California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The San Diego County Water Authority and the Moulton Niguel Water District have signed an agreement to explore transferring drought-resilient water supplies to South Orange County.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) creates a three-year window for discussions for the transfer of water from the San Diego County Water Authority’s Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant – to Moulton Niguel Water District.
This MOU is the second time in recent months that the San Diego County Water Authority has considered a water deal to combat increasing water rates for San Diegans while providing greater supply reliability for the broader Southern California region. A similar transaction was completed in December with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Imperial Irrigation District. That agreement is saving the Water Authority between $15 million and $20 million while helping to raise the level of Lake Mead.
“The San Diego region’s investments in water supply reliability are being used to protect local ratepayers from rising costs while offering solutions that benefit the entire Southwest,” said Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz. “We appreciate Moulton Niguel’s vision to explore this concept and we look forward to fashioning a mutually beneficial agreement.”
Moulton Niguel’s 2020 Long -Range Water Reliability Plan and Water Reliability Policy prioritize the development and phased addition of new water supplies to sustain its service area during droughts, which have hit California with increasing frequency over the past three decades.
“Our Board is committed to making cost-effective investments to enhance water supplies that benefit our service area in dry years, and a potential partnership with the Water Authority is another piece of that plan. In the era of climate extremes, it’s in everyone’s best interest to find partnerships that maintain our economy and quality of life,” said Moulton Niguel Board President Duane D. Cave.
