Frequently Asked Questions
What does the San Diego County
Water Authority do?
The Water Authority is San Diego County's regional water wholesaler. It was
formed in 1944 for the purpose of importing water to the region. At the time
of its formation, the Water Authority supplemented local supplies with imported
water. The mission of the San Diego County Water Authority is to provide a safe
and reliable supply of water to its 24 member agencies serving the San Diego
region's $150 billion economy and nearly 3 million residents.
Is the Water Authority part
of the city of San Diego or the county of San Diego?
Neither. The Water Authority a separate public agency. The San Diego County
Water Authority was organized June 9, 1944 as a public agency to administer
the region's Colorado River water rights. The Water Authority is a public agency
under the County Water Authority Act Chapter 45, section 2.
Where does San Diego County's
water come from?
Today, up to 90 percent of the region's water is imported from the Colorado
River and Northern California by a single supplier, the Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California. The rest comes from local water sources including groundwater,
local surface water, recycled water, seawater desalination and conservation.
The Water Authority has five major pipelines with the maximum capacity to carry
925 million gallons a day. These pipelines bring either treated or untreated
water into San Diego County from the Metropolitan Water District. The Water
Authority purchases water from MWD and delivers it to its member agencies through
two aqueducts containing five large-diameter pipelines. The aqueducts follow
general north-to-south alignments, and the water is delivered largely by gravity.
Delivery points from MWD are located south of the Riverside/San Diego county
line.
What is the difference
between the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies?
The Water Authority is a water wholesaler that purchases its water from the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and then sells the water
to the 24 member agencies in San Diego County. These member agencies are considered
your water department, which usually supplies you with the treated (drinking)
water in your residential or commercial area, sends you your monthly water bill,
monitors water leaks, and provides you with customer service relating to water
issues in your area.
What is the QSA and why is it good
for San Diego County?
On October 10, 2003, representatives from the Water Authority, Coachella Valley
Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, and the Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California signed documents required to implement the Quantification
Settlement Agreement, a landmark accord that fundamentally changes the way Colorado
River water is distributed and used in California. This historic agreement provides
California a transition period to implement water transfers and supply programs
that will reduce California's over-dependence upon the Colorado River and reduce
the state's draw to its 4.4 million acre-foot annual apportionment. Importantly
for San Diego County, the QSA clears the way for the annual transfer of up to
200,000 acre-feet of water from the Imperial Irrigation District to the Water
Authority. An additional 77,700 acre-feet of water will flow annually to the
Water Authority for 110 years through the lining of the All American and Coachella
canals. When the deliveries of the water are fully ramped up, San Diego County
will receive nearly 280,000 acre-feet of new, highly reliable water supplies.
The QSA also commits the state to a restoration path for the environmentally
sensitive Salton Sea as well as full mitigation for these water supply programs.
The QSA assures California up to 75 years of stability in its Colorado River
water supplies and provides for a lasting peace among Colorado River users,
not only in California, but also among the seven states that share the Colorado
River. For more information about the QSA, link to our Web site at www.sdcwa.org/manage/mwd-QSA.phtml.
What is done to ensure that
the quality of water is safe?
As the water wholesaler to the San Diego area, the Water Authority does not
treat the water it provides. The Water Authority purchases both treated and
untreated water from the Metropolitan Water District, and the untreated water
is sold to agencies with their own reservoirs and treatment facilities. However,
whether it is treated by MWD or a local agency, all treated water served in
San Diego County meets or exceeds rigorous state and federal water quality regulations.
Authority member agencies that own and operate treatment plants within the county
are:
· City of Escondido - joint ownership with Vista Irrigation District
· Helix Water District
· City of Oceanside
· Olivenhain Municipal Water District
· City of Poway
· Ramona Municipal Water District
· City of San Diego
· Santa Fe Irrigation District - joint ownership with San Dieguito
Water District
· Sweetwater Authority (operating for South Bay Irrigation District
and National City)
The Water Authority also purchases treated water from Helix and Poway to supply
the Otay Water District, Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Ramona. The
cost of all treated water delivered by the Water Authority to its member agencies
is the same regardless of the treatment source.
Does the Water
Authority perform water quality monitoring?
Yes, as a water wholesaler the Water Authority is responsible for maintaining
high-quality potable (drinking) water that is transported to its 24 member agencies.
The Water Authority performs routine bacteriological testing on the treated
water that is delivered to ensure that there has been no degradation of quality
as the water is transported from MWD to the member agencies.
At what level is the Water
Authority involved in water quality monitoring?
The Water Authority only performs bacteriological testing on the treated water
throughout the aqueduct system. MWD and the member agencies who are the direct
supplier to the consumer perform other required water quality monitoring such
as organics, inorganics, chemical analysis, trace metals, disinfection by-products
and a whole host of other tests.
How does the Water Authority
provide water quality monitoring?
The Water Authority's operators draw the water samples for analysis. The Water
Authority contracts with an independent laboratory for the actual analysis.
What regulations govern water
testing?
The Water Authority is regulated by the California Department of Health Services
as a permitted public water supply agency. The Water Authority must comply with
all applicable state and federal drinking water regulations. State Certified
Water Distribution Operators make all decisions directly affecting water quality
and quantity at the Water Authority, as required by state and federal regulations.
The certification regulations require various certification levels (1 - 5) based
on the complexity of the water system and the size of the population. A smaller
population, non-complex system, is a level one system. The largest population,
complex system, is rated at a level five. The Water Authority is a level five
system, which requires shift operators to carry at least Grade 3 Water Distribution
Operator Certification and Chief Operators to carry Grade 5 Water Distribution
Operator Certification. The certified operators are responsible for ensuring
that the Water Authority complies with all applicable water quality regulations.
This is done by monitoring all current and proposed water quality regulations,
maintaining a strong professional relationship with the regulators and taking
part in the development of regulations.
Is bottled water safer than
tap water?
Quality-wise, the answer is no. Bottled water originates from wells, springs,
even the faucet and is often treated to improve taste, not necessarily for quality
or disinfection. Considering bottled water costs 500 times more per gallon,
tap water is a bargain. You can improve taste of tap water by chilling it.
How much of the imported
water in San Diego County is treated? How much is untreated?
About 45 percent of San Diego County's water is treated and 55 percent is untreated.
How much water is in an acre-foot?
Large amounts of water are measured by the acre-foot. One acre-foot is about
326,000 gallons, or enough water to cover one acre to a depth of one foot. An
acre-foot can supply the household needs of two four-person families for one
year.
What is the difference between
an aqueduct and a pipeline?
"Aqueduct" is used to mean the land through which the pipelines run,
rather than the pipes themselves.
What is the length of pipeline
system?
The total length of the pipelines in the Water Authority's service area is
about 300 miles.
What is the Regional Water
Facilities Master Plan and why do we need it?
The Regional Water Facilities Master Plan is a long-term plan that serves as
a roadmap for implementing the major capital improvements needed to ensure a
safe and reliable water supply for San Diego County through 2030. It focuses
on diversifying San Diego County's water supply to reduce the region's overreliance
on a single source of imported water. The master plan examines several alternative
new water supplies and identifies seawater desalination as the most reliable
and preferred of the alternatives. The master plan also identifies individual
projects needed to expand the capacity of the Water Authority's existing aqueduct
system and to increase water treatment and storage. Increased water conservation
and increased use of groundwater and recycled water will also play important
roles in meeting future water demands.
The master plan is a program, not a single project, which focuses on planning
rather than on construction projects. Each specific project identified within
the master plan will undergo its own environmental review before construction
is approved. For more information about the master plan, link to www.sdcwa.org/infra/masterplan.phtml.
What is seawater desalination and
why is the Water Authority pursuing it?
Seawater desalination, the process of converting seawater into safe high-quality
water for drinking and other potable water uses, is a drought-proof water supply.
In the seawater desalination process, fresh water is separated from salty seawater.
The remaining water, salts and impurities are then discharged as a salty byproduct,
or brine. There are two methods for large-scale production of desalted water-distillation
and reverse osmosis.
Seawater desalination now offers compelling advantages for the San Diego region.
It produces locally controlled, drought-proof and safe high-quality water that
would be managed entirely within the county. It is less affected by natural
disasters such as earthquakes that could cut the region off from its imported
water supplies. As an alternative water resource, seawater desalination would
diversify the county's water supply mix and increase the region's self-reliance.
Moreover, several factors are converging to make seawater desalination more
economically feasible-improved reverse osmosis technology, the economies of
scale derived from sharing facilities with existing coastal power plants, and
funding opportunities created by legislation. For more information about seawater
desalination, link to our Web site at www.sdcwa.org/manage/sources-desalination.phtml.
What is the CIP?
The Water Authority initiated the Capital Improvement Program in 1989 to plan
and implement projects that would meet the region's future water needs. In 2004,
confirming its commitment to water supply diversity and reliability, the San
Diego County Water Authority board of directors approved the addition of the
Regional Water Facilities Master Plan projects to the agency’s Capital
Improvement Program. This action more than doubled the current CIP to $3.1 billion
from $1.3 billion. Included in the additional projects is the development of
regional seawater desalination,
water treatment and additional local water storage.
Specifically, the Water Authority's goals for the CIP are to:
- Establish seawater desalination
as a new, local supply of treated water for the region.
- Build a Water Authority-owned water treatment plant to increase local production
of treated water.
- Increase local water storage by 100,000 acre-feet by raising the San Vicente
Dam.
- Construct new facilities to increase operational flexibility and capacity
to deliver water, particularly during times of peak usage.
- Rehabilitate existing facilities by replacing or relining aging pipelines.
- Eliminate bottlenecks in the present pipeline system
For more specific CIP project information, link to our Web site at www.sdcwa.org/infra/cip.phtml
What is the ESP?
Included in the $3.1 billion CIP is the $834 million Emergency Storage Project
which is a system of reservoirs, interconnected pipelines and pumping stations
designed to make water available to all communities in the San Diego region
in the event of a disaster that would interrupt imported water deliveries. Find
out more about the ESP at www.sdcwa.org/infra/cip-esp.phtml
What is the aqueduct protection program?
Another important component of the CIP is the Aqueduct Protection Program,
which detects deterioration in the pipelines so they can be repaired or replaced
before they fail. The Water Authority shuts down and drains sections of its
nearly 300 miles of pipeline so that engineers and inspectors can perform walk-through
inspections. Any deterioration discovered is repaired or the affected sections
of pipe are replaced before they can fail. Since the program started in 1990,
no section of inspected pipe has failed.
What is the importance
of investing in local water resources?
Due to the federally mandated reduction in use of Colorado River water and
the need to lessen dependence on a single supplier, the development of additional
local water resources has become increasingly important for the San Diego region.
This commitment to diversifying the region's local water resources will ensure
greater reliability in the water supply.
What is a local resource?
A local resource is water that we do not have to import from outside of San
Diego County. Local resources for the San Diego region are recycled water, groundwater,
local surface water and conservation.
What is water recycling
and what is it used for?
Water recycling is defined as the treatment and disinfection of municipal wastewater
to provide a water supply suitable for non-potable (non-drinking) reuse. Non-potable
reuse is the term applied to recycled water used for non-drinking water purposes.
Agencies in San Diego County use recycled water to fill lakes, ponds, and ornamental
fountains; to irrigate parks, campgrounds, golf courses, freeway medians, community
greenbelts, school athletic fields, food crops, and nursery stock; to control
dust at construction sites; and to recharge groundwater basins. Recycled water
can also be used in certain industrial processes and for flushing toilets and
urinals in nonresidential buildings.
What is groundwater?
Water that has seeped into natural, underground aquifers; water beneath the
earth's surface.
What is an aquifer?
An aquifer is any unit of rock or sediment that is capable of both storing
water and transmitting water to wells and springs. In the Water Authority's
service area, the principle aquifer materials are alluvium, semi-consolidated
sediment, and to a lesser degree, consolidated sediment, residuum and fractured
crystalline rock. An aquifer stores groundwater.
How much water was conserved
in San Diego County last year?
In fiscal 2003, conservation savings in the Water Authority's service area
were about 43,000 acre-feet of water. One acre-foot is equal to about 326,000
gallons of water, the amount of water used by two four-person households in
a year.
How much water on an average does
a person use in one day?
One person uses about a total of 151 gallons of water a day, including indoor
usage of about 54 gallons of water a day and outdoor usage of about 97 gallons
of water a day.
Why and how should I conserve
water?
San Diego County has a semi-arid climate and a very small supply of local water.
Using water efficiently is a permanent way of life in San Diego. Using local
supply resources, coupled with conservation measures, will decrease the percentage
of imported water in the region's total water supply mix over the next 20 years.
Making the most of every drop of water helps to protect San Diego's vibrant
economy and preserves our quality of life. For more conservation tips, link
to www.sdcwa.org/manage/conservation.phtml.
What conservation
programs are available through the Water Authority?
The Water Authority has a variety of conservation programs available to help
residential and commercial customers conserve water. These programs include:
Agricultural Water Management Program, Professional Assistance for Landscape
Management Program Residential Survey Program, the Commercial, Industrial, Institutional
Voucher Program, Residential Ultra-Low-Flush Toilet Voucher Programs and the
Residential High-Efficiency Clothes Washer Voucher Program. More information
on these programs is available at www.sdcwa.org/manage/conservation-overview.phtml.
What is "Beat the Peak"?
San Diego County survived the 1989-92 drought and conservation brought about
considerable savings, but last summer, a new problem appeared - peaking. Peaking
happens when water supplies are adequate, but water treatment plants cannot
keep up with the demand for water. For six days in the summer of 2002, water
treatment plants reached their maximum capacity and for many more days were
right at the top of their capacity. When operations engineers researched water
use records and conservation staff discussed irrigation practices with contractors,
the Water Authority found that people irrigate primarily on Monday through Thursday
schedules. On hot days, this can create exceptionally high demands on water
treatment systems.
To meet this increased demand for treated water, Metropolitan Water District,
the San Diego County Water Authority and local water districts are expanding
treatment capacity at existing treatment plants and building new facilities.
Until these facilities come online, local operations engineers will coordinate
their efforts to maximize the use of existing water storage and treatment facilities.
Still, the water districts will need the help of all residential and commercial
landscape irrigators to meet peak demands.
If you need help setting the correct schedule, contact the city of San Diego's
new on-line Landscape Calculator at www.sdcwa.org/manage/conservation.phtml
or call for a free landscape survey at 1-888-271-0800. If your site or home
is located in the city of San Diego, call 619-570-1999 for help. With the help
of the landscape contractors and the residential community, we will beat the
peak and prevent water cutbacks!
Who are the people who make up your
board of directors? Are they elected or appointed?
The Water Authority's board of directors consists of at least one representative
from each of its 24 member agencies. The representative is appointed by the
member agency, with the consent and approval of that member agency.
Who do I contact about local
water use requirements, water rates, my water bill or water leaks?
Customers should contact the water agency that sends their water bill. To find
out which member agency serves your area, link to our Web site at www.sdcwa.org/about/member-map.phtml
Who do I contact if our organization
would like a speaker to make a presentation on the Water Authority's plans and
programs?
The speakers' bureau is an important component of the Water Authority's efforts
to inform and create public awareness about its plans and programs to ensure
a safe and reliable water supply for San Diego County's $150 billion economy
and its 3 million residents. The speakers' bureau is a free service to the community.
It creates a two-way dialogue between the Water Authority and the public, providing
local organizations with information on current water issues, and Water Authority
staff with valuable community feedback. If your community group or organization
would like to invite a speaker to a meeting, please make arrangements at least
three weeks in advance by contacting Lisa Gordon, Community Relations Representative
at 858-522-6716.
Where can I find our more about the
Water Authority?
View our Web site at www.sdcwa.org.
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