You are now in Education Features category.

Emily Castiglione's winning poster She is an eighth grade student at Joan MacQueen Middle School in Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD Water Is Life

Student Art Brings Life to ‘Water Is Life’ Contest

Eight talented East County student artists used their creative skills to depict the importance of water in Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s annual Kids Poster Contest.

The theme ‘Water Is Life’ asked students to express the value of water in their lives. They could draw, paint, color, cut, or paste original artwork depicting the theme in any way.

Students were honored at the June 17 Padre Dam virtual board meeting online, and the youngsters were featured along with their work in a video.

“Our Annual Water Is Life Poster Contest is a great opportunity for students to learn about the importance of using water wisely and we are thrilled to celebrate this year’s winning young artists,” said Melissa McChesney, Padre Dam communications manager. “These students did a wonderful job capturing the value of water in beautiful works of art.”

The 2020 contest winners:

Hailey Ramirez – First Grade, Pepper Drive Elementary School, El Cajon Water Is Life

Hailey Ramirez – First Grade, Pepper Drive Elementary School, El Cajon. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

 

Letty Damyanov – Third Grade, PRIDE Academy, Santee. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Letty Damyanov – Third Grade, PRIDE Academy, Santee. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Water is Life

Violet Jacobson – Fourth Grade, Hill Creek School, Santee. Photo: Padre Dam MWD Water Is Life

Violet Jacobson – Fourth Grade, Hill Creek School, Santee. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

 

Sarah McGregor – Fifth grade, Chet F. Harritt Elementary School, Santee. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Sarah McGregor – Fifth grade, Chet F. Harritt Elementary School, Santee. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

 

Sarah Bernier – Sixth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD Water Is Life

Sarah Bernier – Sixth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

 

Gianna Casillas – Eight Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Gianna Casillas – Eighth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

 

Angelina Casillas – Eighth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Angelina Casillas – Eighth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

 

Emily Castiglione - Eighth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Emily Castiglione – Eighth Grade, Joan MacQueen Middle School, Alpine. Photo: Padre Dam MWD

Poster contest part of new Kids Corner program

The ‘Water Is Life’ annual poster contest is among the fun, educational summer activities included in Padre Dam’s new Kids Corner online. The web page offers a variety of water-based activities including online games, activity sheets, videos, hands-on experiments, and more. These projects are suitable for all grade levels from kindergarten through high school.

McChesney said the District is working to add new activities to involve kids and their parents in learning about science. Kids Corner is part of Padre Dam’s website.
Read more

Rainbow Approves Changes to Bonsall Oaks Security Agreement

In October 2016, the security agreement for what was then called the Polo Club was changed from a performance bond to a lien contract which prohibits the construction of any improvements, the selling of any lots in the subdivision or the issuance of permits before the lien contract is replaced by a security bond. The proposed subdivision is now called Bonsall Oaks, and the current ownership will be replacing a lien contract with a security bond for the first phase of the project.

FPUD to Replace Backflow Prevention Devices

When the Fallbrook Public Utility District approved FPUD’s 2020-2021 budget $500,000 was appropriated for the district’s valve replacement program. The July 27 FPUD board meeting reallocated some of that amount for the purchase of backflow prevention devices.

“It’s just a project to maintain and upgrade some of the backflow devices,” Jack Bebee, general manager of FPUD, said.

Rebates for WaterSmart Irrigation Devices

Rebates for WaterSmart irrigation devices are available in San Diego County to help property owners reduce expenses by improving water efficiency.

The rebates, offered for a limited time by the San Diego County Water Authority, provide significant savings on devices for outdoor landscapes.

Opinion: No One is Actually in Charge of Solving the Border Sewage Crisis

For more than two decades, cleaning up the Tijuana River has been one of my top priorities. The wastewater, trash and sediment that continues to flow into San Diego County are a danger to public health and our economy and it must be addressed.

Over the past year we’ve made real strides to fix the problem of cross-border pollution. And last week’s introduction of the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act is another step toward achieving that goal.

Environmental Groups say Newsom’s Water Plan Will Worsen Toxic Threat in the Delta

At the end of July, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised plan for bringing long-term water security to all Californians. But his announcement was overshadowed by San Joaquin County and several Delta communities scrambling to confront the worst cases of toxic algae blooms ever seen on local sloughs and rivers.

These green, floating slicks brought a new level of criticism to Newsom’s agribusiness-friendly water proposal. That’s because the governor’s strategy relies in large part on the controversial Sites Reservoir proposal and the even more contentious Delta tunnel proposal. Conservation groups say both projects—particularly the tunnel—could worsen the problem of dangerous algae contamination in regional waterways.

Meanwhile, the state continues to spend large sums of money on both multibillion-dollar projects with little clarity on who will ultimately foot the bill as the COVID-19 pandemic drains evermore revenue from public agencies.

Energy Department Proposes Showerhead Standards Rollback After Trump Complains

The Trump administration is moving to loosen environmental standards for showerheads following a string of public complaints from the president about low-flow fixtures designed to save water.

Escondido Creek Conservancy Receives NOAA Grant for Environmental Education

Funds to support 3rd grade students in the Escondido Union School District have been awarded to The Escondido Creek Conservancy.

The Conservancy has been awarded a national grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Planet Stewards Education Project to fund environmental education and stewardship in Escondido. The program will support 3rd grade students in the Escondido Union School District as they work to address the problem of litter in their community, in conjunction with their learning about local habitats and the impacts of humans on the environment.

Sewage Spill Near Torrey Pines Closes Part of State Beach

The county Department of Environmental Health issued a water contact closure for the northern boundary of Torrey Pines State Beach, north of Carmel Valley Road in the city of Del Mar, due to a sewage spill. The sewage spill has been contained, but an estimated release of 1,800 gallons of effluent entered the storm drain, resulting in potential impacts to beach water quality, according to the DEH.

FWS Pleas to Conserve Aquifer, Wetlands Go Unheeded

As the Department of Homeland Security sped construction of new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, it ignored concerns from the Fish and Wildlife Service not to abuse groundwater resources and put the survival of some endangered species at risk, new documents show.