WATER INTEREST GROUP ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT FOR 2023-2024 YEAR
Between July, 2023 and June, 2024, the Water Interest Group has continued to learn about important water issues in San Diego County. We had speakers about the “divorce” by Fallbrook and Rainbow water districts from the SD County Water Authority (SDCWA) from both sides of the aisle, explaining what each side perceived was important. The Local Water IG also supported a regional webinar about “Imagine a Day Without Water” in October, 2023, which was sponsored by the two local Leagues, San Diego and North county, for the second year. The focus was on drought impacts and water supply in the future, with an emphasis on the Colorado River.
In November, 2024, we had a presentation by the County of San Diego’s Regional Water Equity Project Draft Report by County staff and intend to review the document when it is ready for public review.
We began 2024 with a tour of the San Diego City Pure Water Project. This multi-billion dollar project will cut the city’s reliance on imported water by half eventually and is technologically state-of-the-art potable water. Another meeting was devoted to explaining why the Pure Water San Diego project was so beneficial to the City related to its sewage treatment facility at Point Loma. During the rest of the 2023-2024 year, we focused on the Tijuana River Pollution crisis and had Sally Spener, the International Border and Water Commission (IBWC) Secretary for the San Diego region speak to us about what the IBWC is doing and planning to resolve the problem. It will take a long time.
Recognizing the role that the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) played in the “divorce” of the two water districts from the SDCWA, we devoted a 2024 meeting to learning about what LAFCO’s powers and responsibilities are. As a result, we will be following the
LAFCO report now being done about the SDCWA.
Looking forward, in 2024-2025 we will learn about Graywater laws and how to actually install a system in San Diego County, what Prop. 4’s passage would lead to, waterwise, in San Diego county in the future, stormwater and continue to track the County’s Regional Water Equity Project and the LAFCO report. In addition, we have monthly updates at our meetings about the San Diego County Water Authority’s board meetings, Desalination, Climate Change, Health and Water, and state legislation related to water of interest to our region.
League members are invited to join the group. We meet the first Tuesday of each month at 3 PM on Zoom. Send an email to co-chair Anne Omsted at daomsted@gmail.com and tell her you want to be on the Agenda notification list.