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California Had A Wet Winter. But A Satellite Photo Shows The State Is Drying Out Fast

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

NASA released a satellite image over the weekend that showed what a large swath of California look like during the winter, when the Sierra Nevada was heavily covered with snow. A second image shows what the same region looks like now. It’s a classic good news, bad news story. Reservoir conditions are good throughout virtually all of California. In April, the snow level in the Sierra was 162 percent of average. The reservoirs will be well stocked for a long period of time.

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California had a wet winter. But a satellite photo shows the state is drying out fast

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

NASA released a satellite image over the weekend that showed what a large swath of California look like during the winter, when the Sierra Nevada was heavily covered with snow. A second image shows what the same region looks like now. It’s a classic good news, bad news story. Reservoir conditions are good throughout virtually all of California. In April, the snow level in the Sierra was 162 percent of average. The reservoirs will be well stocked for a long period of time.

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California’s Roads, Dams And Other Infrastructure Get ‘C-‘ From America’s Civil Engineers

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

California’s infrastructure, from highways to levees to water systems, received an overall grade of “C-” from the American Society of Civil Engineers in its annual evaluation. The Golden State’s airports, wastewater systems and ports received the highest grade at “C+,” while energy came in at a near-failing “D-” in the report released last week. “Recent investments have been made across all 17 categories that comprise the state’s infrastructure network,” the ASCE noted. “However California is playing catch-up after years of under-investment and must identify investment needs for resilient infrastructure in preparation for future natural and man-made disasters.”

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Water Authority Sponsors Photo Contest To Highlight San Diego’s Agricultural Bounty

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

If you’re an amateur photographer with an eye for nature’s agricultural bounty, the San Diego County Water Authority has a contest for you. The water authority is marking Water Awareness Month with a contest on Instagram and Twitter that runs through the end of May. Take a photo of locally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers or nursery plants and tag it with #B2UbyH2O when you post on social media. Winners will be drawn randomly each week. The contest is intended to highlight the significance of agriculture to the regional economy.

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Plunging Into San Diego River Days — Even At Creek Behind El Cajon Mall

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Ken Stone

San Diego River Days isn’t all about the namesake waterway. It’s also about a creek behind an El Cajon mall. On Saturday, the annual civic celebration kicked off with events including ones at Parkway Plaza — which gave a tributary some TLC. “We’re targeting a project in Forester Creek because in particular it’s very polluted and we see a lot of trash,” said Marina Varano, outreach and engagement coordinator for the San Diego River Park Foundation. When it rains, the waste flows enters the San Diego River, she said, “so we want to engage the community in environmental stewardship.”

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Colorado To Make Tough Decisions When It Comes To Water Usage In Drought Contingency Plan

/in , /by /Summit Daily (Frisco, Colo.)by Deepan Dutta

The water battle is over, but the war has just begun. At the 26th annual Summit County State of the River conference at the Silverthorne Pavilion this past Tuesday, the mood was light because of robust snowpack in the mountains and the recent approval of a drought contingency plan to lower water usage during critical shortages among states in the Lower Colorado River Basin — Nevada, Arizona and California. However, when it comes to water, consistency is preferred over short-term victories, and the West is still in the midst of a long-term water shortage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, primary reservoirs that serve 40 million people.

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An irrigation map that clearly shows the layout of your irrigation system can be very helpful when you need to locate components for repair. Photo: Markus Distelrath/Pixabay

Make a Map of Your Irrigation System

/in , /by

It’s easy (and fun) to produce a landscaping plan showing where every shrub and flower is placed on site. Drawing what you can see is relatively easy.

But what about the irrigation system underneath your landscaping? Do you know the location of your water mainline, irrigation system clocks, valves and sprinkler heads?

Understanding the layout of your irrigation system is important so you can accurately locate components for seamless repair. If you plan on adding to or upgrading the system, you’ll want an irrigation map to guide construction.

Steps to making your irrigation map

First, locate all of the sprinkler heads on your property and mark their location on a copy of your landscaping site plan. Also mark the location of the following elements:

• Water meter or irrigation sub meter, and where the water comes from the street onto your property (the main line)
• Irrigation controller
• Shut off valve for turning off the irrigation system
• Pressure regulator – this may be for the irrigation system separate from the house. If your irrigation comes from a pipe that first serves the house, it may be located before it enters the house.
• Irrigation valves
• Hose bibs
• Backflow preventer – if you don’t have one, your sprinkler valves probably do, so don’t worry

Observe and color code which sprinklers go on at the same time when a valve is turned on.

Adapting your existing irrigation system to a new efficient system

Use your irrigation map to determine which parts will work with a new, more efficient system without abandoning everything and starting from scratch. If you’re removing or renovating most of your landscaping, you might need to alter the irrigation. In that case, starting from scratch can end up being the most cost and time efficient alternative.


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.

5 Takeaways From Newsom’s Revised Budget Plan

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Judy Lin

Buoyed by California’s strong economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent state lawmakers a revised budget on Thursday that boosts his already-hefty January proposal to $213.6 billion. Ka-ching! Public schools will reap most of the gains if the Democratic-controlled Legislature rolls with him. Newsom also upped his ante on the housing crisis with a proposed $1 billion more to combat homelessness. Still, Californians can expect some fiscal debate: Some Democrats want to go further on Medi-Cal spending, and others are leery of Newsom’s tax ideas, such as the sales tax break he wants to give on tampons. And Newsom acknowledged the lessons of past budget exuberance, sounding for all the world like a certain frugal predecessor. Here are five key takeaways:

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Millions For Climate, Environmental Priorities In Newsom’s May Budget

/in , /by /KQED (San Francisco)by Kevin Stark

California Gov. Gavin Newsom threw some more money into the environmental pot Thursday as part of the state’s May budget revision. The new funding includes about $250 million for climate-related programs, thanks to the state’s cap-and-trade program, and $75 million to fund an assessment of wildfire protection plans. The update of his January budget proposal, required by the state constitution, reflects tax revenue collected through April 15. The record $213.5 billion spending plan includes about $4 billion in additional revenue above his January budget. The Legislature now has until June 15 to pass a budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

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OPINION: How Better Wastewater Management Can Help California Adapt To Climate Change

/in , /by /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Caitrin Chappelle and Henry McCann

Our public health relies on wastewater management to treat sewage and remove pollutants coming from our homes and businesses. This system is fundamental to protecting our health. In California, treated wastewater also is a critical source of water for the environment, and, increasingly, a source for recycled water. Climate change is worsening water scarcity and flood risks. Advancements in engineering and technology can help prepare wastewater agencies for a changing climate. But significant shifts in policy and planning are needed to address these challenges. Wastewater agencies must reliably remove pollutants even as the quantity and quality of the water they treat declines during droughts, and when large storms push their equipment to the breaking point.

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