You are now in Home Headline Media Coverage San Diego County category.

Water Utility Hero of the Week: Jeromy Langdon, Padre Dam Municipal Water District

This feature highlights water utility employees in the San Diego region working during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure a safe, reliable and plentiful water supply. The water industry is among the sectors that are classified as essential. Jeromy Langdon, Padre Dam Municipal Water District Utility Worker, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.

Study says Phoenix Reservoirs are Resilient to Warming, Scientists Warn Risks Remain

Scientists have found that climate change is playing a big role in shrinking the flow of the Colorado River, but recent research suggests Arizona’s reservoirs on the Salt and Verde rivers could fare better as temperatures continue to rise.

The findings back the assurances of water managers at Salt River Project that their system of reservoirs appears to be relatively resilient in the face of climate change.

IID Begins Third Wave of Sheltering Employees at Work

Imperial Irrigation District extends its voluntary on-site shelter-in-place program at designated critical facilities for a core group of employees.

In the third phase, 10 employees will work 12-hour shifts over 21 consecutive days at IID facilities 24 hours a day.

The sheltered employees will continue to maintain the district’s essential water and energy operations for customers who rely on these services in the harsh desert climate of the Imperial and Coachella Valleys.

The Great Divide: California Communities Battle for Rights to Water

An ongoing struggle between two communities less than a mile apart illustrates the challenges California faces as it tries to deliver clean, affordable drinking water to more than 1 million residents without access to what the state has called a “basic human right.”

Ocean Data Need a Sea Change to Help Navigate the Warming World

The ocean covers about 70% of Earth’s surface, regulates the climate and is home to countless species of fish, a major source of protein for more than one billion people. It is now under threat from climate change, overfishing and pollution.

Anderson Dam: Plans Released to Drain Santa Clara County’s Largest Reservoir

Three months after federal dam safety regulators ordered Anderson Reservoir, the largest reservoir in Santa Clara County, to be drained due to earthquake concerns, new details are emerging on what will happen to all that water, the fish that depend on it, and the water supply for Silicon Valley.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which owns the 7-mile-long reservoir located east of Highway 101 between Morgan Hill and San Jose, has drawn up plans to begin emptying it starting Oct. 1.

Opinion: Spend Scarce Funds to Restore Mission Bay Wetlands, Not Golf Clubhouse

In golf, I’m what you call a “hacker,” in that I’m a golfer with a handicap north of 30. Despite this, I like to get out with friends to chase the ball around and share the grief, and we enjoy playing at Mission Bay Golf Course four to five times a year. It’s a nice course, well-kept, and suitable for our level of play. In fact, I got my first and only hole-in-one on the 14th hole at Mission Bay.

Opinion: Reimagine California’s Big-Water Dreams

Romantic newspaper myths aside — wait; are there romantic newspaper myths anymore? — editorial-page junkets are not along the lines of a stay in a house on stilts in a Bali lagoon. Just to do some Indonesian fact-finding, don’t you know. In fact, it didn’t take the novel coronavirus to dampen down out-of-town trips to conventions or the state capital on the paper’s dime. That non-ship sailed long ago; not enough dimes.

Drought Fears Take Hold in a Four Corners Region Already Beset by the Coronavirus Pandemic

The vintage train was chugchugchugging its usual route out of Durango that sunny morning as tourists marveled at the postcard-pretty canyon. Just a few miles closer to Silverton, a plume of smoke started rising from the steep hillside.

Within minutes, a Good Samaritan tried to douse the flames, state and federal court documents say. Three separate efforts by the scenic railroad company—including one involving a helicopter—tried to put out the flames, too. But the fire burned out of control within minutes. By the time wildland firefighters finally extinguished the fire six months later, 54,000 acres, an area larger than the nearby Mesa Verde National Park, had been charred and recorded as Colorado’s sixth worst wildfire.

Jeromy Langdon-Padre Dam MWD-Water Utility Hero of the Week

Water Utility Hero of the Week: Jeromy Langdon, Padre Dam Municipal Water District

Editor’s Note: This feature highlights water utility employees in the San Diego region working during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure a safe, reliable and plentiful water supply. The water industry is among the sectors that are classified as essential. Jeromy Langdon, Padre Dam Municipal Water District Utility Worker, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.

Water Utility Hero of the Week: Jeromy Langdon

Job/Agency: Padre Dam Municipal Water District Utility Worker

How did you become interested in working in the water industry?

After twenty years working in masonry, I was planning on a career change and was looking for a career that was just as rewarding as my current trade but had more longevity. A good friend of mine in the water industry suggested this field and I began my research. I found it peaked my interest and I enrolled in some water classes at Palomar College. When I learned what was involved in operating and maintaining a distribution system I knew I had found the beginnings of my new career.

How has your job changed during the pandemic?

The way we work in the Field Operations Department has changed quite a bit during this pandemic. We have had to separate our crews to maintain social distancing and implement new work safety protocols. Additionally, our valve replacement program has been temporarily put on hold in order to limit water service disruptions to customers. Even with all of these changes, we have been able to continue with our daily work without any issues while maintaining essential water service to our customers.

How are you keeping safe?

I am keeping safe by limiting my exposure. During this pandemic, I have only been coming to work to complete my essential service and going home. In the workplace, we are focused on keeping safe social distance and sanitizing work stations and frequently touched surfaces.

What are you most looking forward to after the crisis ends?

I am looking forward to asking our children the question “OK kids, now where do you want to go?” I’m guessing the answer will be Disneyland.

The Water Utility Hero of the Week highlights essential work performed during the COVID-19 pandemic by employees of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies.

San Diego County Water Authority Member Agency Map