San Diego battles water fee increases SAN DIEGO, April 24 (UPI) — San Diego’s water agency says neighbors in a huge water consortium are forcing it to pay too much for water, and the battle’s playing out in court and online. The consortium, which provides water to 19 million customers in Southern California, imposed back-to-back 5 percent annual water rate increases on San Diego two weeks ago, The New York Times reported. Help spread the word! Share this article:Tweet