The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors voted to renew the Permanent Special Agriculture Water Rate, which began in its current form in 2020. The renewal ensures producers in the region will continue to have access to discounted water in future years. Currently, more than 1,000 farmers are enrolled in the PSAWR program across 11 retail water agencies.
Under the PSAWR program, in exchange for receiving a lower water rate farmers receive a lower level of service than households/businesses, including the water authority shutting off water to producers during a shortage or emergency. Estimates indicate that under the new model the price per acre-foot for producers would rise from $2,000 this year to about $2,800 by 2029. The special discount will technically be cut by hundreds of dollars but the actual cost paid by farmers will be offset by property tax revenue to keep farmers’ water costs down.