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. Sandra Louis, San Diego County Water Authority Receptionist, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.
Prospective bidders for the proposed Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project will now have until 11 August to submit qualification documents for the 25-year BOT project. In its initial phase, the facility will deliver 274,000 m3/d (72.4 MGD) of desalinated seawater and 82,000 m3/d (21.7 MGD) of abstracted groundwater 350km (220 mi) from Aqaba to Amman.
The water is too contaminated to safely drink, but residents of this farmworker community in the Central Valley pay $74 a month just to be able to turn on the tap at home.
Their bills are even higher if they use more than 50 gallons a day, a fraction of daily water consumption for the average California household. And when Fresno County completes a new well that has been planned for years, the price will increase again to cover the cost of treating manganese-laced water pumped from hundreds of feet below.
Ramona Municipal Water District Board of Directors agreed to help minimize customer costs associated with phasing out untreated water service as they unanimously approved Phase 4 of an Untreated Water System Implementation Plan on Tuesday, July 14.
The National Toxicology Program for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released a Technical Report that found evidence of carcinogenic activity in laboratory rats exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid. The NTP Technical Report may result in the listing of PFOA under California’s Proposition 65 as a carcinogen. Private toxic tort plaintiffs may also attempt to rely on the Technical Report in PFAS contamination lawsuits.
California is one step closer to being able to apply for millions of dollars in its fight against nutria, giant swamp rodents.
In 2003, Congress passed The Nutria Eradication and Control Act, which established a fund to help Maryland and Louisiana battle the animals. Recently, the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that now allows California to also receive support. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Central Valley neighborhoods are a step closer to new money to fix broken water systems and access clean, safe drinking water — if the White House and Congress agree on an infrastructure package currently moving through the U.S. House of Representatives.
As the world resets for a long-awaited post-coronavirus existence, new realities for business and life in general are taking shape. Amid a plethora of forecasts on changes involving how and where post-COVID-19 business will be conducted, it is a safe bet that employees and overall public health will be a primary influencer as the evolution to the “next normal” begins.
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. Sandra Louis, San Diego County Water Authority Receptionist, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.
I just had my second baby in March 2006 and I tried to be a stay-at-home mom, but I was restless. I applied with Volt Temp Services and was sent to work in a temporary, one month job as a receptionist for the Water Authority. My one month was extended for another six months. Then, I applied for the full-time staff receptionist position in December 2006 and got the job. So, I would say the water industry was interested in me.
I miss my co-workers, since most of the Water Authority staff are working remotely. Our main office in Kearny Mesa is closed to the public and delivery drivers have to buzz me from the outside before dropping packages at the front door. New safety protocols are in place for staff coming to the office, including temperature checks before entering the building. One change is that all staff entering the building now have to sign-in with me at the front desk and check out when they leave. Another change is the front reception desk where I work is now surrounded by clear, plexiglass shield barriers, also part of our pandemic safety protocols.
The San Diego County Water Authority reception desk, where Sandra Louis works, is surrounded by clear, plexiglass shield barriers, part of the safety protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
Wearing my face mask, washing my hands a lot more, cleaning the work area, and checking my temperature before coming into the building.
Spending time with my elder aunties and uncles, going to church, and going to events.
San Diego’s oft-delayed Pure Water project – a bid to create a third of the city’s water from recycled sewage – scored a victory in court Friday that could get the $5 billion project back on track.
Superior Court Judge Richard Strauss ruled there was no conflict between a state law that prohibits cities from banning union-friendly construction contracts if they want state funding, and a 2012 ballot measure that prohibited the city from requiring those very contracts on city projects.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
