San Diego County Water Authority press release: Public records detailing inner workings of Metropolitan Water District “secret society\”? now available online
Posted by: Maven on March 16, 2012 at 2:28 amFrom the San Diego County Water Authority, this press release:
“Documents obtained under the California Public Records Act describing how the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and a majority of its member agencies worked together behind closed doors to set rates, develop policies and discriminate against San Diego County water ratepayers are now available online at www.MWDFacts.com.
The more than 500 pages of documents reveal a “Secret Society\” organized in 2009 to direct water rates and other decisions at MWD, the San Diego region's largest water supplier and California's largest public water agency. The documents paint a disturbing picture of how decisions are made on major programs and projects that impact the lives of 19 million Californians who depend upon MWD for all or part of their water supplies. MWD has an annual budget of $1.8 billion and serves a six-county region with an annual economy valued at greater than $1 trillion.
The San Diego County Water Authority submitted these documents at MWD's March 12 public hearing on its proposed 2013 and 2014 budget and rates. The Water Authority also has posted a PowerPoint presentation that provides an overview of the documents and the group's activities.The binder's contents include:
PowerPoint presentation
Documents obtained under the California Public Records ActTo view the PowerPoint and the documents, visit: www.mwdfacts.com/p=864
To read more about related topics, visit www.mwdfacts.com.”
Padre Dam Water District considering toilet-to-tap; Scientists mapping bedrock for potential aquifer in Santee
Posted by: Maven on March 16, 2012 at 2:24 amFrom San Diego’s Channel 10 News:
“Another San Diego County water district is looking at employing the controversial toilet-to-tap water.
Bureau of Reclamation scientists are currently using electric resistivity field testing to map out where a potential aquifer could be under Santee.
The process requires geo-physicists to lay down thousands of feet of electric cable. The cable sends a signal 200 feet into the ground to determine what is in the ground. … “
Continue reading from Channel 10 News by clicking here.
Mexican desalination partner not pulling out
Posted by: Maven on March 16, 2012 at 2:23 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“A partner in a proposed Mexican desalination plant that Otay Water District hopes to make its primary source of drinking water announced that it would stick with the project, reversing course from plans to pull out of the venture.
The announcement by Consolidated Water, a publicly traded utilities company based in the Cayman Islands, buoys the project.
Consolidated Water had said in November that it intended to sell its shares of the partnership known as NSC Agua, which is composed of the utility company and a group of private investors called Norte Sur Agua. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Supreme Court supports San Diego water transfer
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 5:45 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The state Supreme Court without comment Wednesday upheld the ongoing transfer of water from Imperial Valley farmers to San Diego County. But in doing so the court untied only one of many legal knots involving the water sale and broader 2003 seven-state pact to share the Colorado River.
“Certainly we are relieved and very pleased with the result,\” said Dan Hentschke, general counsel for the San Diego County Water Authority.
The case now returns to Sacramento County Superior Court to hear some thorny environmentally-related challenges associated with the transfer and river deal. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Green Blog: Nitrogen and water: What’s being done now
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 5:13 amFrom the UC Davis Green Blog:
“Drinking water is a commodity often taken for granted in the United States. When we turn on the tap, we assume the water streaming out is at least safe, if not always up to our individual taste. We expect that problems with our drinking water are isolated, temporary and newsworthy. Which may be one reason why a report released yesterday by UC Davis made headlines.
According to the report, one in 10 people living in California's most productive agricultural areas is at risk of exposure to harmful levels of nitrate contamination in their drinking water.
You can read “Addressing Nitrate in California's Drinking Water\” online in its entirety, or one of the shorter summary documents. This report was commissioned by the California State Water Resources Control Board in 2010 and is the first comprehensive scientific investigation of nitrate contamination in the Tulare Lake Basin and the Salinas Valley. … “
Continue reading from the UC Davis Green Blog by clicking here.
‘Monumental’ San Diego Bay cleanup plan approved
Posted by: Maven on March 14, 2012 at 11:28 pmFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board on Wednesday ordered a historic cleanup project in San Diego Bay, capping more than two decades of work and launching what promises to be the largest effort of its kind in the region.
Removal of tainted muck at the “shipyard site\” could start as soon as September, depending on whether the companies and agencies on the hook for the cleanup appeal to the State Water Resources Control Board. It wasn't clear Wednesday whether that would happen, though two parties repeated their resistance to being grouped among those deemed primarily responsible for the mess. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Metropolitan delays water rate hike opposed by San Diego
Posted by: Maven on March 13, 2012 at 11:48 pmFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The Metropolitan Water District Tuesday postponed final action on a proposed rate increase, but the vote belied strained tensions between the wholesaler and the San Diego County Water Authority.
County water authority officials have been on the offensive trying to force Metropolitan to cut spending rather than rely on increasing water rates by as much as 12.5 percent through 2014.
Keith Lewinger, one of San Diego's representatives on the Metropolitan board, on Tuesday failed to win backing for a special committee hearing before April to explore “other opportunities to reduce costs. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
SEE ALSO: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to Vote on Rate Increases in April, press release from the San Diego County Water Authority
‘Paranoia’: Kightlinger dismisses charges of pay-to-play ‘secret society’
Posted by: Maven on March 13, 2012 at 11:45 pmFrom CBS 2 LA, Metropolitan responds to the San Diego County Water Authority’s recent allegations:
” … Cushman alleges that he has emails and other documents obtained under the California Public Records Act to prove multiple agencies are working to form “a shadow government to take control of Metropolitan governance and to dictate all of the outcomes and rate decisions\”.
“These are their words, a invitation-only secret society, a pay-to-play organization that sanitizes agendas once they've been discovered,\” said Cushman.
But Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager for MWD, said partnerships among various agencies are common in efforts to tackle various concerns and that the meetings are far from secret. … “
Read the full story from CBS-LA by clicking here.
Water agencies’ feud ramps up: County water officials say documents show secret coalition steers Metropolitan decisions
Posted by: Maven on March 12, 2012 at 10:28 pmFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“San Diego County water officials claimed Monday to have uncovered evidence of a “shadow government\” that secretly controls key budget decisions for the Metropolitan Water District as part of a coordinated campaign to discredit the county water authority's push for more independence and lower rates.
The fresh round of charges drawn from more than 500 pages of emails and other documents is the latest salvo in an intensifying feud between the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan, its primary supplier.
“Major decisions at MWD have first been determined by a shadow government operating in secrecy, outside the public's view and then rubber-stamped by a majority of MWD's directors,\” water authority board Chairman Michael Hogan said in a statement accompanying the release of the documents. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
MORE COVERAGE:
- SD water officials decry ‘secret society’ of agencies, from the San Diego Union-Tribune
- “Shadow government” controls water rates, San Diego County Water Authority says, from the North County Times
- Public Records Reveal Shadow Government Controlling the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, press release from the San Diego County Water Authority
North County protesters tell MWD board they’re tired of high water rates
Posted by: Maven on March 12, 2012 at 10:23 pmFrom the North County Times:
“Skyrocketing water rates imposed by the Metropolitan Water District are hurting San Diego County residents, especially the elderly and those with low incomes, officials from local cities and water agencies said Monday at a public hearing.
The officials, some of whom van-pooled from San Diego for the event, spoke before Metropolitan’s Finance and Insurance Committee, which was considering how much to raise rates in the next two years. Metropolitan’s board of directors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the proposed increase.
Jim Wood, Oceanside’s mayor, said many of the city’s residents are single parents, “struggling to make ends meet.” … “
Continue reading from the North County Times by clicking here.
Regulators ready to force San Diego Bay cleanup
Posted by: Maven on March 12, 2012 at 6:28 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Top water pollution regulators are poised this week to force an unprecedented cleanup of San Diego Bay, and there's a sense among participants that the plan may avoid endless legal appeals after a major reduction in its scope.
After nearly seven years of debate over the cleanup order, dredging could start in September and wrap up five years later. It would be by far the largest cleanup of its kind among similar efforts over the past two decades, and it would set the tone for addressing several other contaminated sites in a bay that used to be one of the most polluted in the nation. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Landmark San Diego Bay cleanup on brink of approval
Posted by: Maven on March 11, 2012 at 7:29 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Top water pollution regulators are poised this week to force an unprecedented cleanup of San Diego Bay, and there's a sense among participants that the plan may avoid endless appeals after a major reduction in its scope.
After nearly seven years of debate over the cleanup order, dredging could start in September and wrap up five years later. It would be by far the largest cleanup of its kind among similar efforts over the past two decades, and it would set the tone for addressing several other contaminated sites in a bay that used to be one of the most polluted in the nation. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego Union-Tribune editorial: MWD: History offers reasons for concern
Posted by: Maven on March 10, 2012 at 6:50 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The San Diego County Water Authority has launched an unusual public-relations campaign against its largest supplier, the giant Metropolitan Water District. One goal is to prevent MWD, which sells water to agencies serving 19 million customers in six counties, from implementing rate hikes of 7.5 percent for 2013 and 5 percent for 2014 at board meetings next week. A second goal is to cast MWD in a sinister light as a shadowy agency that tries to covertly undermine its critics. … “
From the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego County Water Authority to protest MWD’s rates at Monday hearing
Posted by: Maven on March 10, 2012 at 6:00 amFrom the North County Times:
“San Diego County water officials and business leaders are set to protest Monday, March 12, at a hearing by Metropolitan Water District. The hearing concerns MWD’s proposed 2013 and 2014 water rates. (1 MB PDF)
The group will take a bus to the hearing at MWD headquarters, the San Diego County Water Authority said in a press release Friday. The rate hearing, open to the public, begins at 8:30 a.m.. The headquarters is adjacent to Los Angeles Union Station, in downtown Los Angeles. … “
Continue reading from the North County Times by clicking here.
Campaign slams regional water district; San Diego authority protests provider’s proposed rate hikes
Posted by: Maven on March 9, 2012 at 6:42 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The San Diego County Water Authority has turned frustration with the Metropolitan Water District into a full-fledged public relations campaign in hopes of avoiding more regional rate increases set for a vote next week.
In letters, news releases and a just-launched website, water authority officials said they will divulge “the truth\” about MWD. By their accounts, the Los Angeles-based water provider is a modern-day “Chinatown,\” full of shady dealings designed to avoid public scrutiny and maintain its empire. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Poway reps to oppose Metropolitan water rate increases
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2012 at 9:10 pmFrom the Pomerado News:
“Two Poway representatives will travel to Los Angeles on Monday to protest a Metropolitan Water District proposal to increase its rates by 12.5 percent over the next two years.
Public Works Director Leah Browder and Deputy Mayor Jim Cunningham will each speak for three minutes before the board at a hearing that Cunningham said is expected to draw large numbers of rate protestors. … “
Continue reading from the Pomerado News by clicking here.
San Diego’s stormwater plans left in limbo
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2012 at 9:08 pmFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The California Coastal Commission on Wednesday sent San Diego back to work on an unprecedented, 20-year proposal for flood-prevention work in creeks and channels.
The delay could prevent San Diego from clearing channels under the plan in September as city officials had hoped but it also could lead to a new path for other cities in the region that also want to get overarching approvals for their storm drain maintenance programs.
Commissioners on the powerful coastal panel lauded San Diego's efforts to avoid time-consuming permit-by-permit reviews with one plan, but some also expressed concern about the lack of specifics in that document and the potential that commission's signoff could reduce its leverage over the city's work for two decades. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego County Water Authority gains lawsuit support from RMWD, says refund possible
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2012 at 9:06 pmFrom the Ramona Sentinel:
“Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) could be in for a sizable refund if its sole water provider is victorious in a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
That's what Dennis Cushman, assistant general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority (CWA), the region's water wholesaler, told RMWD directors at their Feb. 28 meeting as he updated them on the lawsuit and asked for their support.
The Ramona water board unanimously approved a resolution supporting CWA's lawsuit against Metropolitan. … “
Continue reading from the Ramona Sentinel by clicking here.
Oceanside faces $1.57 million sewage fine
Posted by: Maven on March 3, 2012 at 6:04 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Oceanside faces a fine of more than $1.5 million for a sewage spill of 5.35 million gallons that fouled Buena Vista Creek and the Pacific Ocean in December 2010.
The leak lasted for about six days, and was among the largest in the county during the past decade. It occurred when a 15-inch sewer line burst during heavy rains.
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's staff proposed the penalty in late February and plans to hold a hearing on May 9. Board officials said the fine could have topped $53 million but the agency's standard penalty calculations recommended fine of $1.57 million based on a variety of factors. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego beats national average on water loss
Posted by: Maven on March 3, 2012 at 6:02 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The U-T's recent front-page story about water-main breaks : “Water Main Breaks Plague City,\” Feb. 27 : warrants a response to set the record straight.
Buried in the 19th paragraph : beneath the breathless reporting about “tens of thousands of leaks\” that have cost the city “360 million gallons of water\” and “at least $10 million\” in settlement claims : is this key fact: The city's water-loss rate is 9.3 percent, compared to the national average of 14 percent. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego’s stormwater plans don’t wash with coastal panel
Posted by: Maven on February 29, 2012 at 8:49 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“San Diego's plan to maintain storm drains and creek beds over 20 years has run into opposition at the California Coastal Commission, possibly forcing the city to recast a complex and costly program for minimizing flooding.
In a new review, commission staff sided with conservation groups by citing “significant concern\” that San Diego's storm drain maintenance strategy is inadequate to protect wetlands. A decision against the city by the commission's board may influence a related Superior Court lawsuit and delay work in flood-prone areas, such as Sorrento Valley, Pacific Beach and Chollas Creek. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
GrokSurf’s San Diego blog: San Diego’s indirect potable reuse proposal without the hype
Posted by: Maven on February 28, 2012 at 7:50 amFrom GrokSurf’s San Diego blog:
“The City of San Diego is studying the feasibility of using purified recycled water to bolster its reservoir supply through its Water Purification Demonstration Project (originally called the Indirect Potable Reuse Reservoir Augmentation Demonstration Project).
Potable reuse has been a controversial and emotional topic in San Diego's quest for new water resources. Provocative stands by certain politicians and pejorative headlines in some news media obscure a key underlying fact: for San Diego the real issue is unplanned vs. planned indirect potable reuse.
San Diego imports about 80% of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River. Imported water from these sources contains treated wastewater from over 345 municipal wastewater facilities [citation] and when we get it, it only gets standard water treatment before delivery to customers. This is called unplanned indirect potable reuse. We've been doing it all along. … “
Continue reading from GrokSurf’s San Diego blog by clicking here.
San Diego: Water main breaks plague city: More than 100 a year are rupturing as system ages, analysis of records finds
Posted by: Maven on February 27, 2012 at 6:18 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“When Alejandro Gonzalez woke to the sound of water in late December 2010, he rushed to the window to find that a pipe had burst and water was gushing around his Mount Hope home.
The same section of main had ruptured three weeks earlier, flooding his neighbor's home. Gonzalez and his wife packed up to leave. The next day, the cast-iron pipe broke a third time.
“We had to spend Christmas in the hotel with my kid,\” he said.
As significant delivery lines are nearing the end of their service life across San Diego, mains are breaking at a pace of more than 100 a year … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego County Water Authority votes to give lawsuit proceeds to members: if it wins
Posted by: Maven on February 24, 2012 at 10:12 pmFrom the North County Times:
“If the San Diego County Water Authority wins its lawsuit alleging overcharging by Metropolitan Water District, most of the proceeds will go to the authority’s member agencies in San Diego County, the authority board voted Thursday.
Millions of dollars are at issue; the Water Authority says it could be overcharged by as much as $217 million a year by 2021. Metropolitan says the lawsuit is groundless and is fighting it.
Net proceeds will go to the agencies, less legal expenses. The disputed money is now being held in an escrow account until the case is decided. … “
Continue reading from the North County Times by clicking here.
San Diego: Low rainfall may mean more local conservation: SD County Water Authority says rain and snowfall below normal
Posted by: Maven on February 24, 2012 at 6:59 amFrom San Diego’s Channel 10:
“San Diego County is looking into to the possibility of having to conserve more water due to unseasonably dry conditions in the past year.
According to the San Diego County Water Authority, rainfall has been several inches below normal this past year for the county and the rest of California. In addition, the Sierra snowpack is only 34 percent of what is typically expected, even though there was a record amount of snow last year.
“We really have to look at the water supply conditions statewide, and right now it is dry,” San Diego County Water Authority Water Resource Specialist Dana Friehauf said. … “
Continue reading from San Diego’s Channel 10 by clicking here.
GrokSurf’s San Diego blog: San Diego responds to media reports that water department sitting on excess funds
Posted by: Maven on February 23, 2012 at 7:22 amFrom GrokSurf’s San Diego blog:
“U-T San Diego recently reprinted an Investigative Newsource story criticizing the Public Utilities Department use (or non-use) of money raised from rate hikes (Water rate hikes leave $630 million unused) and KPBS followed up with Public Utilities flush with cash but behind on projects.
Today the City responded with the following letter … “
Read the letter at GrokSurf’s San Diego blog by clicking here.
MORE:
- San Diego oversight committee on water operations issues 2011 annual report, from GrokSurf’s San Diego blog
San Diego: Audit of water funds is much-needed
Posted by: Maven on February 22, 2012 at 7:30 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The report in Monday’s U-T San Diego by Investigative Newsource, a nonprofit journalism center based at San Diego State University, about the $600 million-plus sitting in the water and sewer accounts of the city's Public Utilities Department raises questions that we hope a pending, overdue independent audit can answer.
The funds accumulated after a series of hikes in water and sewage rates began in 2007 to cover the growing cost of water supplies but also to generate funding to upgrade aging water and sewer systems. However, according to Investigative Newsource, because the city's financial difficulties impeded access to bond markets and because of some staffing and design issues, only about a third of 111 planned improvement projects have been completed. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
San Diego: State opens a door for cities on lagoon restoration project
Posted by: Maven on February 21, 2012 at 6:31 amFrom the North County Times:
“After suspending the project in the fall, the state is opening the door for local cities to help lead efforts to restore Buena Vista Lagoon.
California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird wrote the mayors of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista on Friday, inviting officials to join a steering committee tasked with putting together an environmental impact report to guide restoration of the lagoon that straddles the boundary of Oceanside and Carlsbad.
The process is given a good deal of urgency because Caltrans is expected to make decisions soon on which projects will get environmental mitigation funding generated by the upcoming widening of Interstate 5 through coastal North County. … “
Continue reading from the North County Times by clicking here.
San Diego lags in repairs to water system: Rate hikes pad water, sewer accounts, but only a third of promised fixes completed
Posted by: Maven on February 21, 2012 at 6:26 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“When San Diego city officials launched a series of utility-rate hikes in 2007, they expected to spend more than a billion dollars on projects to shore up aging water and sewer systems rife with leaks.
Five years later, the Public Utilities Department reports completing 39 of 111 projects promised, according to a review by Investigative Newsource, a nonprofit journalism center based at San Diego State University.
The department's water account contains $214 million and the sewer account contains roughly $419 million, built up from the rate increase and unspent bond proceeds. The excess has civic activists questioning whether rates should be rolled back rather than increased, a prospect the utilities department plans to study. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Water rate hikes leave $630 million unused; City says it’s premature to call it a surplus, as work is ongoing
Posted by: Maven on February 20, 2012 at 5:45 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“When San Diego city officials launched a series of utility-rate hikes in 2007, they expected to spend more than a billion dollars on projects to shore up aging water and sewer systems rife with leaks.
Five years later, the Public Utilities Department reports completing 39 of 111 projects promised, according to a review by Investigative Newsource, a nonprofit journalism center based at San Diego State University. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Study links San Diego’s water supply to China pollution
Posted by: Maven on February 18, 2012 at 7:10 amAnd while we’re on the subject of snow, check this out from San Diego’s Channel 10 News:
“Local researchers say the San Diego region’s water supply may be directly linked to air pollution in China.
The discovery may be a silver lining to the pollution clouds rising from the deserts in Asia, including China. It turns out the more of that dust that ends up in California, the more water Californians have to drink.
The discovery was made high in the Sierra Nevada mountains — a major source of local water. Researchers from UC San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography drove up trailers packed with specialized equipment for their study. … “
Continue reading from Channel 10 News by clicking here.
Plan for sea level rise in San Diego
Posted by: Maven on February 17, 2012 at 6:48 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“A coalition of local agencies on Thursday announced one of the nation's first regional plans to prepare for sea-level rise. Focused on San Diego Bay, it's designed to help the region adapt to one of the more visible aspects of climate change.
Sea level could rise by as much as 17 inches by 2050 and five feet by 2100, when many areas around the bay could be permanently inundated, according to a recent assessment. The greatest cause for concern is the likelihood of increased frequency and severity of flooding during storms or very high tides.
Buildings, shoreline parks and recreational facilities, transportation systems, and energy and water facilities are at risk, regional groups said Thursday. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Commentary: Taxpayers Association sides with Water Authority in lawsuit
Posted by: Maven on February 15, 2012 at 7:19 amFrom San Diego’s Daily Transcript, this commentary by George Hawkins:
“The San Diego County Water Authority is suing the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Apparently when a virtually autonomous public agency feels wronged by another virtually autonomous public agency, the only recourse is the courts.
The suit was approved by the Water Authority’s board of directors with a unanimous vote. A trial court decision is expected this summer.
Given the huge amount of money at stake (by the Water Authority’s estimate, somewhere between $1.3 billion and $2.1 billion over the next four and a half decades), the decision almost certainly will be appealed by the losing side. … “
Continue reading from The Daily Transcript by clicking here.
Oceanside: Ocean Hills park sets the pace for water conservation
Posted by: Maven on February 10, 2012 at 7:27 amFrom the North County Times:
“Just about three years ago, Ocean Hills Country Club residents got some stunning news —- the cost of watering their 150 acres of lawns, golf course and shrubbery could go up by as much as 80 percent.
Since then, the retirement community on the far southeastern edge of Oceanside has cut its water use by 27 percent by reworking its irrigation system and running sprinklers less often, said Tom Hogan, landscape operations manager of Ocean Hills.
And that’s just the start.
On Wednesday, Ocean Hills officially opened a two-acre community park which has been completely redone with what Hogan calls “California-friendly” plants that use little water and can stand up to blazing summer heat. … “
Continue reading from the North County Times by clicking here.
Higher water bills vex neighbors; One Alvarado Estates resident saw a 13-fold increase in his invoice
Posted by: Maven on February 9, 2012 at 5:56 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Residents of the Alvarado Estates subdivision above Mission Valley are protesting a sudden spike in their water bills in the last months of 2011 in one case a 13-fold increase.
Officials with the San Diego Public Utilities Department said the hikes can't be explained by any of the typical reasons a water leak, a faulty meter or a billing error or even a more unique possibility a potential reset of the sprinkler system caused by September's power outage. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
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