Stronger Together

Working together, the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 retail member agencies have built a safe, reliable water supply that supports our economy and quality of life, while protecting us from shortages in times of drought and emergencies.

While our region has many wonderful attributes, local water supplies are not among them. This means your water agencies have had to work together to secure water supplies through innovative and forward-thinking actions, including the development of new supplies, like seawater desalination; securing favorable contracts, like the Colorado River supplies we receive from Imperial Valley; and helping our member agencies develop local supplies like desalinated groundwater and recycled water.

San Diego County’s diversified water supplies have been held up as a national and statewide model of regional water supply reliability. We’ve also helped our region’s residents and businesses become more resilient by offering education, incentives and support for water- efficient lifestyle changes.

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The Good News

San Diego County’s water agencies are prepared for the current statewide drought and future dry years.

The rates we pay for water have been invested in reservoirs, seawater desalination and other highly reliable supplies to protect our economy and quality of life.
The region is also maximizing the use of low-cost and highly reliable conserved water from the Imperial Valley.
In addition, San Diegans are statewide leaders in making the most of every drop, reducing per capita water use by almost 50 percent
And, we are planning for the future by investing in new, local and drought-proof supplies like converting wastewater to drinking water.

State of the Art

San Diego County water agencies also ensure that our water supplies meet strict state and federal standards for just a fraction of the cost of bottled water

The Water Authority is working hard to keep costs down.
For instance, the Water Authority recently won $44.4 million in rate relief for ratepayers from Fallbrook to San Ysidro.
The bottom line is that San Diego County is drought safe because all the region’s water providers have worked together for the past three decades to develop locally controlled water supplies that can meet our needs rain or shine.

Our Water Future

We need to think big to make sure our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same quality of life that we do. That’s a challenging task in our semi-arid region with few natural water resources. We must look decades ahead and weigh complex options today to ensure our region’s future water supplies are secure for tomorrow and beyond.

Strategically, we are developing several big initiatives in collaboration with our 24 member agencies:

Securing storage capacity for the San Diego region in Lake Mead
Studying options for delivering our high-priority conserved water from the Imperial Valley
Completing our long-term strategy to ensure sufficient water supplies even during severe dry periods
Enhancing water management in light of the changing climate
Supporting regional economic recovery

Who We Are

The San Diego County Water Authority was created in 1944 to deliver safe and reliable water. Today, the Water Authority partners with 24 public water agencies who serve 3.3 million residents from Fallbrook to Otay Mesa to fulfill that mission.

Besides treating and delivering water across the region, the Water Authority is the region’s long-term water supply planning agency. That means we are continually looking decades ahead to make sure our kids and grandkids have safe and reliable supplies. Our goal is to make sure that San Diego County can continue to thrive, and its residents can experience our unparalleled quality of life for generations to come.

1944

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Public Agencies

3.3

million
residents

What We Do

The Water Authority...

Protects ratepayers water shortages, unnecessary rate increases, and ensures the region’s supplies are safe.
Negotiates contracts to secure reliable water supplies
Invests in reservoirs (storage) and supply projects (seawater desalination) to ensure dependable water deliveries during droughts and other emergencies
Helps our member agencies develop their own supplies by securing grants and other funding to offset ratepayer costs.
Supports residents and businesses that use water efficiently through educational programs and rebates.

About h2own

H2Own is powered by the San Diego County Water Authority, with the goals of educating and informing the public on water supply issues, and the steps that are being taken to secure our region’s future, including:

Protecting existing water supplies, pipelines and other valuable assets
Expanding the region's portfolio of local, drought-proof water sources
Minimizing outside costs from being imposed on San Diego ratepayers
Working cooperatively on regional water storage and conveyance plans
Reducing financial risks
Responding to climate change
Helping residents use water efficiently