Tag Archive for: Water Infrastructure

San Diego Raises Water Rates by Nearly 20% Over Two Years

San Diego water rates will rise nearly 20 percent over the next two years after a divided City Council approved Tuesday the first comprehensive rate hike in nearly eight years.

The rate increases, approved by a vote of 5-3, will come in three parts: A 5 percent hike on Dec. 1, a 5.2 percent increase next July 1 and an 8.75 percent jump in January 2025. An earlier version of the proposal would have raised the rates more quickly — by 10.2 percent on Dec. 1 and 8.75 percent in January 2025.

Revisiting the Debate: Who Will Build New U.S. Pumped Storage?

About this time last year, I published an article on Hydro Review where I asked: “Who will build the first new pumped storage hydro in the U.S.?”

In that article, I didn’t really provide an answer to the question. I did list the three projects I saw as the front runners, based on them having operating licenses from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: 1,300 Eagle Mountain in California, 400 MW Gordon Butte in Montana and 393 MW Swan Lake in Oregon. And I included the 1,200 MW Goldendale project in Washington in the honorable mention position.

City Council to Vote on Water Rate Increase Tuesday

City council is expected to vote on a nearly 20% increase to water rates for San Diego residents.

If approved, this would increase rates 10.2% beginning Dec. 1, 2023, then up to an additional 8.7% beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

Mayor Todd Gloria said this would equate to an approximate $12 increase to the average residents’ monthly bill.

San Diego Expected to Approve Water-Rate Hikes of Almost 20%

San Diego water bills would rise nearly 20% under a rate-increase proposal the City Council is scheduled to consider Tuesday.

The increase, which city officials began studying last fall, would be the first comprehensive rate hike approved by the council in nearly eight years. It would include a 10.2 increase this December and an 8.75% jump in January 2025.

Rep. Peters Seeks $100 Million Annual Construction Funding to Fix South Bay Sewage Plant

Rep. Scott Peters introduced legislation Tuesday to provide $100 million in annual construction funding to rehabilitate and expand the dilapidated International Wastewater Treatment Plant that is contributing to pollution closing nearby South Bay beaches.

San Diego Spending $9M on Repairs to Structurally Vulnerable Dams — El Capitan, Lake Morena

The San Diego City Council approved $9 million Tuesday for short-term repairs to two city dams found to have cracks and other structural problems during state-ordered assessments in 2019.

The repairs will be completed by Orion Construction on the Morena Dam, which is 63 miles east of the city near Campo and the Laguna Mountains, and El Capitan Dam, which is 7 miles east of Lakeside.

As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use It Before They Lose It

The fossil fuel industry once boomed here.

Oil pump jacks dot the landscape around the community and serve as a reminder of the town’s origins. Prairie dogs race across the two-lane highway outside of town that is filled with thousands of Mormon crickets during the summer.

Can Alfalfa Survive a Fight Over Colorado River Water?

Dirt roads neatly bisect acres and acres of vibrant green plants here: short, dense alfalfa plants fed by the waters of the Colorado River, flowing by as a light brown stream through miles of narrow concrete ditches.

But on a nearby field, farmer Ronnie Leimgruber is abandoning those ditches, part of a system that has served farmers well for decades.

Why Water Rates in Yreka Could Be Going Up

Residents and businesses in Yreka could face increased water rates as the city considers a staggered rise in rates to keep track with the increasing cost of water delivery and treating sewerage.

California Regional Water Usage Declines as Statewide Water Stores Remain Above Average

According to new data released by the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB),  average monthly residential water use sharply declined in the first half of 2023, with water stores in reservoirs and other places continuing to remain well above average.