The beginning of the eighth year of drought conditions in Santa Barbara should be a red-alert for water managers, but the crisis is being managed. A multi-part plan is being used to slow down the water use and preserve what’s in the local storage sites both above and below the ground.
In January of this year, a state law went into effect that requires public schools throughout California to test their drinking water for lead by July of 2019. Lawmakers enacted the regulation in an effort to improve water quality at schools. And while thousands of water districts have now tested their water for lead, a special report out of the education news website EdSource found many ways in which the law is lacking.
Rain showers moved across Northern California on Tuesday after months of extremely dry weather. “What’s that on the radar? Yep, it’s rain!” the Sacramento National Weather Service office tweeted. Showers were reported from the coast inland to the state capital and the San Joaquin Valley, but rainfall rates varied greatly. The 0.01 inch (0.25 millimeter) of rainfall received in Fresno by early afternoon was enough to crow about.
In parched, drought-stricken California, where water is considered liquid gold, the politics of power and wealth are playing out in real-time.
The California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) recent decision to allow the California American Water Company (Cal-Am) to proceed with its Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project desalination plant is great news – that is, if you live in Carmel, Pacific Grove or Monterey.
You don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy edible plants in your sustainable landscaping. Many native plants and herbs have fruit and leaves you can harvest. They can be mixed into any climate-appropriate planting design.
Organic growing methods including sheet mulching (as explained in an earlier post) and integrated pest management ensure the health of the soil, crops, and people who enjoy them.
It’s smart to position edible plants together in your landscaping to take advantage of their irrigation needs in a limited area. If the rest of the landscaping is using minimal water, you can spare a little more for your fruits and veggies in their specific zone. Be sure to irrigate with the most efficient system possible.
Improved Meyer Lemon trees (Citrus ‘Improved Meyer’) are popular sustainable landscaping features in San Diego County gardens. Photo: Wikimedia/Creative Commons
Fruit trees, especially citrus, thrive in San Diego County’s climates with just a little bit of care. Some top choices include:
Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
Chinese Date (Ziziphus jujuba)
Santa Rosa Plum (Prunus salicina)
Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana)
Improved Meyer Lemon (Citrus ‘Improved Meyer’)
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.
Spring Valley, CA – Today, Board member of the Otay Water District Gary Croucher, officially will begin to serve his two-year term as Vice Chair of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors. At its Sept. 27 meeting, the Water Authority Board unanimously elected Croucher as incoming Vice Chair, along with Jim Madaffer from the City of San Diego as incoming Chair and Christy Guerin from Olivenhain Municipal Water District as incoming Secretary.
Encinitas, CA—Olivenhain Municipal Water District invites local residents to attend a workshop that will cover the fundamentals of landscaping for fire protection. This free event will be held on Thursday, October 18, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve’s Interpretive Center Honoring Susan J. Varty.
California began a new water year Monday with some rain falling or in the immediate forecast after 12 months of below-average precipitation. The Department of Water Resources said the Oct.1-Sept. 30 water year that ended Sunday was marked by hot and dry conditions, except for sporadic significant precipitation. During the period, the statewide snowpack was just 58 percent of average by April 1, a dramatic reversal from the previous water year in which the pack reached 159 percent of average.
The remnants of Hurricane Rosa are forecast to bring heavy rain and the threat of flash flooding to the Southwest over the next few days. The now-tropical storm – which had been as strong as a Category 4 hurricane – is poised to make landfall along Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula on Monday evening, where heavy rain was already being reported.
Flint, Mich., isn’t the only place where tap water is poisonous. Shockingly, more than 1 million California residents are exposed to unsafe tap water each year in our homes, schools and public buildings. Latino and low-income communities are suffering the most. At the same time, longer droughts and shrinking Sierra snowpack endanger the water supplies of millions more Californians, and threaten extinction for salmon and other wildlife. More extreme storms have exposed vulnerable old dams and canals that need maintenance to protect us from floods and deliver water to homes and farms.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
