Water for San Diego

* Steven Erie’s misleading analysis, “What Does San Diego Really Want From the MWD?” (Opinion, Feb. 25), offers several entertaining hypotheses but ignores the simple truth: San Diego needs an affordable and reliable water supply.

As part of the San Diego County Water Authority’s commitment to that objective, the board made the difficult decision to file a lawsuit seeking clarification of an antiquated water allocation formula used by the MWD. That formula has required the water authority to pay 22% of the MWD’s bills, but leaves us with rights to only 15% of its water. As part of its mission, the water authority has an obligation to correct this blatant imbalance.

Those who criticize the water authority’s decision to go to court fail to recognize that if the MWD simply corrected the flawed formula, or member agencies relinquished their “preferential rights,” there would be no need for legal clarification. If the rights are “unenforceable,” as Erie concludes, then why not abolish them?

Continuing to ask San Diego County’s residents to pay for water that could one day be legally taken away from them is irresponsible and not an acceptable alternative.

JIM TURNER, Chair

San Diego County

Water Authority