California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The San Diego County Water Authority recently announced they are seeking to transfer a limited amount of their water supply to other agencies in the region. The sale, the Water Authority states, will help offset the cost of multi-generational water investments and mitigate upward pressure on rates.
“The San Diego region’s investments in water supply reliability have given us an unusual opportunity to both help ratepayers and support other regions that have fewer water supply options,” said Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham. “We are talking with potential partners in Southern California and beyond.”
Similar transactions were completed by the Water Authority the past two years, which they say helped raise the water level in Lake Mead.
Such deals will take several months or even years to secure due to the complexities of water law. For instance, the Water Authority may be able to lease water to an agency in Arizona, using the Colorado River as the conduit for delivering those supplies.
“While we can’t discuss the details of negotiations, it’s fair to say there is significant interest in buying some of our drought-resilient water – and that’s welcome news for San Diego County ratepayers,” said Denham. “Our goals are to maintain our water reliability for generations to come while at the same time controlling costs.”
