After a wet start to the rainy season, San Diego is in the midst of a dry spell that will last until at least Thursday and possibly a lot longer, says the National Weather Service.
Cool air is flowing into the region from the northwest, keeping temperatures slightly below average. Forecasters say San Diego’s daytime high will be in the 63 to 64 degree range for most of the week.
The Fallbrook Public Utility District pipeline along Winter Haven Road will be replaced.
FPUD’s 4-0 board vote Dec. 9, with Don McDougal absent, approved the contract with Kirtley Construction for the San Bernardino company’s bid of $750,400.
Pure Water Monterey has completed critical water tests and is now poised to deliver a report to state regulators as part of an effort to seek the final thumbs-up before beginning to deliver water to the Seaside basin. But the recycled water project has again been delayed.
As a way to promote his “Local Jobs and Projects Plan,” Governor Walz took a tour today, 80 feet below ground. Pushing for more funding for water quality, Walz walked through a storm tunnel in Minneapolis that was damaged by flooding in 2010.
Gov. Tim Walz unveiled the second of a proposed four packages for his Local Jobs and Projects Plan, and this part says Minnesota should borrow $300 million to replace aging infrastructure and upgrade treatment facilities to protect its water supplies.
Another water war is getting underway.
This time we are not fighting California. It’s a family feud right here in Arizona. Urban versus rural. Phoenix and Tucson ganging up on the rural communities along the Colorado River in western Arizona.
The opening shots have been fired by out-of-state speculators buying up farms along the river. Once they have these “water farms” in hand, they intend to strip the water from the land and send it 200 miles up the Central Arizona Project canal to developers in Maricopa and Pima counties.
When planning your landscape, look first at the terrain you’re working with. You can use the contours of your existing land – depressions and slopes – for guidance when planning your landscape grading. If your yard is flat, you’ll need to move soil and features around to create more rain-holding contour areas.
A soil percolation test can be very helpful in preparing your soil. You want to make it as much of a water-retaining sponge as possible before getting to work on rainwater capture plans.
NOTE: If you have existing hillsides, it’s best to get professional advice before grading or other significant changes. Before any digging, call Dig Alert 8-1-1 or visit digalert.org to be sure you won’t hit any underground utility lines.
Basins and swales are shallow depressions or channels no more than 24 inches deep on gently sloped or nearly flat landscapes. Basins and swales move water over short distances. With these contours, gravity will move water around to where you want it.
Small, shallow depressions work best in clay soil areas, while sandy soils may accommodate deeper depressions up to two feet. Channels can be planted or lined with rocks and small boulders to resemble natural creek beds.
By planning your landscape so that you don’t have low spots with no plants, you prevent wasting rainwater through runoff. You can also avoid fungus and rot from standing water. Plants in and around the depressions capture and sink small volumes of surface water so that all the rainwater you capture can be used.
Berms are mounds of raised soil, usually planted, that can border basins and swales or be used alone. They help contain and move water around, increasing the holding capacity of basins and swales.
Boulders can add points of interest and slow down water runoff in your landscaping. Boulders also are useful to retain small berms or the edges of swales.
The San Diego County Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.
SACRAMENTO — State Senate energy committee chair Ben Hueso said Thursday he will drop
legislation that would have boosted a hydropower project near his San Diego district.
Hueso told supporters of the project Wednesday night that he, the city of San Diego and the San
Diego County Water Authority, agreed to table CA SB597 (19R), according to an email Hueso’s
office provided to POLITICO.
Career opportunities for women in the water and wastewater industry at every level are the focus of the third annual Women in Water Symposium January 16 at Cuyamaca College.
Vanessa Murrell, grant manager for the Center for Water Studies at Cuyamaca College, said the conference’s goal in its third year is to create a community of people with the interest and aptitude to take on what were previously considered non-traditional careers.
“It’s a matter of recruiting great talent that transcends gender and ethnicity,” said Murrell. “It’s making sure the water workforce represents the community it serves.”
The Women in Water Symposium’s goal is to create a community of people with the interest and aptitude to take on what were previously considered non-traditional careers. Photo: Cuyamaca College
For the first time, the Women in Water Symposium will have three tracks: sessions for those interested in starting their career in water; those seeking career advancement; and established professionals interested in forming professional alliances and promoting workforce diversity.
“We all have a vested interest in water,” said Murrell. “We cannot function without it. It’s vital for us to take part in maintaining this crucial resource.”
“It is good for anyone to attend, regardless of gender,” she said. “There is a lot you can learn from being in the room with the individuals and taking it all in. The energy has been amazing at the last conferences. This conference promotes the best of the industry.”
Water and wastewater industry employers including the San Diego County Water Authority will participate in the Women in Water Symposium at Cuyamaca College on January 16. Photo: Cuyamaca College
The San Diego County Water Authority will be among the water industry employers offering career information at the conference.
The Water Authority and its 24 member agencies created a regional workforce development task force to address the ‘Silver Tsunami’ of employees reaching retirement age.
“There are approximately 4,500 water and wastewater positions in the San Diego region and more than 1,400 of those workers are expected to reach retirement age by 2024,” said Gretchen Spaniol, acting special projects manager with the San Diego County Water Authority. “Those retirements provide an opportunity to diversify the water industry workforce, and the Women in Water conference is a great starting place to explore careers in water.”
The series of workshops between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. wraps up with a tour of the Water Conversation Garden.
Lunch, refreshments, and parking are included in the $35 registration fee. Registration is free for students. For more information about the symposium and Cuyamaca College’s Center for Water Studies, go to centerforwaterstudies.org.
Last week, watching an erroneous news story on a Los Angeles TV station, many listeners were shocked to learn that a new state law would limit them to 55 gallons per day indoor water use; and that they could face $1,000 penalties for laundering and showering on the same day.
The news story was wrong, but not THAT wrong.
When lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved the Trump administration’s new trade deal with Mexico and Canada last month, they authorized $300 million to help fix failing sewer systems that send raw sewage and toxic pollution flowing into rivers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The decision could bring an infusion of funding to help clean up the badly polluted New River, Tijuana River, and other rivers that flow across the border into the U.S.
