Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/850954
E n s u r i n g a S t r o n g F u t u r e 24 | P a g e CHALLENGES: Cost of Water 100% of Padre Dam's water supply is imported from CWA, which receives most of its water supply from the Colorado River over 250 miles away or from Metropolitan Water District whose source of water, the Delta, is over 444 miles away. The infrastructure to deliver this water to San Diego is old and maintenance and replacement solutions are expensive. CWA is also a partner with Poseidon Water, which operates the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant; the desalination plant provides an alternative, local water supply but is currently CWA's most expensive source of water. From 2007 to 2017, the price that Padre Dam pays for an acre foot of water has doubled. Over the same period, water sales were cut in half. As water use decreases, some variable costs go down but fixed costs do not. The unfortunate result is that when customers are asked to conserve they don't see a corresponding decrease in their bill. Because drought and water conservation is a way of life in California, the District does its best to educate its customers about the reasons for the high cost of water. Despite the high cost of water, Padre Dam has successfully kept the District financially healthy and operationally sound. Staff has taken many steps to mitigate the increasing costs of water including significant staff reductions, deferral of projects and active management of all expenditures. Additional plans for cost savings are worked into the Plan. CHALLENGES: Future Wastewater Treatment The Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant (Point Loma) is the last major wastewater treatment plant in the country that is not at the secondary treatment level. Point Loma is an advanced primary treatment plant and must get a waiver from secondary treatment standards requirements every five years from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region (RWQCD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Point Loma Ocean Outfall was built in 1963 to discharge treated wastewater into the ocean. It was extended from a length of 2 miles to 4.5 miles in 1993. The outfall is 12 feet in diameter and operates by gravity feed. As part of the cooperative agreement between the City of San Diego (City of SD) and environmental groups, the City of SD developed a multi-year capital program that will offload and convert 100 mgd of wastewater into 83 mgd of potable water by 2035. This Program is named Pure Water San Diego. Offloading these wastewater flows