How a Settlement Could Keep Water Rates From Increasing
The settlement will save millions in legal fees and will pave the way for San Diego to sell some of the expensive water it has secured over the last 30 years.
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Water, Sewer Rate Hikes Proposed for Oceanside
Oceanside residents and business owners can expect a bump in water and sewer rates beginning Jan. 1 under a proposal headed to the Oceanside City Council for approval in September.
The city’s Water Utilities Department has proposed an average 6% increase for water rates across all categories of users in 2026 and the same amount again in 2027, and 4% more each year for sewer rates, officials said Tuesday.
University of San Diego Students Help Remove Heavy Metals From Water
While the product may look strange, Dr. Michel Boudrias is leading a team of students at University of San Diego with what might be the future of ocean cleanup.
“It smells like a like a fish market,” undergraduate student Nikki Cardino says. “But like not one that you wanna buy any fish from!”
Helix Water District Recognized as a Certified Green Business
The Helix Water District — a public water utility serving 278,000 people in San Diego’s East County suburbs — recently received a Green Business certification from the California Green Business Network and the City of La Mesa.
This certification recognizes the district’s ongoing commitment to environmentally responsible business practices.
Water Conservation Garden Loses San Diego County Water Authority Funding
The fate of public access to the Water Conservation Garden in Rancho San Diego is a little less certain after another partner, the San Diego County Water Authority, on Thursday voted to withdraw its funding and participation from the Water Conservation Authority, operators of the Water Conservation Garden.
The Garden is a six-acre site focused on natural resource conservation and sustainability. It was initially funded starting in 1990 and opened with strong backing during an era of major drought issues in 1999. A demonstration site for water-wise landscaping that offers programming reaching across the county, The Garden had been receiving support from the SDCWA since 2001.
County Water Authority Approves Water Rate Hike, but It’s Lower Than Originally Forecast
The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA)Thursday approved a new wholesale water rate for the next fiscal year. The agency said the 8.3% increase is less than what it originally forecast earlier this year.
“The reductions were achieved by cutting budgets across the agency, including capital improvement projects, operating departments, the Board of Directors, and equipment replacement,” the Water Authority said in an announcement. “In addition, the adopted rate was lowered by third-party water exchanges and financial benefits from the conclusion of litigation between the Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.”
San Diego Residents Protest Water Rate Hikes as County Votes on New Pricing
San Diego residents from underserved communities, seniors, to recent flood victims, gathered to protest against proposed water rate increases at the San Diego County Water Authority on Thursday. The water authority’s board met to deliberate on future pricing. It’s why residents came to share during public comments their demands for any future rate hikes not to be passed down to customers.
Rate Increase of 8.3% Approved by Water Authority Board
The San Diego County Water Authority’s board on Thursday approved a wholesale water rate increase for 2026 following a public hearing. Officials with the Water Authority said they were able to minimize impacts on ratepayers through a number of cost-saving actions as the board also approved the agency’s recommended budget for the next two fiscal years.
County Wholesale Water Rate to Rise 8.3% in January, Less Than Half of Earlier Proposals
Wholesale water rates in San Diego County — a key factor in how much local residents and businesses pay for water — will rise next year by less than half of what officials were predicting last winter: 8.3% instead of 18%. But the Jan. 1 increase, which the county water authority’s board of directors approved Thursday after months of debate and negotiation, is still a substantial hike that brings the cumulative two-year increase to 23.1%.
Watersmart Makeover: Lush Island Vibe, Low Water Living in Santee
Jason and Taylor McAllister may just have the most beautiful landscaping on their cul-de-sac block in Santee. For Jason in particular, being able to show off the couple’s home is particularly meaningful because he grew up in it and had helped work on the yard as a teenager. Jason moved away in December 2000 but returned for good in February 2020, the year his mom died and he inherited the home. She had been sick for quite a while and the house clearly needed updating. The landscape — both front and back — had gone to nothing but weeds and also needed a lot of love.
