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From The Archives December 12, 1947: San Diego Aqueduct Dedicated

In 1947 the $14 million San Diego Aqueduct was dedicated and put into operation as the Navy officially turned over control to the County Water Authority. The 71-mile aqueduct brought Colorado River water from Riverside County to the San Vicente Reservoir near Lakeside. The Navy sponsored and supervised the construction in order to ensure a supply of water for the important naval and military establishments in and around San Diego. When Colorado River water finally flowed through the aqueduct into San Vicente Reservoir, San Diego had less than a month’s supply on hand.

San Diego Received More Rain In Three Months Than All Of Last Year

The recent fall storms that soaked San Diego set rainfall records across the county – putting a dent in the drought and making a difference at local lakes. Adam Roser is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Some of the areas got over two or three inches. Usually, it’s confined to the mountains – kind of the higher precipitation totals. This time it was a lot of places on the coast.” The National Weather Service said San Diego Airport received over 2.5 inches of rain. In just three months, San Diego received 3.98-inches of rainfall – more than the 3.34-inches of rain San Diego received in all of last year.

Sewage Spill Continues To Pollute Tijuana River For Third Straight Day

A sewage spill that federal officials said started Monday night south of the border continues to flood the Tijuana River with millions of gallons of raw effluent. A ruptured collector pipe in southeast Tijuana is leaking roughly 7 million gallons a day of sewage into the river, according to the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. The IBWC said utility officials in Baja would attempt to divert the flows Wednesday from the Tijuana River back into CESPT’s wastewater treatment system.

Carlsbad Desalination Plant Purifies 40 Billionth Gallon of Ocean Water

The newest source of drinking water in our county just reached a major milestone. Around 100 million gallons of seawater are pumped through the filters at the Carlsbad desalination plant every day. Within about three hours that water is purified and sent to the taps. After three strong years, the plant just produced its 40 billionth gallon of drinking water. That’s enough water to fill a billion bathtubs, or fill every floor of the empire state building, 145 times.

Metropolitan Water District approves Colorado River shortage plan

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday approved a plan for sharing Colorado River delivery cuts if a shortage is declared on the drought-depleted river.

The vote by the district, which imports water to the Southland, represents another step in a years-long attempt to forge a shortage agreement among the seven states that depend on the Colorado for drinking and irrigation supplies.

Major Rollback of Water Rules Endorsed by California Farmers

The Trump administration proposed withdrawing federal protections for countless waterways and wetlands across the country Tuesday, making good on President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to weaken landmark Obama-era water rules long opposed by some developers, farmers and oil, gas, and mining executives.

Ongoing Spill in Mexico Flooding Tijuana River with Millions of Gallons of Raw Sewage

The equivalent of more than six million gallons a day of raw sewage has been spilling into the Tijuana River since Monday night, according to federal officials. The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, or IBWC, said Tuesday that counterparts in Mexico informed the agency that the cause of the sewage leak was a ruptured collector pipe. Federal officials said the aging collector underwent millions of dollars in upgrades over the last year but had yet to be fully rehabilitated.

Carr Fire Damage Continues to Threaten Water Supplies

More than three months after the Carr Fire was contained, the burned out hillsides the deadly blaze left behind continue to pose a threat to water quality in western Shasta County.

The barren fire-scarred hillsides could cause drinking water quality problems for communities that rely on water from Whiskeytown Lake, according to a report written for the Shasta County Public Works Department.

Martinez To Take Helm At IID

After only a little more than six months as the Imperial Irrigation District energy manager, Henry Martinez will be the next permanent general manager of the district starting Jan. 1. Martinez succeeds current GM Kevin Kelley, who will retire as of Dec. 31.

Trump Administration Unveils Major Clean Water Act Rollback

The Trump administration unveiled its plan Tuesday for a major rollback of the Clean Water Act, a blueprint drawn up at the behest of farm groups, real estate developers and other business interests that would end federal protections on thousands of miles of streams and wetlands. The proposal has big implications for California and other arid Western states, where many of the seasonal streams and wetlands that are a foundation of drinking-water supplies and sensitive ecosystems would lose federal protection. Acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the Obama-era rule that put those waters under the protection of the Clean Water Act “further expanded Washington’s reach into privately owned lands.”