Tag Archive for: Water Rates

Kim Hales and Suzanne Till were recently sworn in to new terms on the Padre Dam Municipal Water District Board of Directors. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Padre Dam Swears In New Board Member, Returning Incumbent

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The Padre Dam Municipal Water District swore in Kim Hales as its newest member of the Board of Directors on December 9, 2024. Incumbent director Suzanne Till was also sworn in for her second term on the District’s Board of Directors, and will continue serving as the Board’s Vice President.

Hales and Till were elected by their constituents during the November 2024 general election to serve for a four-year term on the Board. Director Till will represent Division 2. Director Hales will represent Division 4.

“I welcome Director Hales and returning Director Till to serving these newly elected terms on the Padre Dam Board of Directors. They will each contribute their own perspectives to the Board as representatives of our community while the Board continues to successfully serve and meet the mission of the District for customers,” shared Board President Bill Pommering.

An overhead view of construction progress on the East County Advanced Water Purification program Education Center. Photo: East County AWP Padre Dam

An overhead view of construction progress on the East County Advanced Water Purification program Education Center. Photo: East County AWP

Kim Hales Brings Science Background To Board

Hales is an Alpine resident, who owns and enjoys a 23-acre ranch with her husband Steve, a retired United States Navy Captain. Together, they manage and care for goats, chickens, dogs, gardens and open space habitat. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Biology. She has been a Professor of Biology at Cuyamaca College for the last 20 years, and served as interim Dean of Math, Science and Engineering for just under three of those years.

Hales spent much of her professional life on the ocean studying dolphins, marine birds and sharks. She also previously worked as an Animal Handler at the San Diego Zoo.

“I look forward to serving on the Padre Dam Board and utilizing my science background to ensure a sustainable water supply future for decades to come. Water is key to all lives and I am happy to be a part of managing this important resource responsibly,” said Director Hales.

Suzanne Till Pledges To Address Water Affordability

Till was elected her first four-year term in November 2020, and in August 2023, she was named Board Vice President. Till grew up in Lakeside and has lived in Santee for over three decades.

Till is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a former Professor of Geography at Cuyamaca and Southwestern Colleges. She currently teaches geography at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista. She has a Ph.D. in Water Resources Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Masters in Geography and Urban Planning from San Diego State University.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to continue to serve the constituents of Division 2 in Santee. I look forward to representing them to make sure water affordability is top of mind. I am also looking forward to seeing the East County AWP Project completed,” commented Director Till.

Directors Till and Hales will serve four-year terms ending in December 2028.

Padre Dam provides water, sewer, recycled water, and recreation services to approximately 102,000 residents in East San Diego County, including Santee, El Cajon, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, Harbison Canyon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, Dehesa, and Crest. The District is a public agency with policies and procedures directed by an elected five-member Board of Directors. The District imports 100% of our treated water
supply and treats two million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater at our Water Recycling Facility.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

OMWD Board Will Hold Public Hearing on October 16 on Proposed Water Charges That Would Impact the Average Residential Customer Bill by Less Than Five Percent

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Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. on October 16 to receive
comments on proposed water charges. The proposed charges would increase a residential customer’s bill with average
usage by less than five percent, beginning January 1, 2025.

OMWD buys all of its drinking water supply from its wholesaler, San Diego County Water Authority. Buying wholesale
water makes up approximately 60 percent of OMWD’s operating costs. Effective January 1, 2025, SDCWA will increase
the price OMWD pays for water by 14 percent.

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Local Water Rates to Increase 14.9%

/in , /by /Valley Road Runner by David Ross Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Valley Center Municipal Water District rates will see an overall rate increase of 16.1 % effective January 1, 2025 from its wholesale supplier, the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), which supplies 100% of VCMWD’s water. When combined with a lower 5% increase for locally controlled operations costs, the net impact for most customers will be 14.9%.

Last year the overall rate of increase was 9%. “This one is a little bit larger than we have seen in the past,” VCMWD Gen. Mgr Gary Arant told The Roadrunner. “Though in the mid-90s rates went up over 30% in some years. It is certainly not unprecedented in the history of rate increases.”

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Wholesale Water Rates to Rise, But Less Sharply, After Water Authority Board Vote

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

Federal grant funds, a water transfer and budget cuts helped minimize wholesale water-rate increases for 2025 despite inflation and climate impacts that are pushing prices higher.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved a total increase of 14% in wholesale water rates for next year, while directing a one-year delay on a $7 million capital project and $2 million in additional cuts to the agency’s operating budget.

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Rainbow MWD Board Approves Rate, Capacity Fee Increases

/in , /by /Fallbrook Village Newsby Joe Naiman,

Two separate 5-0 Rainbow Municipal Water District board votes June 25 approved an increase for water and wastewater rates and an increase in capacity fees. Water rates will increase by approximately 4.5% while wastewater rates will be increased by 13%. The first capacity fee increase in seven years will be 26.4%.

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San Diego Water Rates to Increase Monday

/in , /by /ABC 10 News by Myra Wu Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego water rates will go up by 5.2%. This increase, approved by the City Council last September, includes a 1.8% charge from the San Diego County Water Authority to cover higher costs of imported water and other services.

The rate hike will help fund essential upgrades to the city’s water infrastructure, such as replacing old pipelines and supporting projects like Pure Water San Diego, which aims to ensure a reliable water supply.

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Water Authority Approves 4% Rise in Wholesale Rates – Maybe More to Come in July

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

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved an
increase of approximately 4% in wholesale rates for 2025. But that might not be all. The panel plans to assess the need for additional increases after a public hearing in July, according to an agency news release. The approved increase was designed to cover pass-through costs from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California that start accruing on July 1.

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Morning Report: San Diego’s Water Gets (a Little) More Expensive

/in , /by /Voice of San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After hours of debate, San Diego’s water importer (because the region has to buy most of its water from outside the county) decided to raise rates just a smidgen – and put off the doom-iest part of its proposed water price spike until next month.

Why? Well, a lot of local water district representatives (there are 33) weren’t comfortable with how the city of San Diego (the region’s biggest and most powerful water buyer) wanted to try and stave off bigger rate increases. And the city, which has the power to ram through anything it wants, hit the pause button instead.

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Water Systems Warn Americans Could Soon See Major Rate Hikes Due to ‘Forever Chemicals’

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Rachel Frazin

In exchange for cleaner water, Americans around the nation may soon have to pay hefty prices.

Water systems are starting to warn residents of massive rate hikes as they prepare to install technology to filter out toxic chemicals in a family known as PFAS.

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San Diego Mayor Pushes Back on Huge Countywide Water Rate Hike

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

It’s been a rainy couple of years – and that means the region’s water importer and seller is hurting for cash. To help cover that gap, among other growing costs of its massive water infrastructure system, the San Diego County Water Authority proposed increasing water rates by up to 39 percent in the next two years.

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