The Department of the Interior last month announced Colorado River supply cuts affecting the basin states of Arizona, Nevada and California, leaving many communities bracing for reduced water access. San Diego, though, says decades of costly investments — some criticized for driving up water bills — have positioned the region to avoid the pain other Southwest communities now face.
For decades county water agencies have invested in water resources and procurement — securing independence from a cut from any one source, sometimes at a steep price.
“Over the last 30 plus years, we have been developing and investing in new and alternative water supplies and rights for the San Diego region,” said Jeremy Crutchfield, the water resources manager for San Diego County Water Authority. “We are at a point now where we have abundant water supply and we can meet the demands of this region even during dry drought periods, even extended drought periods. We have access to enough water to meet our demands, so we’re in a very unique spot compared to the rest of California, Southern California and the Southwest in general.”
The plan, by the Department of the Interior, sets operating guidelines for how water is released from Lake Powell and how Colorado River water is shared for the next two years.
The guidelines require the lower basin states — Arizona, Nevada and California — reduce their Colorado River water consumption by a total of 1.25 million acre-feet per year — one acre-foot of water is enough to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot.
California will reduce its use by 440,000 acre-feet, an amount roughly equivalent to the annual water needs of 1.5 million households.
But Crutchfield said San Diego water customers won’t notice a difference, despite the cuts.
“The way that our agreements are structured, we do have a senior right to the water,” he said. “So, we aren’t part of the first cuts of California. One of our investments in the region was increasing our reservoir storage … if we were to see those cutbacks, that would just be mitigated through our reserve water supply that we have in storage.”
The river water cuts are intended to keep Lake Powell and Lake Mead’s water levels high enough to ensure the Glen Canyon Dam and the Hoover Dam can continue to operate regularly.
Jennifer Pitt, the director of the Colorado River Program at the National Audubon Society, said the adopted management framework provided some relief and forward-looking optimism.
“Climate change is water change,” she said. “We cannot know exactly what is needed for the future, but it’s really important that we have rules in place that prepare us for a shift to a much drier hydrology on the Colorado River.”
One of San Diego’s key water wins was the landmark 2003 “quantification settlement agreement.” The agreement secured the county over 200,000 acre-feet of water for the region by two different components: transfer from the Imperial Irrigation District and relining canals with concrete that bring the Colorado River water into California, reducing seepage into the groundwater.
Carlsbad is also home to the country’s largest saltwater desalination plant — which was a point of contention for its cost and potential environmental damage.
Crutchfield said the plant now produces enough water for 400,000 San Diegans’ yearly supply.
“We’ve been advocates in San Diego for really improving our water use efficiency and investing in programs to use our water more wisely in the region,” he said. “Those are some of the main reasons that we have diversified our portfolio.”
The San Diego County Water Authority faced years of backlash as it invested in costly new projects and water procurement methods.
Last year, San Diego councilmembers alleged the water authority wasn’t doing enough to keep costs down after the price of water was double what the agency had previously forecast.
“The County Water Authority has been a bad actor. It’s time they get called out,” said Councilmember Jen Campbell at a January 2025 city council meeting.
The city has also battled the ongoing costs of Pure Water San Diego, a $1.14 billion water recycling program approved in 2021. The project is set to finish in 2035 and provide nearly half of San Diego’s water supply, but the costs over the coming years are expected to cost ratepayers millions.
San Diego continues to grapple with the costs of securing its own water future, but its investments have shielded it from the outcomes of other Colorado River communities that are vulnerable to shortages. That’s created an opportunity for San Diego to sell its water to those communities — such as a deal it made with Riverside, netting $100 million in the first five years.
San Diego County Water Authority general manager Dan Denham said in a statement after announcement of the framework that the county will work with fellow lower basin communities to ensure water supplies are maintained beyond the county.
“The San Diego County Water Authority stands ready to work with Basin partners on water exchanges and transfers across state lines, along with other cooperative solutions that improve flexibility and support the long-term sustainability of the Colorado River system,” he said.
Along with offering support to other communities impacted by the Colorado River supply cuts, the water authority boasted its securing of San Diego’s water future, no matter how the Colorado River looks in coming years.
“San Diego County communities can rest assured that the Water Authority is well positioned to maintain our economy and quality of life,” Denham’s statement said. “Decades of local and regional investments have created one of the nation’s most resilient and diversified water portfolios, providing stability and flexibility even in times of uncertainty.”
