{"id":220699,"date":"2026-03-15T12:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T12:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/220699\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T12:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T12:24:10","slug":"escondido-avocado-growers-hurt-by-some-of-san-diegos-priciest-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/220699\/","title":{"rendered":"Escondido avocado growers hurt by some of San Diego’s priciest water"},"content":{"rendered":"

Burnet Wohlford\u2019s family built Escondido\u2019s water supply.<\/p>\n

More than a century ago, his great-grandfather, Alvin, directed water to the area from the San Luis Rey River along a rock and brush canal. It\u2019s a legacy built into the landscape, the dammed reservoir northeast of town bearing the family\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

But all these years later, the water system Wohlford\u2019s family helped build is the very thing making life harder for him.<\/p>\n

Wohlford owns his family\u2019s avocado and citrus grove on the outskirts of Escondido, a patrimony passed down to him through the generations. But for him and other avocado growers in the city, one cost can eat into their budget more than any other \u2014 water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ranch hasn\u2019t made a profit in probably five or six years,\u201d Wohlford said one morning as traffic on Valley Center Road roared by the edge of his grove.<\/p>\n

Escondido and surrounding environs are the center of the San Diego region\u2019s avocado industry. The cities and towns of the avocado belt, especially Escondido, also have some of the priciest water in San Diego County, a region notorious for its high water costs.<\/p>\n

For growers of a water-intensive crop like avocados, those high costs are exceptionally burdensome. On average, 60% of operating costs for Escondido avocado groves go just to water, according to a 2024 report from the California Avocado Commission.<\/p>\n

\"BurnetBurnet Wohlford and his dog walk through avocado groves on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a struggle,\u201d Wohlford said. \u201cI\u2019m very very fortunate that my ancestor bought property. If I was making payments on the property or on my mortgage, boy, that\u2019d be tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the 22 water utilities connected to the San Diego County Water Authority, Escondido has the second-highest average monthly cost per person<\/a> trailing only Del Mar, according to a report last year from the Policy and Innovation Center, a local think tank.<\/p>\n

Escondido\u2019s volumetric water rate \u2014 how much customers pay for the water itself, not other fixed costs that get built into a water bill \u2014 is among the region\u2019s highest, too. Only three other districts \u2014 San Diego, Carlsbad and Encinitas\u2019 San Dieguito Water District \u2014 are more expensive, according to a report last year commissioned by the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO.<\/p>\n

Those high rates prompted a major change for the county water authority nearly three years ago, when two other water districts in the heart of avocado country \u2014 Fallbrook and Rainbow \u2014 split from it to join\u00a0the Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside County instead.<\/p>\n

For Fallbrook farmers, monthly water bills have since fallen by 25%, said district spokesperson Noelle Denke. But after the two agencies\u2019 departure, the county water authority had to recoup the cost of losing sales to those districts by raising rates for customers. The split caused monthly water bills to raise anywhere between $2 to $18, depending on a customer\u2019s location.<\/p>\n

Escondido water officials have no plans to secede. But like the districts that did, they also blame their high costs on the county water authority, which over-built the region\u2019s water supply with agreements that require it to buy more water than it needs. The county water authority still has to cover its fixed costs \u2014 and that gets passed on to customers.<\/p>\n

But in North County, many other factors influence water prices in the avocado groves.<\/p>\n

\"AA worker picks citrus on Eddie\u00a0Grangetto\u2019s farm on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Servicing a mountainous areas like Escondido drives up costs, as an expensive network of pipes and pump stations is needed to move water up and down considerable inclines, said Kyle Morgan, the city\u2019s acting director of utilities and wastewater.<\/p>\n

Old infrastructure doesn\u2019t help, either. In some areas, Escondido still relies on infrastructure from more than a hundred years ago, Morgan said. Historically, the city took a \u201creactive\u201d approach to its water infrastructure, opting to fix aging infrastructure instead of replacing it, he added.<\/p>\n

That dynamic points to a crucial balancing act water officials have to make when deciding how to invest taxpayer dollars: If water rates are kept too low, that denies money to necessary, big-ticket infrastructure upgrades. And in the long term, deferring maintenance and upgrades only make inevitable rate hikes even worse.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can sit there and not raise rates and be the public hero, but you\u2019re eventually going to have a massive jump in rates,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cWe\u2019re not growing grass; we\u2019re running very complex equipment that\u2019s expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA sprinkler waters avocados at Burnet Wohlford\u2019s farm on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nA shrinking industry<\/p>\n

As a young man, Eddie Grangetto didn\u2019t see himself as an avocado grower. But he grew up immersed in his family\u2019s avocado business, which included a small agricultural supply company and a grove where there\u2019s now a Costco in San Marcos.<\/p>\n

When Grangetto finally came around to joining the family business, he first saw it as a way to make a living. But in his years as an avocado grower, he\u2019s come to cherish the crop, seeing it as an important legacy of the region\u2019s rural economy and vast open spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we bring to Escondido goes way beyond just the business part of it,\u201d Grangetto said. \u201cWe want to do our part, but we can\u2019t do it if we can\u2019t be sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnAn avocado grove at Eddie\u00a0Grangetto\u2019s farm on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

San Diego County accounts for about a quarter of California\u2019s overall avocado acreage, contributing $148 million in economic output and employing thousands of people as of 2024, according to the state avocado commission.<\/p>\n

Escondido accounted for about a tenth of the county\u2019s output and employment. But from 2014 to 2022, the area lost about a quarter of its avocado acreage, falling from about 2,000 acres to 1,500, according to the commission.<\/p>\n

Extreme heat and rising water costs have fueled that trend.<\/p>\n

In the late 2010s, a series of heat waves hit north inland San Diego County, with temperatures hitting 112 degrees in 2018 and 115 just two years later. Avocado trees struggle above 100 degrees, and after that kind of heat, a tree will drop its fruit once temperatures moderate, said Enrico Ferro, an avocado grower in Valley Center who is president of the community\u2019s water district.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, certain agricultural water rates in Escondido more than doubled.<\/p>\n

\"AvocadosAvocados being watered at Eddie\u00a0Grangetto\u2019s farm on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

In 2016, agricultural water customers that use the county water authority\u2019s special rate for farmers paid $3.31 for every 1,000 gallons of water they use. Today, that rate is $7.82.<\/p>\n

By comparison, Fallbrook growers pay $6.12 for every 1,000 gallons of water. Farther north in Ventura County, another major avocado region, growers in the Casitas Municipal Water District pay $2.40 per 1,000 gallons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose extreme weather events could knock off half or three-quarters or even all of your crops,\u201d Ferro said. \u201cIf you\u2019re investing all your money every year in just water for your crop, and it ends up on the ground, that could take you out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s prevented San Diego County\u2019s growers from reaping the benefits of booming appetites for avocados. The average American went from eating about 2 pounds every year in 2001 to 9 pounds today, per the commission.<\/p>\n

In that time, imports from cheaper markets like Mexico have soared as domestic production has stagnated.<\/p>\n

The U.S. produces anywhere from about 150,000 to 200,000 tons of avocados a year, similar to production two decades ago. Meanwhile, Mexican imports have soared from about 60,000 tons in 2002 to 1 million tons in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

\u201cMexico owns this market now,\u201d said John Burr, an avocado grower in Escondido. \u201cWe\u2019re not benefiting. We\u2019re hanging on, and it should be viable for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as Mexican avocados flooded the U.S. market, water costs are the main thing holding back domestic production in many areas, said James Sayre, an agricultural economist at the University of California Davis. Acreage is falling in San Diego County, but in other California regions with cheaper water, like Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties, it\u2019s growing, he noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at the trend for California, you might say clearly it\u2019s been hit by Mexico,\u201d Sayre said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true. It\u2019s that water in San Diego is just really, really expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CitrusCitrus grows on Eddie Grangetto\u2019s farm on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nA lifeline long delayed<\/p>\n

On water costs, the interests of growers and Escondido city officials have converged: Growers need cheaper water, and the city needs to upgrade its strained and aging water system at the lowest possible cost.<\/p>\n

Escondido relies on an outfall pipe that transports the city\u2019s runoff to the ocean via Escondido creek. But growth has pushed the outfall pipe to near capacity, and replacing it is estimated to cost $1 billion.<\/p>\n

So in the mid-2010s, avocado growers lobbied the city to opt for an alternative that would benefit them both \u2014 recycling much of that runoff to irrigate farms. A water-recycling facility\u00a0would ease the strain on the outfall pipe and help service avocado growers with cheaper water.<\/p>\n

Escondido\u2019s MFRO facility \u2014 short for membrane filtration reverse osmosis \u2014 is capable of processing up to 2 million gallons of water a day. It\u2019s different from other recycled-water plants, like Pure Water in San Diego: Water processed in Escondido\u2019s new facility isn\u2019t fit for human consumption, but it\u2019s still good for irrigating avocados.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a community benefit to providing a high-quality water that the trees love for their crops,\u201d said Morgan, the Escondido utilities and wastewater official.<\/p>\n

\"Eddie\u00a0GrangettoEddie\u00a0Grangetto gestures at a view during a tour of his farm on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

But actually getting this lifeline to growers has been slow going. After approving the facility in 2016, Escondido estimated it would cost $33 million. Growers would get the water by 2019, city officials said at the time.<\/p>\n

That still hasn\u2019t happened. Lawsuits and environmental review delayed construction for years. By the time building was complete in 2023, the final cost had ballooned to $65 million.<\/p>\n

\"\"A $6 million distribution system to carry water to avocado groves is also still delayed, with no timeline for going online. Part of the system failed during final testing recently and is currently being redesigned, Morgan said.<\/p>\n

Once growers get connected to the city\u2019s new filtration facility, they\u2019ll pay just $3.08 per 1,000 gallons for the recycled water. For now, those set to get recycled water have been paying a tentative interim rate of $3.20.<\/p>\n

Even with the delays, the growers are understanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel bad for the city,\u201d Wohlford said. \u201cObviously we\u2019re all frustrated, but they\u2019ve had a bad go of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

From his grove on a hillside overlooking the San Pasqual Valley, Grangetto has seen the creep of housing development encroach upon the bucolic views he\u2019s loved for so long. He has a perfect view from the southern end of his grove, where a tank that will soon hold recycled water now sits empty.<\/p>\n

Like other growers, Grangetto\u2019s attitude toward the MFRO plant delays is that it\u2019s better late than never. In the end, it\u2019s \u201cprobably going to save\u201d the city\u2019s growers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce this land is gone, once it becomes a gated community, once it becomes an asphalt jungle, it\u2019s never going to go back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"AvocadosAvocados being watered at Eddie\u00a0Grangetto\u2019s farm on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Escondido. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Burnet Wohlford\u2019s family built Escondido\u2019s water supply. More than a century ago, his great-grandfather, Alvin, directed water to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[387,23,100,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-220699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-business","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}