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Solana Beach Bans Distribution Of Single-Use Plastic Bottles At City Events

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

Solana Beach, long a San Diego County leader in environmental stewardship, took another swing at pollution this week by expanding its prohibition on single-use plastics to include water and beverage bottles at city facilities and events. The ordinance approved unanimously Wednesday by the City Council also bans the sale or distribution of single-use straws, utensils such as forks and spoons, stirrers, cocktail sticks and toothpicks made of plastic at any store in the city. Single-use food service ware, such as egg cartons and meat trays made from polystyrene foam, will also be off-limits.

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Vallecitos Water District Urges Water Restrictions During Pipeline Repair

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Deborah Sullivan Brennan

The Vallecitos Water District is asking its customers to adopt water restrictions next month, when a major water distribution line will be out of service during repairs. “As a result of the shutdown, the water supplied to the District may be limited,” the district stated. The shutdown is scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 9, and will run for about 10 days, but those dates may be adjusted according to the severity of the leak, or hot weather conditions. During that period, the district is asking customers to adopt voluntary restrictions. It also advises them to deep-soak their groves and landscaping by or before Sunday, Sept. 8, in preparation for the shutdown.

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New Tool Allows For Faster Water Quality Tests

/in , /by /FOX 5 San Diegoby Justina Myers

San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health announced improvements to its water quality testing program Thursday, just ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend. A new testing tool allows officials to speed up the process of testing water samples for potentially dangerous levels of bacteria. Before implementing the new method at the beginning of the summer, it took up to 96 hours to process test results and alert beachgoers about bacteria levels. Now, the officials have results back within 24 hours. “That gives us the ability to get the information out to the public faster and let people know where it’s safe to swim,” said Lars Seifert, Land and Water Quality Division Chief for the County’s Department of Environmental Health.

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State Of California Proposes Plan For Delta Levees

/in , , /by /The Brentwood Press (Brentwood, Calif.)by Tony Kukulich

Last week, the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) held a public hearing to review proposed changes to how spending decisions on the maintenance of Delta levees are made, and the plan — known as the Delta Levee Investment Strategy (DLIS) — has drawn criticism from several sources. Among the criticisms leveled at the DLIS is a concern that Delta towns, including Discovery Bay and Rio Vista, were ranked second among the three risk classifications, and heritage towns like Courtland, Hood, Walnut Grove and Locke received the lowest risk classification. Meanwhile, it’s asserted by critics like Deirdre Des Jardins, principal with California Water Research, that islands and tracts related to the export of Delta water via the State Water Project received the highest prioritization.

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Mexico Facing ‘Water Zero’

/in , , /by /AZ Big Media (Pheonix, Ariz.)by Victoria Harker

Mexico is one of a growing list of countries deemed most at risk of hitting “Day Zero” when they no longer have enough water to meet citizen needs, according to a new report by global research organization, World Resources Institute (WRI). The nonprofit institute categorized countries into five different levels according to their relative risk of consuming all of their water resources, ranging from “Low Baseline Water Stress” to “Extremely High Baseline Water Stress.” Mexico is one of 44 countries – representing one-third of the world’s population – that fall into the second-highest category, “High Baseline Water Stress,” meaning that the nation consumes between 40 and 80 percent of the water supply available in a year.

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Water Harvester Makes It Easy To Drink Water From Thin Air

/in , /by /University of Californiaby Robert Sanders

In a paper appearing this week in ACS Central Science, a journal of the American Chemical Society, UC Berkeley’s Omar Yaghi and his colleagues describe the latest version of their water harvester, which can pull more than five cups of water (1.3 liters) from low-humidity air per day for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-absorbing material, a very porous substance called a metal-organic framework, or MOF. That is more than the minimum required to stay alive. During field tests over three days in California’s arid Mojave Desert, the harvester reliably produced 0.7 liters per kilogram of absorber per day — nearly three cups of clean, pure H2O. That’s 10 times better than the previous version of the harvester.

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Paso Groundwater Basin Included in High-Tech Stanford Study

/in , /by /New Times (Paso Robles, Calif.)by Peter Johnson

A pair of upcoming North County groundwater studies are expected to shed new light on the hydrogeological conditions of two key water sources in the region.

The Paso Robles Groundwater Basin is one of three basins in the state chosen to participate in a Stanford University study that will deploy state-of-the-art aerial electromagnetic technology to better understand its characteristics.

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San Diego’s Water Rates Go Up On Sunday

/in , /by /Rancho Bernardo News-Journalby Elizabeth Marie Himchak

The City of San Diego is reminding its water customers that starting Sunday they will be paying more for water.

The price customers pay will be going up 4.82 percent to help pay for water reliability and infrastructure improvements. When combined with a 1.46 percent increase implemented by the San Diego County Water Authority, the total increase starting Sept. 1 will be 6.28 percent, city officials said.

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Chula Vista fifth graders enjoy their first visit to the new Hydro Station educational facility. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

New Educational Hydro Station Project Opens in Chula Vista

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The first Hydro Station in California opened August 15 in Chula Vista.

The interactive educational space is a joint partnership between the Sweetwater Authority, Otay Water District, and the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

The Hydro Station, at the Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility, features learning exhibits and hands-on activities to introduce fifth grade students to the ecological cycle of water, water conservation, water quality, and careers in the water industry.

More than 4,000 students are expected to visit the Hydro Station annually.

Making the world ‘a better place’

“The Hydro Station introduces our students to the world of work in the water industry and inspires them at an early age to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics,” said CVESD Superintendent Dr. Francisco Escobedo. “With this station, we expose students to careers that can change the trajectory of entire families, opening the door to high-wage careers that our students might not have thought were possible.

“The students also explore ways to make the world a better place through clean water, and water conservation,” added Escobedo.

Students drink in details about water conservation at the opening of the Hydro Station in Chula Vista. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

Students drink in details about water conservation at the opening of the Hydro Station in Chula Vista. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

New generation encouraged to consider careers as water industry professionals

More than 2,800 people work in the water and wastewater sector at the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies. One-third of these industry professionals will be eligible for retirement in the next few years.

“It’s an opportunity for a new generation to join us in our mission to deliver safe and reliable water to hundreds and thousands of people in communities that rely on us as water professionals,” said Tish Berge, Sweetwater Authority general manager.

As part of the Hydro Station experience, students will have three dedicated days focused on career opportunities in Information and Communication Technologies, Clean Energy, and the Blue Economy. They will learn how their strengths, interests, and values may align with career options. Hands-on activities will also help them make connections to specific careers.

Hydro Station mission is about education and conservation

“I have served many years in the water industry, which has allowed me to experience the evolving industry climate firsthand,” said Mark Watton, Otay Water District general manager. “The high level of retirements, new technologies, and increased demand for safe drinking water all contribute to the availability of good, stable careers and employment.”

“We want to make sure that a rewarding career in the water and wastewater industry is within reach for as many local students as possible who are vocational or college bound, and the Hydro Station helps us do that,” he added.

Visitors to the new Hydro Station's grand opening mark the occasion with a selfie. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

Visitors to the new Hydro Station’s grand opening mark the occasion with a selfie. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

The Hydro Station’s location is ideal to educate students on how their strengths, interests, and values can connect with careers in the water industry while presenting opportunities to solve real-world problems through the Engineering Design Process. It will also serve to educate children and their families, as well as the community, on the thoughtful use of water resources.

Environmentalists Slam Chevron, State Regulators Over Kern County Oil Releases

/in , /by /KQED Radio San Franciscoby Ted Goldberg

Environmental groups are calling for increased scrutiny of California’s oil and gas industry after learning that more than 50 million gallons of crude oil flowed out of the ground in an uncontrolled release near a Chevron facility in Kern County over the last 16 years.

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