The San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), in a 5-3 vote Monday, approved the request of Fallbrook Public Utility District (PUD) and Rainbow Municipal Water District (MWD) to detach from the 24-member San Diego County Water Authority.
Cheers erupted when the vote was tallied, ending a three-year saga. For residents of Fallbrook and Rainbow, the issue boils down to the high cost of water. Fallbrook PUD and Rainbow MWD want to buy cheaper water from Riverside County’s Eastern Municipal Water District.
According to LAFCO’s analysis, Fallbrook and Rainbow would save more than $7 million a year by detaching.
For farmers in the two North County water districts, it’s a matter of survival. They say the high water costs threaten their livelihoods.
