The San Diego County Water Authority has stepped up to provide additional water supplies to drought-ravaged areas in three Southern California counties.
Under an agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Diego will provide water from an underground storage facility in Kern County to serve parts of northern Los Angeles County, Ventura County and San Bernardino County.
The San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have reached an agreement that will provide water to parts of Southern California facing extraordinary supply constraints due to cutbacks on the State Water Project.
Under a deal approved today by Metropolitan’s Board of Directors and previously authorized by the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors, Metropolitan will secure additional groundwater in 2022 from the Semitropic Water Bank in Kern County.
The San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have reached an agreement that will provide water to parts of Southern California facing extraordinary supply constraints due to cutbacks on the State Water Project.
Under a deal approved today by Metropolitan’s Board of Directors and previously authorized by the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors, Metropolitan will secure additional groundwater in 2022 from the Semitropic Water Bank in Kern County. Metropolitan can use that water to serve areas in the northwest and northeast parts of its service area that aren’t connected to its Colorado River supplies and are heavily reliant on limited State Water Project supplies.
“Metropolitan is committed to doing everything we can to bring more water to communities in our service area that are particularly challenged by the drought. We’re thrilled to have the Water Authority partner with us in this effort, supporting the well-being of all Southern California,” said Metropolitan board chairwoman Gloria D. Gray. “We’re all in this together. And we all need to do our part, including using water as efficiently as possible.”
Water Authority Board Chair Gary Croucher expressed a similar perspective. “We thank Metropolitan Board Chair Gloria Gray and General Manager Adel Hagekhalil for partnering with us in a way that benefits all of Southern California,” Croucher said. “We expect that this will be the first of many innovative and collaborative solutions with Metropolitan to sustain our collective economy and quality of life.”
Under terms of the agreement, Metropolitan will purchase 4,200 acre-feet of the Water Authority’s reserves in the Semitropic Original Water Bank in 2022 for $893 per acre foot. Metropolitan also will lease an additional 5,000 acre-feet of “take capacity” from the Water Authority’s water bank account.
Take capacity – a function of groundwater pumping and distribution system size – gives Metropolitan the ability to withdraw more of its own groundwater stored in the Semitropic Water Bank. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons, enough to serve about three typical Southern California homes for a year.
In 2008, the Water Authority secured supplies in the Semitropic Water Bank for the San Diego region in preparation for drought. Due to other supply and storage investments and sustained water conservation in San Diego County, the Water Authority does not need to tap its Semitropic account to meet the region’s projected water demands in 2022, providing an opportunity to make that water available to other parts of the state.
Water years 2020 and 2021 were the driest two-year sequence on record in California. And in August, Lake Oroville – the main reservoir on the State Water Project – reached its lowest point since being filled in the 1970s. Earlier this month, the state announced that if hydrologic conditions don’t improve, State Water Project deliveries next year would be limited to only what is required to ensure the health and safety of residents, and no water would be delivered under the normal allocation system. Access to the Semitropic Water Bank is important because it is strategically located along the California Aqueduct and can supplement the limited state project deliveries.
Much of Southern California can rely on a diverse portfolio of Colorado River water, local supplies and stored reserves, when state project supplies are limited. However, parts of Metropolitan’s service area – including communities in Northern L.A. County, Ventura County and San Bernardino County – cannot receive Colorado River water and are more dependent on state project supplies. Metropolitan has taken important steps to modify its delivery infrastructure to shrink this dependent area.
The agency also continues to promote increased water efficiency across Southern California. Metropolitan’s board declared a Water Supply Alert in August and a Drought Emergency in November, both calling for increased conservation. The board also approved a series of measures to expand rebate and water-efficiency programs. Depending on local conditions, some Metropolitan member agencies have implemented mandatory conservation measures.
(Editor’s Note: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that delivers water to 26 member agencies serving 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
The San Diego County Water Authority sustains a $253 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, major infrastructure investments and forward-thinking policies that promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. A public agency created in 1944, the Water Authority delivers wholesale water supplies to 24 retail water providers, including cities, special districts and a military base.)
The San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have reached an agreement that will provide water to parts of Southern California facing extraordinary supply constraints due to cutbacks on the State Water Project.
Under a deal approved today by Metropolitan’s Board of Directors and previously authorized by the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors, Metropolitan will secure additional groundwater in 2022 from the Semitropic Water Bank in Kern County. Metropolitan can use that water to serve areas in the northwest and northeast parts of its service area that aren’t connected to its Colorado River supplies and are heavily reliant on limited State Water Project supplies.
“Metropolitan is committed to doing everything we can to bring more water to communities in our service area that are particularly challenged by the drought. We’re thrilled to have the Water Authority partner with us in this effort, supporting the well-being of all Southern California,” said Metropolitan board chairwoman Gloria D. Gray. “We’re all in this together. And we all need to do our part, including using water as efficiently as possible.”
Water Authority Board Chair Gary Croucher expressed a similar perspective. “We thank Metropolitan Board Chair Gloria Gray and General Manager Adel Hagekhalil for partnering with us in a way that benefits all of Southern California,” Croucher said. “We expect that this will be the first of many innovative and collaborative solutions with Metropolitan to sustain our collective economy and quality of life.”
Under terms of the agreement, Metropolitan will purchase 4,200 acre-feet of the Water Authority’s reserves in the Semitropic Original Water Bank in 2022 for $893 per acre foot. Metropolitan also will lease an additional 5,000 acre-feet of “take capacity” from the Water Authority’s water bank account.
Take capacity – a function of groundwater pumping and distribution system size – gives Metropolitan the ability to withdraw more of its own groundwater stored in the Semitropic Water Bank. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons, enough to serve about three typical Southern California homes for a year.
In 2008, the Water Authority secured supplies in the Semitropic Water Bank for the San Diego region in preparation for drought. Due to other supply and storage investments and sustained water conservation in San Diego County, the Water Authority does not need to tap its Semitropic account to meet the region’s projected water demands in 2022, providing an opportunity to make that water available to other parts of the state.
Water years 2020 and 2021 were the driest two-year sequence on record in California. And in August, Lake Oroville – the main reservoir on the State Water Project – reached its lowest point since being filled in the 1970s. Earlier this month, the state announced that if hydrologic conditions don’t improve, State Water Project deliveries next year would be limited to only what is required to ensure the health and safety of residents, and no water would be delivered under the normal allocation system. Access to the Semitropic Water Bank is important because it is strategically located along the California Aqueduct and can supplement the limited state project deliveries.
Much of Southern California can rely on a diverse portfolio of Colorado River water, local supplies and stored reserves, when state project supplies are limited. However, parts of Metropolitan’s service area – including communities in Northern L.A. County, Ventura County and San Bernardino County – cannot receive Colorado River water and are more dependent on state project supplies. Metropolitan has taken important steps to modify its delivery infrastructure to shrink this dependent area.
The agency also continues to promote increased water efficiency across Southern California. Metropolitan’s board declared a Water Supply Alert in August and a Drought Emergency in November, both calling for increased conservation. The board also approved a series of measures to expand rebate and water-efficiency programs. Depending on local conditions, some Metropolitan member agencies have implemented mandatory conservation measures.
California will soak up some much needed rain this week on the heels of a sobering decision from the state to drastically reduce water distribution to the Los Angeles area due to our ongoing drought.
Meanwhile, the San Diego County Water Authority gets less than 1% of its water from the state, a remarkable difference from the 95% the agency received from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in the early 1990s. Conservation became a way of life in San Diego. Water use per day has been reduced by 50% since 1990 and remains consistent with levels seen during our last drought between 2012 and 2016.
"We ultimately were cut back by over 30% for 13 months. It harmed the economy and harmed the quality of life here. And it really wasn't a situation that we ever wanted to experience again," said Sandy Kerl, @sdcwa General Manager. #cawater #CAdrought https://t.co/NpJNAqDgN9
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 9, 2021
What is the most important leadership quality in dealing with the unprecedented challenges facing the industry?
Today’s leaders need to be inclusive, and focus on cooperation, engagement, and partnerships. The issues are so complex; the problem-solving that needs to happen requires many stakeholders. I think we have a lot more pressures regarding inclusivity, including issues related to water affordability. One challenge with engagement and inclusion is bringing in folks who haven’t necessarily been part of the water conversation before, both from a policy as well as an employment standpoint.
As a leader, one constant is knowing and admitting that you don’t know everything. You’re scanning the environment and you’re pivoting and reacting with information that is coming in real time.
The Water Authority has been making huge investments in supply reliability over the last several decades—improving storage and water supply diversification. How does that impact your leadership within the region during the current drought?
From our standpoint, we approach water as a statewide issue. We are all Californians working 24/7 to ensure access to water for everyone. We want to be part of the solution.
Our wake-up call to the changing availability of water was during the drought of the late ’80s and early ’90s. We invested heavily in new supplies and infrastructure, storage, piping to move water where it’s needed, asset management to ensure our pipelines aren’t leaking, and those sorts of things. And even compared to the drought of 2012 through ’16, we’re in a better position today because we have realized the full implementation of all of our new sources of supply. In addition, we’ve had such heavy conservation and water use efficiency. We use 50 percent less water today per capita than we did in 1990. And that is a big part of how we’ve met the challenge.
From a regional perspective, we’re not all the same within the state. We don’t have the same assets and issues. At the same time, the Water Authority is looking at how can we help other areas of the state. As an example, we have groundwater stored in the Central Valley and our board has approved working with any agency that is interested in that water and who can pipe the water to its destination, because we have reliable supplies without it.
The hard thing is, you have to really look at what’s going to move the needle. Is it going to move the needle if we save an acre-foot of water here in San Diego? Is that going to help Northern California? No, because we take very little water off the Bay Delta. But, if we could be able to take some of our water out of storage and provide that to another area of the state, or if we could get storage in Lake Mead so that the Colorado River is not as impacted—those are things we can do to help. I’d like to be able to focus in that area and continue to support the economy and the quality of life in San Diego County in a way that folks here have invested in for many years.
What are some of the strategies the Water Authority is deploying to address climate change resiliency and adaptation?
Because of the investments that we’ve made in raising the height of San Vicente Dam, it’s doubled the storage capacity there. The facility is owned by the City of San Diego, but the Water Authority did the dam raise. We’re partnering with the city to create a large storage hydroelectric facility there, which is closed loop and could provide up to 500MW of power and utilize renewables in a way that, when the sun goes down, the hydroelectric facility can be put on and we can utilize those resources. You might ask, “Why are you looking at that?” It’s because there’s an opportunity to monetize existing assets and create a revenue stream for the city and the Water Authority to help offset water costs, while helping to combat climate change. It also helps with the stability of the power grid. We had power outages in San Diego last August and if we had this project online, we wouldn’t have had those issues.
What are some of the obstacles you are facing in achieving the Water Authority’s desired level of resiliency and supply reliability?
In terms of the San Diego region, we have very high supply reliability. I think the biggest challenge for us is the affordability component and how to balance having those resources and ensuring the ability of folks to pay for it over the long-term. That is very challenging and concerning. We’re part of a new caucus at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) focused on disadvantaged communities and addressing how resources get allocated to disadvantaged communities. As an example, when there’s conservation funding available, how is that shared? And how can those communities take advantage of it?
Statewide, we are seeing benefits of greater regionalization while simultaneously an increase in the localization of supplies. Where do you think we need to be on that spectrum as a state to meet these incredible challenges? How do you think this applies to the San Diego region?
I think we as water managers do a better job when we look at the big picture as opposed to our space alone. The reality of implementing that big picture is very challenging. We see a microcosm of that here in the region, and we’re really looking at the One Water initiative at MWD and how we best connect with that.
There is a very different dynamic than 20 years ago when many local retail agencies weren’t looking at developing their own supplies. They were counting on the Water Authority to provide that reliability.
The next increment of water supply is coming from our member agencies, it’s not going to be the Water Authority’s projects. For example, acceptance for water reuse is a game changer. So is the possibility of regulation and legislation that would eliminate wastewater discharge. This has increased the interest in agencies wanting to do their own water reuse projects. We are recognizing this shift and taking into account when these projects are going to come online in our urban water management plan. It’s about how to find that balance and work cooperatively, and we’re at ground zero. I think other regions are going to be entering this conversation as time goes by, and I wonder what role the state is going to play in terms of overlaying policy that may usurp the local or regional planning processes, and how will that shape our investments?
Agencies are having to do so much more with so much less—that goes for water as well as funds. In many ways we need to look to innovation to fill that gap. How are you incorporating innovation in the culture of the Water Authority?
Innovation is critical to the Water Authority, and we have a formalized innovation program that engages every department. It’s really something that is a sense of pride for employees. They are encouraged and expected to think innovatively and assess how to do things differently. That kind of thinking includes things like how we communicate financial information to the departments at a level that’s very actionable as opposed to reams of spreadsheets. How do you get actionable data to our own crews developing tools to be able to assess the condition of 310 miles of large-diameter pipes in our system? The range of ideas is enormous.
Since COVID, so much has changed. What changes have you experienced or proactively planned to enhance your organization’s culture?
The one thing that I’m super proud of, and especially doing it during COVID, is evolving the nature of our culture as an organization by creating new values that resonated and reflected who we are today. This was done through a committee of employees at all different levels in the organization called a Values Discovery Team, and they were trained in appreciative inquiry, a strengths-based positive approach to leadership and organizational change.
They interviewed employees that they didn’t work with directly. Out of those interviews emerged stories of who we are at our best, and out of that came seven values. Previously, our values were very much focused on getting the work accomplished. With these updated values, the first four of the seven have a human element to them, which is a significant change in terms of the culture of this organization.
We still expect excellence, we still innovate, but we also hear different perspectives. We value diversity. We engage in the tough conversations. It just has a very different flavor. And I believe that’s what will keep this organization strong—that there’s a balance of both the human and the work.
In 2016, California set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This is the most aggressive emissions reduction target in the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom is directing California state agencies to accelerate the state’s progress toward its climate goals and is evaluating pathways for the state to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
Meeting these goals means a major shift in how electric power is generated and a greater reliance upon renewable sources, which, in turn, will lead to new kinds of investments, markets, and business practices.
One of the most promising pumped storage hydro solutions in California is the proposed 500-MW San Vicente Energy Storage Facility under consideration by a partnership of the San Diego County Water Authority and the City of San Diego.
The grim news about the climate emergency just keeps rolling in. San Diego International Airport saw its driest November since 1980, with only a trace of rain recorded the entire month. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the state Department of Water Resources said that California agencies that provide water to 27 million residents and 750,000 acres of farmland will get 0 percent of requested water from the reservoirs, canals and dams that comprise the State Water Project. Seven agencies will get some water, but only for urgent health and safety needs, including indoor sanitation and fire suppression.
The San Diego County Water Authority — which made the courageous and game-changing decision in 1991 to diversify its supplies and no longer rely so heavily on the giant, mercurial Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — won’t be affected by the state decision. In a normal year, officials said Thursday, 10 percent of the authority’s water comes from the State Water Project. But this year, it’s received none and still has plenty of water available.
On December 4, 2021, the San Diego County Water Authority will be taking the 74-year old 1st San Diego Aqueduct out of service until December 15, 2021. With the aqueduct being off the district loses water supply to approximately 85% of the District’s its area (see map).
The Water Authority is taking the 48” diameter pipeline out of service to inspect and make final design decisions on how to make the needed repairs to the three tunnels discovered in the recently completed northern 1st Aqueduct relining project.
Most California water districts will receive virtually no water next year from the State Water Project other than for health and safety needs amid “unprecedented drought conditions,” the state’s the Department of Water Resources announced Wednesday.
The announcement to zero out the State Water Project’s allocation for 2022 comes as officials anticipate a third straight dry year in California that has reservoirs at or nearing record lows.
In a statement Wednesday, DWR Director Karla Nemeth said preparations are needed now with a dry winter expected and with drought conditions likely to continue into next year.
“We will be working with our federal partners and SWP contractors to take a conservative planning approach to balance limited water supplies with the needs of residents, businesses, and the environment,” Nemeth said.
But the San Diego region is better off than other parts of the state, including elsewhere in Southern California, officials say. Since the 1990 drought, San Diego water experts have relied on multiple water sources and not just the state’s.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
