The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors has endorsed a water conservation white paper outlining the challenges and strategies of increasing the amount of water saved through conservation in San Diego County. The post-summit white paper, developed from the Water Conservation Summit held Sept. 29, 2006, will serve as the strategic vision of outdoor water conservation in the Water Authority’s service area for the next five years.
Category Archives: News Release
Water Authority Board Adopts Two-Year Budget and Approves 2014 Rates
The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved wholesale water rates for calendar year 2014 and adopted a $1.5 billion budget for fiscal years 2014 and 2015.
The new two-year budget is 5.2 percent larger than the current budget, mostly to cover higher costs for the purchase and treatment of imported water. Wholesale rates that the Water Authority charges its 24 member agencies next year will increase by 2.6 percent for untreated supplies and 3.5 percent for treated supplies.
New Balboa Park Upgrades Will Save Millions of Gallons of Water Annually
Balboa Park is taking water-use efficiency to a new level with a collaboration between the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, the San Diego County Water Authority and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) that will reduce water use by approximately 2.4 million gallons a year while trimming energy consumption at the same time. The partners funded the installation of 365 high-efficiency water fixtures such as toilets, urinals and flow-control devices on faucets. The project involved upgrades to restrooms and kitchens in nine historic Park buildings that are home to 13 cultural organizations. The retrofits, completed last week, will generate water savings […]
Water Authority issues urgent call for decreased water usage through next week
The San Diego County Water Authority has issued an urgent call for home-owners and businesses throughout San Diego County to curtail all unnecessary water use through the end of next week. This includes reducing landscape irrigation through the end of next week. Where landscape irrigation is necessary, the Water Authority advises watering between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to help reduce demands during the day.
2013 San Diego Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Released for Public Review
The latest version of the San Diego Integrated Regional Water Management Plan was released today for public review, a critical step in making the region eligible for $45 million in state grant funding. The IRWM Plan establishes goals for improving the reliability of local water supplies, and protecting and enhancing water quality and natural resources in the county’s 11 watersheds that flow to the Pacific Ocean.
Fall’s Cool Temperatures and Shorter Days Mean Less Outdoor Watering
The fall season brings cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours. It also means lawns and gardens require less water.
As part of its ongoing campaign to reduce water use in the region, the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies are urging residents, businesses and public agencies, as well as gardeners and landscape contractors, to begin reducing the frequency and duration of watering times for residential and commercial irrigation systems.
Water Authority Urges Continued Irrigation Hiatus as Weekend Storms Approach
The San Diego County Water Authority is urging residents and businesses to shut down landscape irrigation systems due to a forecast for rain starting Friday evening through Saturday, with additional storms possible early next week.
Judge Upholds Landmark 2003 Colorado River Accord
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly on Tuesday validated the 2003 Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement and rejected all of the remaining legal challenges to the landmark accord. The ruling secures a key component of water supply for the San Diego County Water Authority, which will receive 180,000 acre-feet of water this year as result of the QSA and related projects.
For California, Connelly’s decision provides certainty about access to its basic annual apportionment of 4.4 million acre-feet of water from the Colorado River.
San Diego County Water Authority Finds Small Leak in North County Pipeline
On Monday, a contractor excavating a Water Authority treated water pipeline that serves North County member agencies, found a leak. Ramona Municipal Water District is asking its customers to eliminate unnecessary outdoor water use from Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25, while the leak is being repaired. The Water Authority's Ramona Pipeline, which provides treated water to the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, city of San Diego, and Ramona Municipal Water District, was found to have a minor leak and is in need of emergency repairs this weekend.
Analysis Shows Sufficient Water Supplies for San Diego Region Using New State Formula
The San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies have sufficient water supplies to meet demands even during three additional dry years and won’t be subject to state-mandated water-use reductions through January 2017, according to initial calculations shared with the Board of Directors today. Regional supply sufficiency results from 25 years of strategic investments, including Colorado River water conservation-and-transfer agreements, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and local water development projects such as water recycling facilities.