When Brian Olney started in the water industry nearly three decades ago, it seemed nobody paid attention to what he and his colleagues were doing.

“The general consensus was: Water fell from the sky, it shows up in our faucet, no one wants to hear anything from the water agencies,” Olney said. “That has changed dramatically.”

On Thursday, Olney takes over as general manager of the Helix Water District, one of the county’s largest systems that serves hundreds of thousands in East County. He will be paid $255,000 to oversee an annual budget of more than $108 million.

Olney’s tenure comes at a time of historic drought, potential cuts to the Colorado River and large investments in wastewater recycling.

In a recent interview, Olney discussed headwinds he’s facing, the state of the district’s infrastructure and how it all affects residents’ wallets.

Inflation and supply chain woes present the biggest problems, Olney said.

“The more the pricing goes up on that, the less I’m getting done in terms of replacements,” he said, referring to swapping out aging pipes.

New rules from state and federal regulators have complicated the picture. Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606 became law in 2018, restricting how much water the agencies can use.

“It puts us in a predicament,” he said.

Southern California faces a paradox: Residents must save water to make sure there’s enough for everyone, but water systems make money off how much is sold, meaning conservation can drive up prices.

“Now we have the state coming in, completely regulating how much water we’re gonna sell,” Olney said. If restrictions escalate, “We will be advocating for the state to provide funds in other areas,” he said.

The district’s infrastructure is “in great shape,” Olney said.

Helix has about 736 miles of pipes, according to its 2020 Capital Improvement Program Master Plan. None were at risk of immediately failing and causing serious damage, the report said.

By the end of the decade, the district will have replaced all its cast iron, freeing officials to eventually swap out a concrete network first laid around the 1950s, Olney said. The concrete has about a 100-year lifespan, meaning they have plenty of time, he added.

Furthermore, Helix’s debt is “almost nonexistent at this point,” Olney said.

Two new recycling projects are also underway that should make the region less reliant on imported water.

Construction has begun on both San Diego’s Pure Water system and East County’s Advanced Water Purification Project, although the city just hit an early snag due to flooding and the two are locked in an ongoing dispute over what to do with excess sewage.

Last year, Helix’s board moved to raise rates for an average single-family customer by $3.38 per month, according to a spokesman. Since residents are charged every other month, a household’s average bill for that period rose from around $155 to about $162.

The total jumped another $4.47 each month in the current fiscal year.

Olney said future increases would likely be at a similar rate, meaning a few dollars more every month.

“We continue to expect that we will be less than the rate of inflation, particularly in light of what we’re seeing right now with this hyperinflation,” he said.

There are limits on how districts can help.

“I can’t use rate money to help pay someone else’s bill,” Olney said. “It would open us up to a lawsuit.”

The key is finding funds from other sources.

During the pandemic, the Helix Helps program did offer up to $300 to residents who lost income due to COVID-19.

More than $61,000 was given to 241 customers, according to a recent presentation to the district’s board. That was less than expected, as a half-million dollars had been set aside, though hundreds of other people were helped through additional programs around the state.

Helix Helps has ended, but Olney noted that the federally funded Low Income Household Water Assistance Program is still running.

Directions about how to apply are on the district’s website, at hwd.com.

“How are we maintaining reasonable costs while we continue to do what we need to do?” Olney said. “That’s really the question moving forward for all of the water agencies.”

Staff writer Joshua Emerson Smith contributed to this report.

Get Essential San Diego, weekday mornings

Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Temperatures could approach 110 degrees Saturday through Monday in San Diego County’s eastern foothills and valleys

Forecasters say the public shouldn’t expect relief from the heat before Tuesday

The fire broke out around 3:50 p.m. Wednesday north of Mapleview Street

Blaze broke out around 2:15 p.m. near Barrett Lake Road north of state Route 94

Request comes as heat wave forecast grows worse for San Diego County.

William Stafford would live at the home at 42457 Old Highway 80 under the proposal by state hospital officials

Privacy Policy Terms of Service Sign Up For Our Newsletters