The San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), in a 5-3 vote Monday, approved the request of Fallbrook Public Utility District (PUD) and Rainbow Municipal Water District (MWD) to detach from the 24-member San Diego County Water Authority.
Cheers erupted when the vote was tallied, ending a three-year saga. For residents of Fallbrook and Rainbow, the issue boils down to the high cost of water. Fallbrook PUD and Rainbow MWD want to buy cheaper water from Riverside County's Eastern Municipal Water District.
According to LAFCO’s analysis, Fallbrook and Rainbow would save more than $7 million a year by detaching.
For farmers in the two North County water districts, it’s a matter of survival. They say the high water costs threaten their livelihoods.
"I'm really hoping this will open up an opportunity for farmers to actually get fair water rates and get the relief that we need," said Nick Krnich, owner of Everdawn Farms. "As a farmer that's been very much impacted by these rate increases — having the conversation with my family about possibly selling our land, stopping farming. And I'm a fourth generation farmer.”
Commissioners say they voted the way they did Monday to save the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in North County. They say people should be able to buy cheaper water where they can.
Commissioner Barry Willis likened the relationship between the Water Authority and the two water districts as abusive.
“I drew the analogy of a bad marriage," he said. "So within a bad marriage, you don't stay in a bad marriage for a long time. I mean, you tend to leave.”
"Abusive" was the term used over and over in Monday's meeting.
“We are wanting what is legally our right: to leave this toxic marriage,” said Leila Hargrove, a Fallbrook resident.
Another resident called it a "child abuse case."
Leticia Maldonado-Stamos, a retired teacher, said it’s not just farmers who are hurting. Working-class residents in Fallbrook and Rainbow are hurting too.
“That's important because a lot of our farm workers, that's their livelihood, so it goes hand in hand," she said. "But I think it's important that those people that are making these decisions see what this money represents.”
Commissioner Stephen Whitburn, who voted "no" on the detachment, said the detachment will only benefit residents of Rainbow and Fallbrook and "hurt everyone else in the county."
Last week the Water Authority released a report saying detachment may cost ratepayers in the rest of the county nearly $200 million in the next decade.
“We feel that the vote that was taken today is really a disservice to all of the different ratepayers in San Diego County and also to agriculture in San Diego County that's not in Fallbrook and Rainbow,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority.
To offset the cost, commissioners approved an “exit fee” of roughly $25 million over the next five years. Voters in Rainbow and Fallbrook will still need to approve the detachment.
Katz said the Water Authority would continue to work with the two North County districts for a compromise wherein both agencies would remain with the Water Authority.
A special Water Authority board meeting is set for Thursday to discuss the issue.
