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EPA Issues Emergency Drinking Water Order for Pala Trailer Park

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby City News Service

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order after finding the owners of a privately owned mobile home park on the Pala Band of Mission Indians Reservation were in violation of federal laws that safeguard clean drinking water, it was announced Thursday.

EPA officials said problems with a faulty septic system and broken water lines at the Lee Bar Ranch mobile home park were so bad that the park’s residents have been told to start boiling water to drink. The EPA called the water system at the park — which has no connection to the Pala Band — “a danger to the residents of the park.”

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Long-Duration Energy Storage Makes Progress but Regulation Lags Technology

/in , , /by /pv magazineby Eric Wesoff

If you were building an electrical grid from scratch (with no regard to regulations or finance), then long-duration energy storage would be a requisite. It just makes sense — store energy when it’s cheap and/or abundant, and discharge when the price is high, or the energy is needed by the grid. Use it to load-shift, peak-shift and smooth; to replace fossil-fuel-fired peaker plants; and to integrate intermittent renewable resources onto the grid.

Long-duration storage fits in with what utilities, independent system operators, and regional transmission operators understand. “Most utilities seem to want much longer-duration storage systems, with 6 to 12 hours discharge, to do serious load-shaping over the day,” suggests an analyst at a U.S. energy think tank. Some of these expectations are being driven by the performance of pumped hydro, once the only source of grid-connected storage.

Economically viable long-duration energy storage could accelerate solar and wind penetration, grid resiliency, and serve to stabilize volatile energy prices. But, long-duration energy storage will not become pervasive until regulators adapt to the capabilities of the technology.

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Water: Coastal Commission Staff Again Advises Desal Project Denial

/in , , /by /Monterey Heraldby Jim Johnson

Nine months after the Coastal Commission conducted its first hearing on California American Water’s proposed desalination project, commission staff has again recommended denial of the project in favor of a Pure Water Monterey expansion proposal.

On Tuesday, commission staff released a 154-page staff report essentially reiterating its previous arguments against the Cal Am desal project, including its relative cost, environmental impact and controversial nature. It touted the “feasible and environmentally preferable” recycled water project as a viable alternative in the Monterey Peninsula’s long-running attempts to develop a replacement water supply to offset the state ordered Carmel River cutback order.

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US Agencies Sign Collaborative Hydropower Agreement

/in , , /by /Water Power & Damn Construction

Three US federal agencies signed an agreement this week that will see them working together on future hydropower development efforts. The US Bureau of Reclamation, US Department of Energy’s Water Power Technology Office and the US Army Corps of Engineers signed the Federal Hydropower generation memorandum of understanding at Hoover Dam on Monday, which was National Hydropower Day.

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CBP Plans to Build Border Wall Across Tijuana River, Where No Barrier Exists

/in , /by /ValleyCentral.comby Salvador Rivera

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced plans to extend the border wall and have it cut across the Tijuana River where the river enters the U.S. in San Diego. The Tijuana River flows from south to north and crosses from Mexico into the U.S. right next to the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

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Opinion: Changing the Climate for Environmental Racism

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Kevin McKie

Environmental toxic exposure suffered in many minority neighborhoods is part of the systemic racism evident in society, and environmental justice belongs near the top of discussions to right those wrongs, writes Kevin McKie, an attorney at the Environmental Litigation Group P.C. Communities can take several steps, including passing legislation requiring industries to comply with stricter environmental regulations or pay additional fines, requiring that stringent environmental impact studies be performed before construction of new plants or the installation of toxic emission monitoring stations, and offering free medical monitoring.

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West Coast Wildfires, Gulf Coast Hurricanes: How Climate Change Connects These Extreme Events

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kellie Hwang

In Northern California, crews labored Thursday to control megafires sparked by a rare barrage of lightning strikes.

Across the country, a Category 4 hurricane made landfall overnight in Louisiana, destroying buildings and toppling powerlines with unrelenting winds and rain.

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The winning landscape makeover features a lush palette of plants in place of a thirsty lawn. Photo: City of Escondido waterwise landscaping

Waterwise Landscaping Blooms in Escondido

/in , /by

A lush native garden low on water use but not on style won first place in the City of Escondido’s 2020 WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

To encourage customers to reduce outdoor water use, the City of Escondido recognizes its customers whose yards best exhibit the beauty of California-friendly, low-water gardening in the annual competition.

The Brants' landscaping before its award-winning waterwise landscaping makeover. Photo: City of Escondido

The Brants’ landscaping before its award-winning waterwise landscaping makeover. Photo: City of Escondido

Winners Todd and Susie Brant said when they moved to Escondido and experienced its hot, dry weather, they began to reconsider whether they wanted to waste water resources watering a thirsty front lawn. They took advantage of the San Diego County Water Authority’s landscape makeover classes, then learned about the Turf Replacement Program, which could help cover the costs of removing their lawn and replacing it.

The Brants selected plants they loved and "found a place" for them. Photo: City of Escondido

The Brants selected plants they loved and “found a place” for them. Photo: City of Escondido

“We followed all the instructions carefully and were able to get the entire project paid for from the plants to the labor, and even some help from a landscape design professional,” said the Brants.

A little bit of everything

Waterwise plant choices don't have to be boring. Photo: City of Escondido

Waterwise plant choices don’t have to be boring. Photo: City of Escondido

The transformation is dramatic from a featureless patch of lawn to a palette bursting with agaves, succulents, sage, bird of paradise, dwarf bougainvillea, and more.

“As you’ll see in the photos, we have a little bit of everything!” said Susie Brant. “We just wander around the nursery, and if we like a plant, we’ll take one home and find a place for it.”

The Brants also retrofitted their irrigation system’s sprinkler heads with new ones that use much less water.

Virtual landscape makeover classes

The Brants took advantage of the San Diego County Water Authority's Landscape Makeover classes to help them plan their project. Photo: City of Escondido

The Brants took advantage of the San Diego County Water Authority’s landscape makeover classes to help them plan their project. Photo: City of Escondido

The Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscaping Makeover classes are now available online. The next class is scheduled for September 12. The free, three-hour workshops teach the basics of how to do a landscape makeover. Each workshop covers topics different topics. Topics include soil, design, turf removal, plant selection, planning, irrigation, rainwater catchment, and implementation — all the elements needed to convert high-water-use turf to a beautiful, water-efficient landscape.

All weekday workshops are held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday workshops from 9 a.m. to Noon. Workshops are free, but participants must register in advance at WaterSmartSD. Courses are also scheduled for October and November.

Water Groups Call for More Funding as Way to Pull Nation out of COVID Recession

/in , /by /Engineering News-Recordby Pam McFarland

Decades of inadequate investment in water infrastructure has exacerbated the economic challenges faced by water and wastewater utilities in the era of COVID-19, according to a new report released Aug. 26 by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the U.S. Water Alliance’s Value of Water Campaign.

 

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Environmental Justice Becomes Part of California City Planning

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

More than 140 cities and counties in California intend to update their long-term plans over the next two years to include environmental justice, meaning air pollution, water quality, and other factors affecting disadvantaged communities would get a closer look.

Local governments across the country typically have general plans that spell out long-term visions for land use, open space, housing, safety, and other planning factors. Some local governments haven’t updated their overall general plans since the 1970s, said Erik de Kok, a program manager in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

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