A water main break around 9 a.m. Christmas day near the Sea Lodge resort on Avenida de la Playa and Camino del Oro in La Jolla was one of eight water main breaks that have occurred in less than two weeks.
Later that day, a 6-inch cast-iron water main broke in the 8400 block of Paseo Del Ocaso, leaving 45 homes in the Shores without water.
Six water main breaks throughout the city occurred on Thursday, Dec. 21, and a large, 16-inch water main burst Dec. 17 on Hillside Avenue in La Jolla, causing significant water damage to one home.
As a result of the unusually high number of breaks, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has asked the city council to set a date for a public hearing to discuss water and wastewater rate increases recommended to him by city water department staff, said Bill Harris, the mayor’s deputy press secretary.
“Early on this year, the mayor made it clear that he had concerns about the water and wastewater management systems and that things needed to be cleared up concerning how money was being spent,” Harris said. “The mayor doesn’t want to raise rates, but we need to address what we are being told to do by the state and by the court. The [water] system is getting old and we need to take the steps to ensure that we can provide for the future of the city.”
The state has imposed a compliance order on the city asking it to complete improvements to the city’s water system within the next few years, according to a statement released by the mayor. A water rate increase will help the city finance the projects.
The water department has proposed a 6.5 percent rate increase each year for the next four years, according to the city’s Web site.
The new rate increase is different than the one voted on in 2002, which implemented a 6 percent water rate increase for the next five years, with the last rate raise in July 2006.
The city council is tentatively scheduled to meet Monday, Jan. 8, to set a date for a public hearing on the water rate increases, according to Harris. The city must provide a 45-day public notice of the hearing. A hearing is expected on Monday, Feb. 26, Harris said.
“The new rates will help make the system more reliable,” Harris said. “Right now, the system is safe, and the vast majority of people in San Diego can rely on it, but we want to get to the point where we are focusing on preventative maintenance and not major repairs.”
Many of the water main breaks, including the two in La Jolla, have been due to the condition of the pipes, which are mainly old and constructed of cast iron, according to Harris. Some ground pipes within the city are more than 60 years old, which is far beyond the pipes’ life expectancy, he said.
For information, visit www.sandiego.gov.