On March 19, Western Water and the San Diego County Water Authority signed a water exchange agreement that will provide benefits across much of Southern California. … This agreement represents a major change in thinking among water agencies, beginning with a June 2025 shift in Metropolitan Water District’s rules that for the first time allowed exchange of water between Metropolitan member agencies. Rather than competing and being territorial, as has been traditional among water agencies, Western Water and the San Diego County Water Authority worked in a spirit of cooperation and mutual support to negotiate this first-of-a-kind agreement.
–Written by Mike Gardner, member of the Western Municipal Water District Board.