Tag Archive for: San Diego County Water Authority

Tish Berge Joins Water Authority Executive Leadership Team

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February 11, 2021 – Veteran water industry executive Tish Berge is joining the San Diego County Water Authority as assistant general manager, bringing experience from every aspect of water utility management to serve the region. Berge is currently general manager of the Sweetwater Authority, one of the Water Authority’s 24 member agencies. Berge starts her new role February 22 alongside Deputy General Manager Dan Denham and General Manager Sandra L. Kerl.

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Opinion: Debate Begins Over $5 Billion Water Proposal for San Diego

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Vince Mudd

Over two decades, I’ve watched opponents resist San Vicente Dam, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, Olivenhain Reservoir, San Diego Pure Water and other projects because they refused a meaningful, fact-based dialogue. Thankfully, in each of those cases, a rational, long-term approach to securing our future prevailed.

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Opinion: San Diego is Thinking Big — Scary Big

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego has pretty much shed its image as a big small town, at least by the measure of potentially transformative proposals that could reshape the region for decades to come. Some of them are big and exciting, some big and scary— and often they are both. All of them are costly in terms of dollars and, potentially, in their impact on the land.

Whether they are the right things to do will be endlessly debated, even after some come to fruition — if they get that far.

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Scholarship Applications Open for Aspiring Water Pros

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

If you’re a student considering college studies leading to a career in the water and wastewater industry, several California water associations and San Diego regional member water agencies offer college scholarships. Scholarships are available for community college, college, and graduate-level programs

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A $5 Billion Water Project Could Drill Through Anza-Borrego Park. Is It a Pipe Dream?

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

It would be arguably the most ambitious public works project in San Diego history.

The envisioned pipeline would carry Colorado River water more than 130 miles from the Imperial Valley — through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, tunneling under the Cuyamaca Mountains, and passing through the Cleveland National Forest — to eventually connect with a water-treatment plant in San Marcos. An alternative route would run through the desert to the south, boring under Mount Laguna before emptying into the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.

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Water Authority Seeks to Reduce Water Costs Countywide

/in , , /by /East County Magazine Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Addressing the San Diego region’s limited local water supplies with innovative ideas is something the San Diego County Water Authority has become known for. Using expertise gained from decades of successful planning and projects, the Water Authority is developing strategies to reduce the future cost of water that sustains the economy and quality of life across the county.

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Opinion: A Desalination Skeptic Now Sees Carlsbad Plant’s “Undeniable Value”

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Cori Schumacher Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

It is no secret that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant when it was proposed, and I still wasn’t completely on board when the plant began operations in 2015, or even when I was elected to the Carlsbad City Council in 2016.

But time has given me perspective, and I recognize now that the value that the Carlsbad Desalination Plant provides our region is undeniable.

We are now celebrating the plant’s fifth anniversary since operations began. In that time, I’ve seen firsthand how the Carlsbad Desalination Plant benefits our city and the entire San Diego region, given it has produced more than 65 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water. To put that in perspective, that is enough water to fill the Rose Bowl in Pasadena all the way to its brim nearly 200 times!

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San Diegans Are Drowning in Water Debt During COVID-19

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

Once the water bills started piling up, Shara Sin and her children switched to eating off paper plates to avoid the cost of washing.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the 53-year-old mother of four’s finances were already precariously balanced. She doesn’t work anymore because mental health complications cause her short-term memory loss and pain.

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San Diego Water Managers Push for State Relief

/in , , /by /KPBS FM/TVby Erik Anderson Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County water managers are lobbying state officials to help get financial relief for customers and water agencies struggling with water debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The region’s water wholesaler was surprised by the amount of debt looming over water customers and the agencies that sell it.

State water officials estimate 1.6 million customers are behind on their water bills. The debt is worth more than $1 billion.

Glenn Farrel, San Diego County Water Authority director of Government Relations, said there are long-term issues that need consideration.

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Tens of Thousands of San Diegans Are in Debt Over Their Water Bills

/in , , /by /NBC7 San Diegoby Bob Hansen and Nicholas Kjeldgaard Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The coronavirus pandemic shook the economy of the United States and San Diego.

More than 100,000 people in San Diego County lost their jobs last year, and many have made tough choices financially. That’s led, in part, to nearly a billion dollars in statewide water-bill debt, according to a new report from the state water board.

“Folks are trying to scrape by and make ends meet,” said Allen Carlisle, the CEO & general manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District. “The first things on our minds are those families who are struggling and how do we try to help them?”

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