Dear Friends,
I’m so pleased report that yesterday the Water Authority’s Board of Directors voted to distribute a rebate of $44.4 million to its 24 member agencies across the region after receiving a check for that amount from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to pay legal damages and interest.
The rebate resulted from the Water Authority’s decade-long rate case litigation in state Superior Court seeking to compel MWD to set legal rates and repay overcharges. The Water Authority won several critical issues in cases covering 2011-2014 and was deemed the prevailing party, which means the agency is also owed legal fees and charges in addition to the recent damages and interest payment from MWD.
The court rulings will also help avoid future overcharges and thereby minimize future disputes over MWD’s unlawful Water Stewardship Rate for transporting the Water Authority’s independent water supplies through MWD facilities. Those charges – if they had continued – would have cost San Diego County residents more than $500 million over the life of the Water Authority’s water delivery contract with MWD.
This day has been a long time coming. We never wanted to litigate these issues – but if we had not had the courage to do so, MWD would still be collecting the illegal fees and we would not have money to give back to local retail water agencies across the region. For your information, I have attached a chart showing how much each of our member agencies will receive.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,Gary Croucher
Board Chair
San Diego County Water Authority
MWD Rate Case Rebates of $44,373,872 for Local Water Agencies
Agency Rebate Amount:
Carlsbad MWD $1,692,236.88
Del Mar, City of $108,025.65
Escondido, City of $1,754,022.94
Fallbrook PUD $909,412.67
Helix WD $2,847,389.34
Lakeside WD $348,005.17
Oceanside, City of $2,351,413.99
Olivenhain MWD $2,039,332.40
Otay WD $3,162,939.58
Padre Dam MWD $1,157,551.53
Pendleton Military Res $4,958.08
Poway, City of $ 1,167,915.01
Rainbow MWD $1,343,382.03
Ramona MWD $596,663.83
Rincon Del Diablo MWD $630,780.62
San Diego, City of $17,676,521.64
San Dieguito WD $368,002.42
Santa Fe ID $748,699.93
Sweetwater Authority $874,367.74
Vallecitos WD $1,590,623.74
Valley Center MWD $1,332,471.26
Vista ID $1,571,006.35
Yuima MWD $98,149.47