2020 Annual Report
Communication and Collaboration
The Water Authority’s Brought to You by Water outreach and education program was selected by the Association of California Water Agencies as one of the top communications platforms statewide.
Board Moves to Conclude MWD Litigation
In February 2020, the Water Authority’s Board of Directors voted to dismiss certain issues from litigation against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California after securing more than $350 million in local project subsidy benefits for the San Diego region. In doing so, the Water Authority acknowledged the MWD Board action to stop imposing the district’s Water Stewardship Rate for transporting the Water Authority’s independent water supplies through MWD facilities. Consistent with the Water Authority Board’s direction, agency attorneys started taking steps to narrow the litigation, including the dismissal of one case in its entirety. The Water Authority Board’s decision represented a major step toward resolving the litigation, which has been underway for more than a decade, challenging water rates and charges imposed by MWD on San Diego County agencies and their ratepayers from 2010-2018. The Water Authority’s Board action allowed the parties to avoid a trial scheduled for June 2020 and cleared the way for judgment to be entered in the older cases.
“Late last year, the MWD Board of Directors approved more than $350 million for water supply projects in San Diego County. That was a major development, and the action by our Board recognizes that fact, along with other actions the MWD Board has taken recently in response to the Water Authority’s claims and prior court rulings.”
Water Authority Board of Directors