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Jury Awards Atwater $63 Million In Groundwater Pollution Suit Against Oil Giant Shell

A jury has ordered Shell Oil Company to pay the City of Atwater a total of $63 million in damages in a groundwater pollution suit.

The decision, reached Friday after a four-month trial in Merced County Superior Court, awarded Atwater $53 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages, according to a news release from the city.

The lawsuit stemmed from the highly toxic chemical 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP), which can pose a risk to public health and can contaminate drinking water.

Ornamental Horticulture Groundbreaking Cultivates Career Opportunities

With the turn of 11 gleaming shovels, groundbreaking took place on August 22 for a $16.7 million project to renovate and improve indoor and outdoor classrooms and facilities for Cuyamaca College’s Ornamental Horticulture program. Thousands of students have graduated from the program since its launch in 1980. Many have gone on to careers in landscape design and sustainable landscaping, irrigation technology and turf management. The renovation will allow the program to provide a hands-on training experience reflecting current industry standards. “We are a career technical education discipline and we strive to help students get jobs, so it is very important that we are able to replicate what’s currently used in industry,” said Leah Rottke, program coordinator for the horticulture program.

PFAS Toxins Found In Drinking Water Throughout Southern California

Wells of nearly two dozen Southern California water agencies have reportable levels of PFAS, a chemical family increasingly linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low fertility, low birth weight and ulcerative colitis. Six of those agencies have shut down wells in the past year because of the presence of those chemicals and two more plan closures, an investigation by the Southern California News Group found. The state only this year began ordering testing for the chemicals, and a state law requiring that customers be notified about the presence of those chemicals won’t kick in until next year.

Celebrate National Water Quality Month

As the summer heat scorches Southern California, many residents may be cooling off by enjoying a swim in their backyard or community pool, a run through the sprinklers or a refreshing drink of water. Most people take their easy and uninterrupted access to water for granted without realizing how water agencies here and across the nation work tirelessly to provide their customers with a reliable supply of safe and clean water each and every day. August is National Water Quality Month, which is a good time to stop and think about how communities are provided safe, clean water whenever they need it and how they can help protect local water sources.

Cuyamaca College President Julianna Barnes (sixth from left) leads the official groundbreaking for the college's Ornamental Horticulture renovation project on August 22. Photo: Cuyamaca College

Ornamental Horticulture Groundbreaking Cultivates Career Opportunities

With the turn of 11 gleaming shovels, groundbreaking took place on August 22 for a $16.7 million project to renovate and improve indoor and outdoor classrooms and facilities for Cuyamaca College’s Ornamental Horticulture program.

Thousands of students have graduated from the program since its launch in 1980. Many have gone on to careers in landscape design and sustainable landscaping, irrigation technology and turf management.

The renovation will allow the program to provide a hands-on training experience reflecting current industry standards.

“We are a career technical education discipline and we strive to help students get jobs, so it is very important that we are able to replicate what’s currently used in industry,” said Leah Rottke, program coordinator for the horticulture program.

Rottke said she hopes the new facilities will increase program enrollment, one of her long-term goals.

“What I let students know is that it’s an interesting time to study horticulture. There are more opportunities available than qualified graduates,” said Rottke.

Green industry faces shortage of qualified employees

A banner depicts a rendering of the new Ornamental Horticulture complex when completed in 2022. Photo: Cuyamaca College

A banner depicts a rendering of the new Ornamental Horticulture complex when completed in 2022. Photo: Cuyamaca College

The green industry continues to grow, but is battling a serious labor shortage. Statistics from the IBIS World November 2018 Landscaping Services Industry Report show employment of more than one million people with annual revenue of $93 billion.

Along with its Center for Water Studies, Cuyamaca College hopes to expand opportunities for its students in these flourishing career fields.

Many of the program’s faculty are also employed in the industry, another benefit for the students, and their prospective employers.

“This gives students the opportunity to learn really practical information and experience about what the industry is like,” said Rottke. “It is also often their first networking opportunity.”

Rottke said her greatest challenge is reaching people who aren’t aware of the excellent career opportunities in the green industry.

The two-year program at Cuyamaca College offers eight degrees and nine certificates in arboriculture, floral design, golf course and sports turf management; irrigation technology; landscape design; landscape technology; nursery technology; sustainable urban landscapes; and basic ornamental horticulture.

Students can earn either a degree or a professional certificate in all eight programs. 

Cuyamaca’s programs also offer paid internships where students can start working in their chosen career field while pursuing their education.

Popular retail nursery remains open during renovation

A rendering of the Ornamental Horticulture program's new Building M, where classrooms and new lab faculties will be housed. Courtesy Cuyamaca College

A rendering of the Ornamental Horticulture program’s new Building M, where classrooms and new lab faculties will be housed. Photo courtesy Cuyamaca College

The renovation will include updated classroom and lab facilities, well-equipped greenhouses, an outdoor instructional area, expanded retail space and much-needed storage space.

Rottke said the new greenhouses and retail space will be a boost to the program’s popular retail nursery. Proceeds from nursery sales fund scholarships and class trips outside of the region. About 30,000 plants are sold annually, including nearly 25 percent of annual sales at the popular Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival.

Larry McLemore, Cuyamaca College dean of career and technical education, views project renderings at the groundbreaking event with GCCCD Chancellor Cindy L. Miles. Photo: Cuyamaca College

Larry McLemore, Cuyamaca College dean of career and technical education, views project renderings at the groundbreaking event with GCCCD Chancellor Cindy L. Miles. Photo: Cuyamaca College

“Ornamental Horticulture has a storied past at our college and it is long overdue for a renovation,” said Cuyamaca College President Dr. Julianna Barnes. “With the modernizing of facilities and the new greenhouses in particular, students have a lot to be excited about.”