San Diego LAFCO
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San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
A Public Hearing on the Draft Wholesale Water Service Providers Municipal Service Review - Part One will be held at the May 4, 2026 Commission Meeting. Part one features the San Diego County Water Authority.
Click here to view the agenda report.
Consistent with the adopted work plan and five-year rolling study schedule, the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) has initiated a comprehensive Municipal Service Review (MSR) focused on wholesale water agencies operating in San Diego County. This includes an in-depth evaluation of the San Diego County Water Authority and a proportional review of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
The primary objective of the MSR is to provide an independent "snapshot" of the level and range of municipal services offered by these agencies within the San Diego County region. This includes addressing governance and related accountability topics per statute. This MSR will cover a 15-year study period to include Fiscal Years 2009 – 2023.
Upon completion of the final report, LAFCO will utilize the MSR to (a) guide subsequent sphere of influence updates, (b) inform future boundary changes and out-of-agency services, and – if merited to meet community needs – (c) initiate government reorganizations, such as special district formations, consolidations, and/or dissolutions.
LAFCO staff is currently working with consultants Dr. Michael Hanemann, Patrick Bouteller, and Adam Wilson to prepare a draft report and conduct outreach. Questions regarding the draft report can be directed to Assistant Executive Officer Priscilla Mumpower at priscilla.mumpower@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Project Status: On May 4, 2026, to Commission directed staff to discontinue further work on the draft municipal service review for the San Diego County Water Authority. The action reflected the Commission's view that the analytical window of Fiscal Years 2009 through 2023 had grown stale, and its preference to allow the Authority to continue developing water exchange agreements without a concurrent MSR proceeding. The Commission also directed staff to recalendar the MSR within the next three to five years.
In a related action at the same hearing, the Commission directed a similar discontinuance of the in-progress Municipal Service Review of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Materials prepared for the May 4 hearing remain posted below for the public records.