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La Mesa, San Diego Residents Take Top Honors in Regional Photo Contest

San Diego, Calif. – A beauty shot of an East Count reservoir and a portrait of a young couple at Sunset Cliffs took the top prizes in the San Diego County Water Authority’s “Brought to You by Water” photo contest during Water Awareness Month in May.

Drought-Resistant Water Supply Basin Breaks Ground In Templeton

Construction crews broke ground on a new drought-resistant water supply on Friday in Templeton.  The “Upper Salinas River Basin Conjunctive Use Project” will capture existing wastewater that is currently being released outside of the Atascadero Basin and returns the water to the Meadowbrook Wastewater Treatment Plant. Templeton Community Services District officials say this essentially increases the water supply by an additional 242 acre-feet per year.

California Drinking Water Tax Dies In Budget Compromise

A proposed tax on California’s drinking water, designed to clean up contaminated water for thousands of Californians, was abandoned by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders Friday as part of the compromise on the state budget. Lawmakers and Brown’s office scrapped the “Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Act,” which would have taxed residents 95 cents a month to raise millions for cleaning toxic wells. Instead, legislative leaders agreed to spend $5 million from the general fund to deal with lead in drinking water at child care centers.

San Diego Officials Remind Residents Of Upcoming Water Rate Increase

San Diego city officials are reminding residents of an upcoming hike to their water rates. Starting Aug. 1, city water rates will go up 2.16 percent — pending a San Diego County Water Authority vote on June 28. The rate increase was approved by the San Diego City Council in 2015, with funding from the hike to be used for “water reliability and infrastructure improvements,” according to city officials.

Forecast: More Drought Ahead For Ventura County, Southern California

Ventura County has spent five straight months under severe drought conditions, despite some big storms earlier this year. That’s not expected to change anytime soon – at least not for the better. “California has gone into its dry season now,” said Adam Allgood, meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Texts Reveal Political Maneuvering Ahead Of MWD’s Delta Tunnels Vote

The days leading up to a key funding vote on the delta tunnels project were marked by intense politicking and head-counting by board members at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The behind-the-scenes campaign to get the board to approve nearly $11 billion in financing for the water delivery project is spelled out in a series of texts and emails that Metropolitan released Thursday in response to a Public Records Act request filed by two groups that challenged the April 10 approval.