The first slide of the Oxnard chief financial officer’s presentation to be given on Tuesday contains this message: “Warning: Estimates subject to change.” No politician, economist or crystal ball can show exactly how deep and how lasting this recession will go. As municipal finance leaders put together a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the best they can do is use projections with limited certainty.
Cattlemen in the West are gearing up for a legal battle over the Trump administration’s revamped water jurisdiction rule, even as a national trade association of farmers that touts itself as the “unified voice of agriculture” supports the change.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to address lead in water isn’t as aggressive as it could be, the agency’s independent science advisers, as well as outside groups, said Monday.
A grant of up to $2 million will allow Lomita to install a filtration system that removes a potentially carcinogenic chemical from its drinking water, allowing the community to resume using groundwater instead of more expensive imported supplies.
The small city had taken its sole well offline last year and drained its 5 million gallon reservoir after the levels of benzene discovered in its groundwater exceeded state drinking water standards.
The community was forced to tap pricey imported water from the Metropolitan Water District to serve its 4,242 residential and commercial customers.
Gusty winds are expected Tuesday in the San Diego County mountains and deserts, plus light rain could fall tonight in coastal and inland valley areas, according to the National Weather Service.
A weak, low-pressure system moving inland Tuesday will cause temperatures to drop through Wednesday, then the mercury will gradually rise heading into the weekend, forecasters said.
The NWS issued a wind advisory that will be in effect from noon Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday in the mountains and deserts.
Winds out of the west are expected to be between 20-30 mph, with gusts possibly reaching 45 mph near desert slopes and through mountain passes, forecasters said.
There is also a slight chance of light rain showers in coastal areas and the western valleys tonight, according to the NWS. Coastal areas have a 20% chance while the western valleys have a 30% chance.
The San Diego County Water Authority and its contractors have completed essential repairs on a section of Pipeline 5 in North San Diego County between Fallbrook and Escondido. The repairs included installing 156 feet of carbon fiber liner inside the 96-inch pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe to extend its service life. The pipeline was returned to normal service over the weekend – ahead of the original schedule.
The lining for Pipeline 5 is a material made from layers of carbon and glass fibers combined with polymers that are engineered to efficiently and effectively improve the structural integrity of large-diameter pipelines.
“The timely upgrade to this section of Pipeline 5 is part of the Water Authority’s proactive asset management program,” said Jim Fisher, director of operations and maintenance at the Water Authority. “A key element of providing a safe and reliable water supplies is continually assessing our 310 miles of large-diameter pipeline and making the upgrades necessary to continue serving the region.”
The essential repairs followed similar repairs on nearby Pipeline 4 last year. The Pipeline 5 project started in early April, about the time most Water Authority employees transitioned to working at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The crews adapted quickly to implement safeguards to protect their health while moving forward with the critical repairs,” said Peter Milligan, engineer at the Water Authority. “We made sure to limit the number of people on-site, wear masks, and maintain a safe physical distance inside where possible.”
The asset management program uses cutting-edge technologies, like carbon fiber lining, to monitor and maintain the condition of important regional water infrastructure. Making preventative repairs ensures that regional water service will continue uninterrupted.
Pipeline 5 was built in 1982 and is part of the Water Authority’s Second Aqueduct, which consists of Pipelines 3, 4 and 5. Along with Pipeline 3, Pipeline 5 delivers untreated water from Lake Skinner in southwest Riverside County to the Lower Otay Water Treatment Plant in southern San Diego County.
An analysis to determine a long-term solution to maintain the Second Aqueduct in North San Diego County is underway.
The Water Authority is building a new flow regulatory structure to upgrade the untreated water system in the northwest area of Mission Trails Regional Park. When complete, the project will upgrade the untreated water system that delivers water to treatment plants that serve the central and southern areas of San Diego County.
Construction is taking place Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and will close some trails in the western portion of the park. Trail closure signs, including a park map showing alternate trails are posted to help park users navigate the trails.
The project currently underway will construct a new 5-million-gallon underground covered reservoir, a flow control facility and pipeline interconnections. The reservoir will be covered with soil and vegetation, except for several access hatches and vents that allow for air movement inside the reservoir.
This work is part of a suite of projects called the Mission Trails Project located in the western portion of the park.
For more information about the project and to access maps of closed trails with alternate routes, visit sdcwa.org/mission-trails-FRS.
The great achievement of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is that few people ever give it much thought. You turn on the faucet and the water comes out. The stuff is reliably clean and safe, and always available.
An ambitious plan to build the largest new reservoir in California in 40 years to supply water to homes and businesses from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, along with Central Valley farmers, is being scaled back considerably amid questions about its $5 billion price tag and how much water it can deliver.
Sites Reservoir is proposed for construction in remote ranch lands in Colusa County, about 70 miles north of Sacramento. The reservoir, originally designed to be four times as big as Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park and nearly as big as San Luis Reservoir between Gilroy and Los Banos, received more money than any other project two years ago from a water bond passed by state voters during California’s historic drought.
Come spring, the American West’s vast water reservoirs are supposed to fill with melting snow. However this year, as in recent years, the large reservoirs of Lake Mead and Lake Powell in the Colorado River basin have seen declining water levels — an ominous trend that a new study warns could signal a looming megadrought.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
