San Diego regional water news roundup May 15-21, 2012
Posted by George J Janczyn on May 22, 2012
A selected roundup of news related to San Diego regional water issues. Click headlines for the full story at originating website.
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Landmark water deal comes under scrutiny / U-T San Diego : “An alliance of Imperial Valley residents and former San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre on Tuesday released a report that criticized the Imperial Irrigation District and raised questions about the landmark 2003 sale of water to the San Diego County Water Authority. It said the Quantification Settlement Agreement between San Diego and the Imperial Irrigation District was a “give-away of important IID property rights.”” |
RMWD plans water, sewer rate hikes / Ramona Sentinel : “Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) customers should be receiving notices in the mail with the district’s proposed “not-to-exceed” 8.4 percent treated water rate increase and 3.5 percent sewer rate increase for fiscal year 2012-2013.” |
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Dam raise reaches benchmark [photo gallery] / U-T San Diego : “The San Diego County Water Authority project to raise the height of the San Vicente dam from 220 feet to 337 feet reached a benchmark this week when workers adding on the the existing dam reached the top with a thick layer of roller compacted concrete. Each day from here on out until the projected completion date of early 2013 the increasing height brings it closer to its final status as the largest dam of its type in the world. When completed, the dam will store more than two times the amount of water that it previously held. “ |
Water Authority announces proposed water rates for calendar year 2013 / San Diego County Water Authority : “Driven by rate increases from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Water Authority’s investments in more reliable water supplies and infrastructure projects, San Diego County Water Authority staff on May 16 proposed an “all-in” 9.6 percent increase in the cost of untreated water purchased by its 24 member agencies 2013. The Water Authority Board of Directors is scheduled to hold a public hearing and to vote on the proposal at its June 28, 2012 meeting.” |
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Donna Frye: the connections between water, city Loans, and Prop A / OB Rag : “[Since 1999] The City has received approximately $160,000,000 in low interest loans under the SRF [State Revolving Fund] Program. Utilizing the SRF 20-year loan program, approved loans of $29 million and $80 million, since July 1, 2007, will result in savings of approximately $78 million when compared to traditional 30-year bond financing. But if Proposition A passes, these low interest loans are just one of many state funds that could be a thing of the past for San Diego because state legislation precludes cities in California that have bans on Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for public works projects from receiving any state construction funding. This creates a significant financial risk for the public and the city…. State Controller John Chiang…said “If Prop A passes, San Diego would no longer be eligible to receive state grants for local construction projects.”” |
County OKs road agreement with RMWD / Ramona Sentinel “San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with Ramona Municipal Water District for the relocation of waterlines as part of the San Vicente Road improvements. The Ramona district is responsible for the approximate $2.3 million cost to relocate the waterlines, but it will fund the work during the course of the project rather than with a lump sum in advance of the work, according to a county report.” |
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Candidate scribes water ratepayer ‘Bill of Rights’ / NBC San Diego : “Carl DeMaio said Monday he would use his mayor’s veto power to shoot down certain Council-approved water-rate increases, if elected. As the city’s next mayor, he said, he would veto any rate hike approved by the Council without a six-vote super majority. “Everything that comes out of Carl DeMaio’s mouth between now and election day is going to be disconnected from reality and is going to be sheer demagoguery in order to get votes,” said Alex Roth, Deputy Mayoral Press Secretary. “And I think everybody should sort of consider it as such.” |
Sewage plan envisions massive expansion of wastewater recycling / Voice of San Diego : [A Recycled Water Study Final] “report calls for a major, multi-billion-dollar expansion of San Diego’s water-reuse infrastructure, with new purification facilities…A two-year city study, due to be presented to a City Council committee Wednesday, answers that question and other big unknowns, like how much it would cost…” |
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