Meeting Invoice Would Require Countywide Vote for Fallbrook, Rainbow to Exit Water Authority

An Meeting invoice launched late final week would require a countywide vote earlier than two agricultural districts in north San Diego County may depart the San Diego County Water Authority.

Meeting Invoice 530, launched Thursday by Tasha Boerner Horvath of Encinitas, would amend California’s Water Authority Act, to require a majority vote in each the separating district and the county to finish a detachment.

The Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District are in search of to hitch the Japanese Municipal Water District in Riverside County in hopes of securing lower-cost water for farmers.

The Riverside district receives most of its water from the Colorado River Aqueduct and State Water Undertaking and has not invested in costly drought reliability initiatives like San Diego’s desalination plant and quite a few recycling initiatives.

Fallbrook and Rainbow argue that as a sensible matter their water comes by way of legacy pipelines from the north in order that they don’t profit from the drought reliability investments elsewhere in San Diego County.

Their requests to go away the county authority are scheduled to be heard by the San Diego Native Company Formation Fee on June 5, after which a vote might be scheduled.

“As a result of detachment would instantly elevate the value of water for retail member companies throughout San Diego County, it’s essential that each voter have the prospect to weigh in,” stated Mel Katz, chair of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Administrators.

“It is a easy matter of fairness that follows the identical rules LAFCO makes use of in related conditions to keep away from disenfranchisement of voters,” he added.

The county authority has maintained that every one voters in its service space could be impacted and due to this fact also needs to have the fitting to vote. The authority has additionally created particular charges for purchasers in Fallbrook and Rainbow in response to their complaints.

RELATED ARTICLES