New legislation secures funding for the San Luis Rey Municipal Water District

The San Luis Rey Municipal Water District serves customers in a five-square-mile agricultural area in North San Diego County. The San Luis Rey River and nearby groundwater basins are the region’s only sources of water.

The district was formed in the 1950s to provide growers with low-priced water while allowing them to maintain their independence from the San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District. The district protects local water quality and quantity, but does not import or pump water. The growers themselves pump the water, which is mostly used for irrigation.

Funding for the water district has been provided by a “standby charge,” allowed under the Municipal Water District Law of 1911. This fee, which has been approved three times under previous legislation, has always included a sunset date.

In order to provide continued, secure funding for the district, I introduced Assembly Bill 2446. The bill eliminates the sunset date, while freezing the fee at $30.

Assembly Bill 2446 will ensure that the San Luis Rey Municipal Water District remains financially sound so that this essential source of agricultural water will continue to be available to the region’s growers for many years to come.

AB 2446 was supported by local landowners, the Pala Band of Mission Indians, San Diego Farm Bureau, the California Special Districts Association and the San Luis Rey Municipal Water District. The bill was signed into law by Governor Brown on Sept. 29.