Downey, other cities, take a hit in seesaw battle over water
I wouldn’t make to much of this, but a judge has — sort 0f — reversed a decision about whether the Water Replenishment District owed Downey, Cerritos and Signal Hill money for what the cities consider an illegal water assessment.
Reporter Mike Sprague at the Whittier Daily News covered the story.
Here’s the background: The WRD, which is responsible for making sure salty sea water does not infiltrate freshwater aquifers, raised rates a while back. The cities said the WRD did not follow the legal procedure, and they have refused to pay.
This is one small part of a giant, swirling water mess that politicians and the courts are currently trying to sort out. The water delivery system is full of middle men who tack on assessments. The politics is one of the big reasons your water bill keeps going up.
Here’s a big background story.