Padre Dam sues Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District alleging water theft; district disputes claims
The Padre Dam Municipal Water District says it has filed a lawsuit against one of its biggest customers, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, over allegedly taking water through unmetered lines without paying for it. The suit, filed in San Diego Superior Court Dec. 12, according to Padre, is seeking in excess of $200,000 for the unauthorized water, and three times that amount in further damages along with the costs of the suit and reasonable attorney’s fees. The dispute stems from an agreement the two agencies signed in 2015 that outlines how the college district would assume the repair and maintenance for water infrastructure at Grossmont College as it was constructing new buildings at the El Cajon campus. The agreement outlined specific steps the college had to follow to enable the transfer of water lines.