Why this matters
The Otay Water District serves more than 240,000 customers in southeastern San Diego County.
The Otay Water District will appoint a new board member following the resignation of Tim Smith.
Board members voted at a meeting earlier this month to make an appointment instead of holding a special election. Officials are accepting applications for the vacancy through Aug. 26.
Smith joined the board in 2014 and represented Division 1, which stretches westward from the Otay Reservoir. He served as its president three times.
“Reflecting on my time in the water industry and my service alongside my fellow Otay board members, I am extremely proud of our accomplishments,” Smith’s resignation letter read. “Together, we have diligently served our ratepayers and fostered greater collaboration among water agencies across the region and state.”
Before his tenure at Otay, Smith worked at the San Diego County Water Authority and the Helix Water District. He also lectured at San Diego State University where he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering.
Among future plans developed during Smith’s tenure was for the Otay Water District to receive water from a recycled water facility in Santee set to launch in 2026.
The Otay Water District is a public agency that serves south and east San Diego communities from east Chula Vista, to Jamul, to border communities on the U.S.- Mexico border.
The agency purchases desalinated water from the county Water Authority and mostly draws on water piped in from Northern California and the Colorado River.
This story came from notes taken by Alex Blood, a San Diego Documenter, at an Otay Water District meeting this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read more about the program here.
Type of Content
Brief: An account of a public government proceeding, written and edited by the San Diego Documenters.
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