SPECIAL EDITION: June 10, 2019
San Diego Region Celebrates 75 years of Safe and Reliable Water Supplies

When the San Diego County Water Authority was formed on June 9, 1944, its mission was to meet the water needs of a growing region and population. In November 1944, President Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Navy to construct Pipeline 1, connecting the Colorado River Aqueduct in Riverside County to the city of San Diego's San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.

S eventy-five years, five major pipelines, the nation's largest desalination plant and many other historic moments later, the mission has remained the same — to deliver safe and reliable water supplies that support the region's economy and quality of life. In collaboration with its 24 member agencies, the Water Authority sustains 3.3 million residents and a $231 billion economy.

In celebration of the agency's anniversary, follow #SDCWA75 on social media for historical photos, videos and trivia.

Watch the Documentary Series To Quench a Thirst

A three-part video series highlights major events in the San Diego region’s ongoing quest for safe and reliable water supplies. The series is based on the book “To Quench a Thirst: A brief history of water in the San Diego region,” first published by the San Diego County Water Authority in 2002 and updated in 2013.

1990s: Drought Prompts Supply Diversification Strategy

In the early 1990s, the Water Authority received 95 percent of its water from a single source — the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — making the region vulnerable to supply shortages. In February 1991, worsening drought conditions forced MWD to cut deliveries to the San Diego region by 31 percent.

The cutbacks lasted for more than a year, prompting local business and community leaders to ask the Water Authority why it depended on a single source for virtually all of its water. Since then, the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have aggressively diversified the San Diego region’s water supply portfolio to ensure reliability. Today, the region relies on MWD for about 40 percent of its supplies.

Did You See?

On June 9, The San Diego Union-Tribune published a multi-page special section about San Diego's water history and how the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have been serving the San Diego region for 75 years.

"Without safe and reliable water supplies delivered by the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, the region would be unable to support the San Diego County that we know and love,” said Jim Madaffer, chair of the Water Authority’s 36-member Board of Directors. “What we have done here with the board’s vision is extraordinary – but we are not done."

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