California’s powerful regional water districts are working alongside Gov. Jerry Brown to take on more responsibility for designing, building and arranging financing for a $15.7-billion twin-tunnel project that would ship water southward from Northern California as they push to finally close the deal on the controversial plan, two officials working closely on the project told the Associated Press.
California has had an uncharacteristically rainy season this year and, after years of severe drought, I know we all welcome this replenishment of California’s water tables. While Governor Brown has lifted the state’s emergency drought order, it is important to remember that water is still a precious resource. On average, Californians use over 190 gallons of water a day. Higher water usage is linked to higher home energy usage, and many Californians suffer from water over usage in individual homes.
San Diego County Water Authority directors have met behind closed doors more than three times a week on average since the start of the year, putting the agency on pace to surpass last year’s tally of gatherings that critics say could run afoul of open-meetings laws. U-T Watchdog reviewed payroll records — the only documentation available for the meetings — and found that directors appointed to the 36-member board were paid to attend 55 private meetings through the end of April. That’s 10 more than were held over the same time period in 2016 — a year in which board members held more than 100 meetings out of public view.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
