According to the San Diego County Water Authority, the San Diego region has been awarded more than $15 million in fast-tracked funding by the California Department of Water Resources for a variety of projects aimed at increasing local water supplies and decreasing demands. Together, the projects will produce or save more than 12,000 acre-feet of water annually, enough to serve nearly 25,000 typical four-person homes.
The state grant from voter-approved Proposition 84 (2006) provides funds for projects identified in the 2013 San Diego Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, which was developed collaboratively by a group comprising staff from the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, and the San Diego County Water Authority, along with an array of regional stakeholders.
The selected local projects will expand groundwater desalination and water recycling, improve water quality, and enhance water conservation initiatives such as the regional WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program. Work on six of the seven funded projects is expected to begin within the next several months. In the current round of projects, all $15,074,938 is going to the Water Authority or its member agencies — Carlsbad Municipal Water District, Fallbrook Public Utility District, Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District, the City of San Diego, and Sweetwater Authority.
