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California Commission Votes To Eliminate Sativa Water District Over Brown Water Issues

/in , /by /ABC7 (Los Angeles)by Carlos Granda

Compton and Willowbrook residents wanted to make sure their message was heard loud and clear during a hearing. “We should have clean water here,” one resident said. Inside where a meeting was being held, residents told their stories. For months they have complained of brown, murky and smelly water coming out of their taps. “It’s very heartbreaking to see that we get dirty water. But it’s more heartbreaking to get no response from Sativa,” resident Martha Barajas said. There are allegations the district has been mismanaged and it operated without enough oversight.

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Agency That Delivered Brown, Smelly Water To Customers Should Be Dissolved, Board Rules

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Angel Jennings and Ruben Vives

Residents of working-class neighborhoods in Compton and Willowbrook have long fought an uphill battle against their local water district, which over the years has been accused of mismanagement, nepotism, bad service and, most recently, sending brown, smelly water through their taps. Still, Sativa Los Angeles County Water District managed to stay in business. But on Wednesday, residents won a decisive victory when county authorities voted unanimously to dissolve the troubled agency. The action by L.A. County’s Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, kicks off a lengthy and rare process to get rid of a water district.

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Some Residents’ Water Bills Jumped 500 Percent Or More In The Last 14 Months

/in , /by /The Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

Over 1,000 city of San Diego water customers have complained about bill spikes and other billing problems so far this year, hundreds more than the city has previously acknowledged and far more than in recent years. But the number of customers who experienced dramatic bill spikes could be even higher than just those who’ve complained to the city. Hundreds if not thousands more customers experienced billing spikes in 2017 and early 2018, according to an analysis of water department billing records by Voice of San Diego and NBC 7 Responds.

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Knowing how to classify your plants by water use characteristics will help you plan your sustainable landscaping. Photo: Water Authority plant factor

Evapotranspiration: The Key To Watering Your Plants

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How much water do plants really need in your landscaping?

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the process of assessing various factors to determine how much water plants use, and when they need it. ET is a quick, simple way for landscape experts to explain environmental conditions such as solar radiation (sunshine) or cloud cover. The stronger the sun’s rays, the higher the ET. 

Think of plant leaves as having similar properties to solar panels. They gather energy that enables plants to transform water and carbon dioxide from the air into oxygen and sugars for growing, and for feeding soil microbes. Transpiration of moisture through leaves is a little like people sweating. It cools down the leaves. Water also evaporates from the soil itself around plants. The combined water loss from the plants and the soil together makes up evapotranspiration.  

Why do you need to know this? Understanding water loss in terms of ET is helpful when you select plants for sustainable landscaping, so you choose the lowest Landscape Water Requirements; in planning irrigation; and managing the Soil Moisture Account.  

Look for Four Characteristics Shared By Drought–Tolerant Plants 

Do you need help identifying climate-appropriate plant choices for your new sustainable landscaping? There are four characteristics shared by drought-tolerant plants. 

Stiff, Leathery Leaves: These leaves hold on to water and stay evergreen most of the year. 

Silver or Hairy Leaves: Light colored leaves reflect sunlight, cooling the plant. Hairy leaves hold moisture longer and keep the plant cooled off. 

Tiny Leaves: These are like tiny solar panels, easier to keep cool than one large hot surface. 

Solar Tracking Leaves: These leaves seem to stand at attention in the middle of the day, straight up and down. As the day progresses, the leaves become more horizontal as the plant shifts its solar panel leaves to minimize sun exposure. Many California native plants like manzanitas have this ingenious adaptation.  

The Water Authority’s Sustainable Landscaping guidebook contains a Plant List with climate-appropriate plants. They are also highlighted throughout the guidebook. 

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org.  The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.   

 

 

  

Agency Ups Incentives For Water-Efficient Landscaping

/in , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Mark Armao Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County residents who replace the turf in their yards with sustainable landscaping features can receive $2.75 per square foot of upgrades, thanks to a recently launched incentive program. Administered by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Landscape Transformation Program boosts the incentive amount of an existing program in the hopes of not only saving water, but also reducing stormwater runoff and green waste.

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OPINION: Recommendation Will Help Preserve Delta’s Health

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)

The State Water Resources Control Board provided a voice of sanity to California’s water wars Friday. The board, which oversees California’s water rights issues, recommended significant increases in the water flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in order to preserve its long-term health. Whew. What a relief. It’s a welcome departure from Southern California and the Trump administration’s non-stop efforts to send more water south at the expense of the Delta’s water quality and eco-system.

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Metropolitan Water District Again Approves Delta Tunnel Funding

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina Boxall

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Tuesday reaffirmed its approval of an $11-billion investment in a massive water delivery project with a vote that highlighted a deepening division on the agency’s board. The re-vote followed a complaint that some board members had violated California’s open meetings law when they engaged in a series of phone calls and text messages prior to the board’s April 10 decision to finance two-thirds of California WaterFix.

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Nonprofit Files Plan To Remove Four Klamath Dams

/in , /by /Capital Press (Salem, Ore.)by George Plaven

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation has filed its “Definite Plan” with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to remove four hydroelectric dams on the lower Klamath River. Four hydroelectric dams blocking fish passage along the lower Klamath River in southern Oregon and northern California are slated for removal under a “Definite Plan” filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The dams — J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2 and Iron Gate — were built between 1911 and 1962, and are currently operated by PacifiCorp with a combined generation capacity of 169 megawatts.

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Water Authority Offers Incentives To Replace Grass In San Diego County

/in , /by /CBS 8by Kerri Lane Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Residents in San Diego County now can receive $2.75 per square foot for replacing turf with sustainable landscaping features as part of a new Landscape Transformation Program launched Tuesday across Southern California. The new program includes a partnership by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to boost the per-square-foot incentive amount available in the Water Authority’s service area and streamline the application process.

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Southern California Water Agency Agrees To Spend $11 Billion On Delta Tunnels – Again

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Southern California’s powerful water agency reaffirmed its commitment to the Delta tunnels project Tuesday, agreeing for a second time to spend nearly $11 billion on a majority stake in the twin tunnels. The vote by the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California keeps the controversial $16.7 billion project moving forward, although plenty of hurdles remain before construction can begin, including numerous court challenges.

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