Helix Water District Nominated for a 2026 East County Honors Award by Helix Water District Jan 27, 2026 Member Submitted News This past week, the San Diego Regional East County Chamber of Commerce announced the nominations for the 114th Annual East County Honors Awards and Helix Water District is a nominee in the environmental stewardship category. This annual event recognizes East County businesses and organizations for outstanding customer service, leadership and making a positive contribution to East County communities. The public selects the nominees and votes for the winners. Voting closes on February 8 and winners will be announced on February 28. “We don’t know who nominated us, but I think I know why,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates-Hedberg. “Leadership. Last year, we led a multi-agency effort to restore the governance, management and financial health of The Water Conservation Garden. The Garden is the one place where San Diegans can experience the beauty of water efficient plants and trees. It is an important and cherished resource.” Helix also received Green Business certification in 2025 from the California Green Business Network and the City of La Mesa. The recognition is based on how the district manages energy, pollution prevention, solid waste, transportation, wastewater, water and community. “But that’s not all we did last year,” said Coates-Hedberg. “The board and staff at Helix look for the sustainable solution to every task and project while always considering the fiscal impact on our customers.” Environmental Stewardship – Energy Last year, Helix began transforming its Nat L. Eggert Operations Center to meet California’s advanced clean fleets regulation. In March, the district will complete a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art charging infrastructure — the largest medium and heavy-duty fleet charging installation in California. Helix received over $10 million in grant funding to complete the $11 million project – ensuring that the project had minimal impact on water rates. The charging system will support the district’s transition to a zero-emissions operations fleet and serve as a regional charging hub for other public agencies. The new charging system is not the district’s first step towards sustainability. The operations fleet currently runs on 100% renewable diesel, which reduced the district’s carbon emissions by an estimated 500 metric tons per year. And rooftop solar panels help to power the operations center. Helix buys its electricity through a power purchase agreement. Helix customers have benefitted from double-digit cost savings, as high as 18%, on electric commodity costs for the last several years and the district has secured the renewable energy supply it needs through 2030. Managing lighting and heating ventilation and air conditioning in all its facilities has also made a difference. In 2023, the Climate Registry recognized Helix as a Water-Energy Leader Gold organization for reducing the district’s electric use by 15% and greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. Environmental Stewardship – Water In late 2026, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program will come online. The program is a collaborative effort between Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego to create a new, local, drought-proof water supply. Helix will be the customer and the exceptionally clean water will meet up to 30% of the district’s needs. Helix will put the purified water in Lake Jennings, treat it at its treatment plant and distribute it. AWP stands for advanced water purification. It’s a treatment process like desalination, but for recycled water instead of ocean water. It’s been used for decades in California and around the world. State of California regulations dictate operations and safeguards at every step. The environmental benefits of East County AWP are clear. It will reduce the district’s dependence on shrinking snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains and bolster its water supply when drought grips California and the Southwest. This is why 36 other AWP projects are in development across California. Helix customers are paying for the water, not the project. Helix will buy the water East County AWP produces at a slightly lower price than it pays for imported water. The discount is East County AWP reimbursing Helix for its own construction to prepare for this new water supply. In 2023, The San Diego Architectural Foundation honored Helix with an Orchid Award for ‘Landscape Architecture’ for its WaterSmart Demonstration Garden, which is located at its offices in La Mesa. A key requirement for the design of the gardens was that all of the plants selected had to be accessible to the public at local nurseries. And, since the 1990s, Helix has taught each new generation of customers the benefits of water efficiency, promoted the adoption of high-efficiency appliances and irrigation, and encouraged the use of climate-appropriate landscaping. In 1994, Helix customers used, on average, 142 gallons of water per person, per day. Last year, customers used 90 gallons per day. Thank You “I’d like to thank the individual who nominated Helix,” said Coates-Hedberg. “…and encourage everyone in East County to look for ways that they too can be environmental stewards.”
