It was an immense relief Tuesday when Democratic California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris and San Diego-area House members Susan Davis, Mike Levin, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas jointly announced that the Environmental Protection Agency was formally proceeding with a $300 million plan to fix broken sewage infrastructure that has allowed sewage from the Tijuana River to frequently foul South County beaches. While it seems that amount won’t be sufficient to address all the improvements and repairs that are needed, it amounts to recognition that the U.S. government has an obligation to protect San Diego’s beaches.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngMike Lee2020-05-14 09:46:142020-05-17 11:18:58Opinion: $300 Million for Repairs is Great, But San Diego Sewage Fiasco Still Stinks
San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health Wednesday extended the existing water contact closure area at the Tijuana Slough and Imperial Beach shorelines north to include the Silver Strand shoreline.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kimberlyn Velasquezhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKimberlyn Velasquez2020-05-14 09:45:512020-05-14 16:04:17Sewage-Contaminated Water from Tijuana River Forces Silver Strand Closure
As experts warn that exposure to pollution can increase the risk of dying from COVID-19, an array of powerful industries is pressuring California regulators to delay or roll back air quality and climate regulations due to the coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kimberlyn Velasquezhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKimberlyn Velasquez2020-05-14 09:43:142020-05-17 11:19:03Coronavirus is Stalling Air Quality, Pollution Rules, Even in Eco-Minded California
This year’s changes to the Clean Water Act have made the already-challenging work of scientists and engineers in water planning and management exponentially more difficult.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kimberlyn Velasquezhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKimberlyn Velasquez2020-05-14 09:40:332020-05-17 11:19:11Engineers and Wetland Scientists Face Challenges with Regulatory Changes to the Clean Water Act
California, along with eight other states, sued the Trump administration Wednesday over the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to stop requiring companies to monitor and report air and water pollution during the coronavirus pandemic.
Three days after receiving a request from the American Petroleum Institute to halt pollution enforcement, the EPA’s compliance director, Susan Parker Bodine, announced a new policy March 26. Retroactive to March 13, when President Trump had declared a state of emergency over COVID-19, Bodine said, businesses could decide for themselves when it would no longer be practical to monitor pollution and report it to federal, state and local agencies.
As California continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, leaders must ensure fundamental human rights like clean water. It is essential that we do not allow this crisis to tip the scales in favor of polluters and private water corporations.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kimberlyn Velasquezhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKimberlyn Velasquez2020-05-14 09:35:532020-05-19 10:16:37Opinion: Poseidon’s Desalination Plant Threatens our Climate and Human Right to Clean Water
For 24 hours starting early every Sunday morning, small pipes suck samples from the river of sewage flowing into the South Platte Water Renewal Partners wastewater treatment plant in Englewood for 24 hours.
The tubes deposit the raw sewage into containers inside a box that resembles a mini fridge. Goggled, masked and gloved workers then haul the samples to the plant lab, package it in special vials and overnight it to a lab near Boston.
Today, I have a special project to share with you that we have been working on with our member agencies across San Diego County.
Since the pandemic started, the region’s water and wastewater agencies have collaborated closely to ensure that these vital services remain fully functional. After all, they are the foundation of both emergency response and recovery.
The utility heroes on the front lines are meter readers, plant operators, accountants, engineers and many others in every corner of our county who help to ensure the continued delivery of safe, clean drinking water for our homes and businesses. For the most part, these public servants work behind the scenes – but a short new video shows several of them at their posts, where they perform essential work from their homes and in the field.
Click here to watch this 60-second message from our colleagues that ends with one key phrase: We’re here for you. I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me. And a special thank you to all our water professionals for continuing to do what you do day-in and day-out!
On a related note, as California starts to move toward re-opening its economy, the Water Authority is making responsible, careful and flexible plans to return to more “normal” operating conditions. However, we are in no rush; our teams quickly adapted to remote work and it is paramount that we avoid creating more complications by moving too quickly in these uncertain times. At least for May, our Board meeting will again be held remotely. You can watch it here on Thursday, May 28.
I also want to share my appreciation for efforts by state Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego to advance immediate action on economic recovery and creative solutions to jump-start California’s economy without exacerbating already challenging fiscal conditions. The Water Authority looks forward to partnering with the state to move forward on shovel-ready water and energy infrastructure projects that can help California’s economic recovery gain traction.
View From The Chair represents the viewpoints of Jim Madaffer, Chair of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Madaffer-Jim-Bio-Pic-1-primary-View-lt.jpg450845Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngMike Lee2020-05-14 09:00:332020-09-22 17:19:06Jim Madaffer: We’re Here For You
The board of Monterey One Water recently voted not to certify a supplemental environmental impact report for an expansion of Pure Water Monterey. While the expansion was a technical concept that might provide additional water for the Peninsula, the Board action injected some much-needed clear thinking and foresight into a critical topic for the Monterey Peninsula. It’s not about desal versus expansion or public versus private ownership. It’s about creating an adequate and reliable water supply for our future.
Initially, the expansion was described as a backup to the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project yet would provide substantially less water, still leaving the Peninsula with a constrained water supply.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngMike Lee2020-05-13 23:28:052020-05-18 10:26:00Opinion: Pure Water Monterey Expansion Proposal Falls Short
San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Jim Madaffer today praised planning efforts by state Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins of San Diego and other state Senate leaders to help guide California’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The senate plans include funding to create jobs, boost infrastructure investments and to protect renters and landlords.
“We are very appreciative of President pro Tem Toni Atkins’ efforts to advance immediate action on economic recovery and creative solutions to jump-start California’s economy without exacerbating the already-challenging fiscal conditions being experienced at the state and local government levels,” Madaffer said. “We look forward to engaging on the details and partnering with the state to move forward on shovel-ready water and energy infrastructure projects that can help the state’s economic recovery gain traction.”
