City leaders, Water Authority board officers, IDE Technologies, NRG Energy and Poseidon Water executives visited the Carlsbad Desalination Project on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of construction on the Western Hemisphere's largest seawater desalination plant, which is more than 25 percent complete.

The $1 billion venture, launched in late 2012, is on schedule to start producing water in 2016. Besides the plant, the project includes a large-diameter pipeline in North County, along with upgrades to Water Authority facilities. It will account for about one-third of all the water generated in San Diego County, helping reduce reliance on imported water as part of the Water Authority's multi-decade strategy to improve the reliability of the region's water supply by diversifying its portfolio of water sources.

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The Department of Water Resources' latest snow survey on Jan. 3 showed disappointing results - a snow level that was 20% of normal for the date, a measurement tied with 2012 as the driest on record. Current weather forecasts show a strong likelihood for dry weather to continue statewide for the rest of the month.

State officials announced this week that Governor Jerry Brown could make a drought declaration within several weeks.  Such a declaration would help provide relief for communities in parts of Northern California and the Central Valley that are the most vulnerable to extended dry periods.  Many water agencies in these communities are calling for increased levels of voluntary conservation, and some areas, such as Sacramento, are considering mandatory water use restrictions.

In Southern California, supply conditions are more stable.  The Water Authority doesn't anticipate any water shortages in the San Diego region in 2014, due to high levels of water storage in the region, sustained reductions in water use in recent years, and growing supplies from alternative sources, such as the Water Authority's Colorado River water transfers.

The Water Authority is encouraging residents and businesses to keep up water-efficient practices and to take advantage of available water efficiency services and incentives.  To learn more about these programs, click here.

For more information about DWR's latest snow survey, click here.

The  Water Authority will hold a public hearing on three related draft documents that together will provide strategic direction through 2035 for building capital projects and responding to climate change as it relates to agency activities.

The hearing is at 6 p.m. at the Water Authority's headquarters, 4677 Overland Avenue in Kearny Mesa. It will cover the 2013 Regional Water Facilities Optimization and Master Plan Update, the Climate Action Plan and the associated environmental document.

The Board of Directors is expected to consider adoption of the documents no later than March.

The plans will guide new investments in water supply reliability for the next 25 years. The central element is the master plan update, which incorporates projections for future water demands and water supplies, and identifies the facilities needed to meet those demands. The master plan envisions near- and mid-term capital projects that will address delivery constraints to local water treatment plants and surface water reservoirs.

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