City of Oceanside Gets Smart On Water Technology Projects & Plans

OCEANSIDE, CA — The City of Oceanside continues to be at the forefront of water management in San Diego county with projects like WaterSmart meters and Pure Water Oceanside that demonstrate the city's commitment to deliver clean, safe and affordable water.

A recent Voice of San Diego report showed Oceanside has among the lowest water rate increases in the county with an average 13.7% increase from 2017 to 2022. Compare that to the sizeable 38% increase in water rates for Del Mar during the same 5 year time period.

Oceanside residents can expect no further rate increases from the city through 2023, with the exception of pass-through charges from the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District. The city council will be discussing these planned water rate changes at the November 3rd city council meeting.

Among the measures the City of Oceanside is taking to improve water efficiency is installing WaterSmart meters at all homes and businesses in the City. The upgrade uses technology to safely, securely and accurately provide remote water readings to customers on a more frequent basis instead of an in-person monthly manual water meter reading by Oceanside staff. City Council approved the WaterSmart meter project and began installing the upgraded meters throughout the City, in August 2020.

"This is a great benefit for Oceanside customers to help improve water use efficiency and increase transparency on customer bills." said Sarah Davis, Management Analyst for the Oceanside Water Utilities Department. "This project will also help the utility as a whole better address drought conditions by allowing customers to take quicker actions when leaks are identified."

2021 Pilot Project Results – In spring of 2021, the City successfully installed 3,500 WaterSmart meters. These meters are operational and are accurately transmitting readings. As the City finalizes the pilot and testing phase, the hourly usage will become available to individual customers through the WaterSmart customer portal.

Other Water Utilities Are Using Similar Meters – Many other water utilities throughout California including the City of Carlsbad, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Fallbrook Public Utility District, and Rincon Del Diablo have already installed automatic metering with very positive results from customers who have been able to address leaks early and improve communication with their utility.

Pure Water Oceanside is undoubtedly the most innovative and long-range project pursued by the City to address the water crises in our community and throughout California. Pure Water Oceanside will purify recycled water to create a new, local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound. The program will produce enough water to provide more than 30% of the city's water supply.

Related article: Oceanside Awarded $1.7 Million for Pure Water Oceanside Project

Together these local programs will enable Oceanside to diversify the water supply and reduce reliance on imported water. For more information visit the City of Oceanside's Water Utilities Department.

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