SAN DIEGO — Two local water districts have filed a lawsuit in North County court alleging the city of San Diego failed for years to maintain the Lake Hodges Dam.
The water districts allege they have lost $21 million due to the release of water from Lake Hodges in recent months.
In the lawsuit, the Santa Fe Irrigation District and the San Dieguito Water District blame the city of San Diego for not maintaining Lake Hodges Dam since at least 2008.
The California Division of Safety of Dams ordered the water lowered on Lake Hodges because of safety concerns, leading to the release of 11 billion gallons of water since last year.
“The cost to the Districts to replace this local water with imported water purchased from (County Water Authority) was $1,258 per acre-foot through December 2023, and is now $1,389 per acre-foot as of January 1, 2024, which amounts to in excess of $21 million in lost water to the Districts through December 2023,” the lawsuit alleged.
Additionally, the water districts said customers have seen up to a 40-percent increase in their water bills due to the loss of water from Lake Hodges.
“We do not envision being able to operate the reservoir at a higher level until the time that we replace the dam,” said Keli Balo, the city’s deputy director of public utilities, during a June 26 committee meeting.
It’s going to take a least 10 years to build a new dam at Lake Hodges at an estimated cost of $275 million. So, the release of water into the ocean will continue following heavy rainstorms. Release of water from Lake Hodges has been stopped during the summer months because of relatively light rainfall.
“We also don't fully realize the condition of our dams, and what we need to do about them,” said Tiffany Kirk, the assistant deputy of public utilities, at the June 26 meeting.
The San Diego City Council voted on July 30 to pay $100 million to a consulting firm, GEI Consultants, over the next decade to assess the condition of all 11 dams maintained by the city.
The city told CBS 8 that it could not comment on pending litigation.
WATCH RELATED: Lake Hodges: Water agencies file claims against San Diego