July 8, 2019
75 anniversary
Water Authority Celebrates 75 Years of Service to San Diego County

The San Diego County Water Authority's Board of Directors celebrated the agency's 75th anniversary during the June 27 Board meeting, which included numerous proclamations honoring the agency for its service to the region dating back to 1944.

"While today we celebrate the past, the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies continue to focus on the future by fostering innovative solutions to ever-changing water resource challenges,” Board Chair Jim Madaffer said. “Together, we will supply the San Diego region with safe and reliable water supplies for generations to come."

Study to Assess Regional Pipeline for Delivering Colorado River Water

A new study will explore the viability of a regional pipeline to transfer water from the Colorado River to benefit multiple users in San Diego County and across the Southwest.

The Water Authority's Board of Directors approved funds for the two-year study at its June 27 Board meeting. The pipeline system is one of a handful of ideas being discussed by San Diego County water leaders to enhance partnerships and solutions that make sense locally and more broadly as part of Governor Newsom's Water Porfolio Program to develop resiliency statewide.

Water Authority Board Adopts $1.7 Billion Two-Year Budget

On June 27, the Water Authority's Board of Directors adopted a $1.7 billion budget for the fiscal years 2020 and 2021. The new budget is up 5 percent from the previous two-year budget, due largely to increasing costs for water supply, supply reliability and infrastructure improvements.

Following a public hearing, the Board approved an increase in wholesale water rates for calendar year 2020. Although the Water Authority's budget spans two fiscal years, the agency sets rates annually to more effectively manage changing conditions. Rates and charges for member agencies will increase by 4.3 percent for treated water and 4.8 percent for untreated water.

Did You See?

On June 11, Yale Environment 360, an online magazine focused on environmental journalism, featured the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in an article about how desalination is increasingly being used to provide drinking water around the world.

"Drought is a recurring condition here in California," said Jeremy Crutchfield, water resources manager at the Water Authority. "We just came out of a five-year drought in 2017. The plant has reduced our reliance on imported water supplies, which is challenging at times here in California. So it's a component for reliability."

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