate case distribution.
Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority (Authority) received a rebate of $1,070,931 from the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA). The money from SDCWA comes as a portion of $35.9 million in rebate funds the regional wholesaler recently distributed to its 24-member agencies.
A settlement between the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District is delivering a windfall of refunds to local water districts.
The SDCWA filed suits between 2010 and 2018 challenging how Los Angeles-based MWD set rates and imposed charges. SDCWA won several “critical issues” from 2011-14 and was awarded $44.3 million by a state court in January to refund rates and repay overcharges, according to a press release.
SDCWA is also entitled to attorney’s fees and costs for those cases, although the exact amount is to be determined.
The money has been reallocated to its member agencies, with most securing more than $1 million in refunded money.
The San Diego County Water Authority was successful in its rate lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and the SDCWA provided a check to the Rainbow Municipal Water District for Rainbow’s share of the settlement. On March 23, the Rainbow board voted 5-0 to place the money into the district’s reserves rather than to attempt to provide refunds to each individual ratepayer.
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors unanimously voted at its April 14 meeting to utilize a $2 million refund to reduce future rate increases to OMWD ratepayers. The refund resulted from San Diego County Water Authority’s decade-long litigation with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California seeking legal rates and repayment of overcharges.
Helix Water District will use $2.8 million received from the San Diego County Water Authority as part of a legal settlement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to reduce future water rates for the district’s customers.
Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved using the recently received $1,157,552 rebate from the San Diego County Water Authority to offset the District’s next pass-through rate increase from the CWA. This action will result in a direct benefit to customers by the reduction or potential elimination of a water pass through rate hike in 2022.
The San Diego County Water Authority is offering a rebate for homeowners willing to replace their lawns with more water-friendly landscape. Residents in the water authority’s service area can apply to get a rebate of $3 for every square-foot of lawn they replace with drought-tolerant plants; $2 will be provided by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and $1 will come from the water authority. Use this calculator to estimate your rebate amount.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
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