THE WATER LOSS FROM LOVELAND RESERVOIR
Sweetwater Authority, which is the water agency for National City (along with its companion South Bay Irrigation District) controls the Sweetwater River watershed, with two critical reservoirs as part of its infrastructure -- Sweetwater Reservoir (in Spring Valley) and Loveland Reservoir (a few miles upstream in Alpine.)
While Sweetwater Authority periodically transfers water from Loveland Reservoir into Sweetwater Reservoir downstream, it historically has kept a 'minimum pool' level of 30% capacity. But the drawdown in November 2022 was a shocking first -- taking the lake down to 'dead pool' level (meaning water is unable to flow downstream), and leaving only 1/2 of one per cent of capacity behind!
You can learn more about the highly controversial drawdown here and here.
The Sweetwater Authority claims it was saving ratepayers money but their calculations failed to take into account the value of the water that was lost in the natural-flow transfer downstream - more than 47% of what was released.
How could this have been avoided? By simply delaying the drawdown until AFTER the first good rain, so that the riverbed was already moist. By initiating the transfer before the rains, precious water soaked into the landscape, never making it downstream.
A loss of 47% of any asset is bad stewardship, particularly when that loss was foreseeable AND preventable. Ratepayers in National City, as well as residents of Alpine who count on a minimum level of water for fire-break and water-drop safety, were all poorly served by an entity that -- with better planning and leadership -- could have lessened the waste considerably.
