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Southern California Plans To Spend $11 Billion On The Delta Tunnels. Who Will End Up Paying?

When the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to finance the lion’s share of the delta tunnels project, some on the board called it a bold stroke of leadership. The delegations from Los Angeles and San Diego, however, called the move alarming, financially risky and irresponsible. MWD’s two largest member agencies, L.A. and the San Diego County Water Authority, were on the losing end of last week’s vote to invest nearly $11 billion in the construction of two massive tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, left, Cindy Messer, Chief Deputy Director (DWR), center, assists Frank Gehrke, Chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, with the fourth snow survey of 2018 at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The survey site is approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Photo: Dale Kolke / California Department of Water Resources

San Diego County Water Supplies Sufficient Despite Low Snowpack

San Diego County has secured sufficient water supplies for 2018 and beyond despite below-average, low snowpack in the Sierra Nevada at the start of April when the snowpack typically peaks.

The April 2 survey by the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program showed water content in the snowpack statewide increased from 23 percent of average on March 1 to 54 percent of the historical average at the start of April. The early-April snow survey is deemed the most important for forecasting supplies from the State Water Project, which provides about 15 percent of the San Diego region’s water supplies.

“That’s a big improvement over last month, and there are still storms moving through the Sierra,” Alexi Schnell, a water resources specialist for the Water Authority, told the agency’s Board on April 12.

Water Use Drops Nearly 50 Percent

In San Diego County, ratepayers have invested heavily in drought-resilient supplies from water recycling, seawater desalination and conservation-and-transfer agreements for high-priority supplies from the Colorado River.

At the same time, the region’s per capita potable water use dropped by 47 percent between fiscal years 1990 and 2017 due to numerous conservation programs coupled with a strong commitment by residents and businesses countywide to “Live WaterSmart.”

In addition to the State Water Project, the San Diego region’s water supplies come from local sources such as the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Colorado River, which accounts for roughly three quarters of local supplies. Late March conditions in the Upper Colorado River Basin were better than the Sierra at 72 percent of normal snowpack – though the basin remains in a long-term drought.

Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, left, Cindy Messer, Chief Deputy Director (DWR), center, assists Frank Gehrke, Chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, with the fourth snow survey of 2018 at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The survey site is approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Photo: Dale Kolke / California Department of Water Resources low snowpack

Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, left, Cindy Messer, Chief Deputy Director (DWR), center, assists Frank Gehrke, Chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, with the fourth snow survey of 2018 at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The survey site is approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Photo:
Dale Kolke / California Department of Water Resources

Water Year Marked by Hot, Dry Conditions

On the home front, Lindbergh Field and the Ramona Airport have reported only 33 percent and 40 percent of normal rainfall respectively since the start of the water year in October.

In addition, the local hot streak persisted through late-winter, with average daily maximum temperatures at Lindbergh Field remaining above normal into early April. Over the past four years, only two months have been cooler than normal.

 

Report: Drought Expands; Oklahoma Sees Worst Conditions

Drought is tightening its grip across the American Southwest as extreme conditions spread from Oklahoma to Utah, according to new federal data released Thursday. On the southern high plains, Oklahoma remains ground zero for the worst drought conditions in the United States. About 20 percent of the state is facing exceptional drought conditions — the worst possible classification. Most of Colorado also is under severe drought and almost all of the Texas Panhandle is seeing extreme drought or worse conditions.

Tunnel Vision: What The Big Water Vote Means

Last fall, after years of study, the state’s largest water agency voted to spend $4 billion on a new project to bring water south from Northern California’s rivers. Other water agencies were supposed to help pay, but most backed out. On Tuesday, after a few weeks of scrambling, Metropolitan decided the project was worth nearly any price. Its board voted to spend $11 billion to save the project. For the extra billions of dollars, there’s no guarantee of more water.

Southern California Water Agency Votes To Fund Controversial Plan To Build Two Delta Tunnels

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted Tuesday to shoulder most of the cost of revamping the system that delivers water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta to the Southland, committing nearly $11 billion to building two massive tunnels.

Recent Years Prove We Need More Water Storage

The first thing to remember about precipitation in California is that it’s unpredictable, as the past several winters have once again shown us. Several years of severe drought ended in the 2016-17 winter with near-record rain and snow storms that filled the state’s badly depleted reservoirs. The 2017-18 “water year,” as hydrologists call it, began with what seemed to be a return to drought but then, in March, the state experienced a steady stream of storms that added to the Sierra snowpack upon which Californians are so dependent.

Commentary: Why A Tax On Drinking Water Is Wrong

The vast majority of Californians are fortunate enough to take access to clean drinking water for granted. However, the fact that some Californians in small, rural communities do not have this access is a travesty in this modern day and age. It can and must be fixed as an urgent state priority. Resolving this unacceptable situation will come at a high price.

Vallecitos District Logo

Vallecitos Water District Receive Re-Accreditation as ‘District of Distinction’

San Marcos, Calif. – On April 4, the Vallecitos Water District was honored for achieving re-accreditation as a “District of Distinction” by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF). The accreditation is designed as a way for districts to highlight their prudent fiscal practices along with other areas important to effectively operate and govern a special district. California SDLF public affairs field coordinator Chris Palmer was on hand to recognize Vallecitos for completing the essential governance requirements. This is the second time Vallecitos has received this biannual accreditation.

San Diego County's six climate zone according to CIMIS

San Diego’s Six CIMIS Climate Zones

Your landscape’s water needs go a long way toward determining your garden’s design and your plant choices. By choosing wisely, you can minimize the need for artificial irrigation and still create a beautiful, sustainable landscape.

Under the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS), San Diego County is divided into six climate zones: Coastal, Coastal Inland, Upland Central, Transition, Mountain and Desert.

This climate system provides you factors to help you understand which plants will thrive in your landscaping under its native conditions. Gardening in harmony with your local climate zone and your microclimate helps you use resources, including water, most efficiently.

Which CIMIS climate zone are you in?

Zone 1: Coastal Prairie
The Coastal Prairie zone hugs our county’s coastline. It is the zone most strongly influenced by the ocean, with a mild marine climate resulting from the warm Pacific Ocean. Winters are mild, summers are cool, and there is almost always moisture in the air.

Zone 4: South Coast Inland
South Coastal Inland areas are just inland from the beach, or on high bluffs above the coastline. You can feel the ocean breeze, but you can’t taste the salt in the air. There is less fog and humidity than the immediate coastal area, and higher temperatures.

Zone 6: Upland Central
The higher elevation Upland Central areas are influenced both by moist coastal air and dry interior air. Humidity, morning fog, and wind are moderate, with low annual rainfall.

Zone 9: Transition
This marine-to-desert transition climate is farther inland. It features a combination of warmer thermal belts and cold-air basins and hilltops, with occasional marine influence. The climate can vary from heavy fog to dry Santa Ana winds.

Zone 16: Mountain
Steep slopes, variation in sun and wind exposure, shallow soils and heavier rainfall affect plants in the Mountain regions. Average annual rainfall is 30 inches, and wet years can bring 45 inches or more.

Zone 18: Desert
Dry and hot daytime conditions combine with cold nighttime temperatures in the Desert zone. Humidity is very low, and water is scarce. Average annual rainfall can be as low as 2.5 inches, with an average of just 6 inches.

Learn more about the specifics of your climate and microclimate on the California Irrigation Management Information System website, and the Sunset Western Garden Book website.

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. Hardcopies are available free of charge at the Water Authority’s headquarters, 4677 Overland Ave., Kearny Mesa. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.

The California Water Environment Association of San Diego recognized Vallecitos Water District wastewater treatment plant supervisor Dawn McDougle as its 2018 Supervisor of the Year. Photo: Courtesy VWD

Vallecitos Supervisor Honored for 28 Years of Environmental Protection

From her first day on the job at Vallecitos Water District in 1988, Dawn McDougle knew that she wanted to finish her career at the San Marcos-based water agency.

Her dedication, innovation, and commitment to the community have paid off in many ways over the decades. In January, they brought McDougle to the forefront of the region’s water industry when the California Water Environment Association of San Diego recognized her as Supervisor of the Year for her career of excellence, safety and protecting the environment.

McDougle started at Vallecitos as an industrial waste technician at a time when few women performed this work. She advanced her career by taking classes and earning certifications – and she helped others by mentoring and coaching them along the way. In 2002, McDougle was promoted to wastewater treatment plant supervisor.

Career Accomplishments Benefit the Community

Over the past 16 years, McDougle played a major role in the operation and management of the Meadowlark Reclamation Facility – recognized in 2009 with an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“It’s been an awesome road with the Vallecitos Water District, and I am always going to be grateful to say I spent my career here and achieved all the goals I wanted to achieve,” said MdDougle.

McDougle’s tenure at Meadowlark included the recent completion of a $30 million expansion to an important part of Vallecitos’ water supply program that reduces demand on imported water supplies for northern San Diego County. The facility produces recycled water for golf courses at La Costa and the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad, several school sites, Legoland and the Carlsbad Flower Fields.

McDougle masterminded the use of new process units that extended the useful life of the Meadowlark plant well beyond 2030. With many constraints along the way, she kept the existing plant operating while constructing a new plant and meeting the plant expansion output goal of 5 million gallons per day.

McDougle’s staff at Meadowlark praise her extensive knowledge, her leadership, and her generosity in passing on her knowledge to others. “Dawn gave me an opportunity … She’s been great, she shows me what I have to do in order to be a successful operator. She’s top notch in this industry,” said Fernando Mata, Plant Operator.

The Meadowlark facility is visited frequently by students and ratepayers, because it provides an excellent opportunity to see how wastewater is converted to a valuable resource. Vallecitos developed successful outreach programs with McDougle’s guidance, including the California Water Environment Association “Wake up to Wastewater” tour, and the district’s award-winning Water Academy tour.

During the Water Academy tour, McDougle highlights how the district plays an integral role in protecting the environment through water reuse. It showcases an industry leader, who has spent her career making sure the district’s facilities live up to their promise.