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City Approves Purchase of Desalination Unit

/in , /by /Fort Bragg Advocate-Newsby Robin Epley

The Fort Bragg City Council’s special meeting on Monday went fairly quickly — all of 10 minutes — and unanimously approved the purchase of a desalination and reverse osmosis machine for no more than $335,818.50.

At the last city council meeting, city staff requested the council set aside $600,000 to pursue various options during this summer’s expected drought, including hurdles with sourcing and permitting.

The flow in the Noyo River, which is the city’s primary water source in summer and fall months, is at levels below the worst drought year on record, 1977.

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Gary Croucher-Board Chair-San Diego County Water Authority-Primary

San Diego Region is Drought-Safe This Summer

/in , /by

Statewide drought conditions are highlighting the value of regionally and locally controlled water supplies in San Diego County, where the Water Authority announced June 21 that the region is protected from drought impacts this summer, and through 2045, despite continued hot and dry conditions. No shortages or regional water-use mandates are in the forecast – the result of three decades of strategic investments that create an aquatic safety net for San Diego County’s $253 billion economy and our quality of life.

The region’s diversified water supply portfolio includes highly reliable and locally controlled supplies, including desalinated seawater from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. It also includes high-priority, low-cost, conserved water from the Quantification Settlement Agreement, the nation’s largest conservation-and-transfer agreement. The combination offers significant protection against droughts and other emergencies even during multiple dry years.

San Diego region is “drought-safe” thanks to water-smart practices

I offer my sincere thanks to all San Diegans for everything you have done to make sure that we have enough water to meet the region’s needs now and for decades into the future. You have invested through your water bills and your water-smart practices, and those efforts are paying off in tangible ways.

At the same time, it’s important that we all continue embracing water-use efficiency strategies that have become part of our regional ethic. Simple but important steps include turning off the faucet while brushing teeth, fixing irrigation system leaks, and using hoses with automatic shut-off nozzles.

Thanks again for all you do, and remember to stay water-smart this summer!

San Diego Region is Drought-Safe This Summer

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority announced June 21 that the region is protected from drought impacts this summer, and through 2045, despite continued hot and dry conditions.

Statewide drought conditions are highlighting the value of regionally and locally controlled water supplies in San Diego County. No shortages or regional water-use mandates are in the forecast, the result of three decades of strategic investments that create an aquatic safety net for San Diego County’s $253 billion economy and quality of life for 3.3 million residents.

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Santa Fe Irrigation to Offer Reduced Water Rate for Agriculture Customers

/in , , /by /Del Mar Timesby Karen Billing Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

On June 17, the Santa Fe Irrigation District board approved the adoption of a program that will benefit the district’s agricultural water users.

SFID will now allow eligible customers to participate in the San Diego County Water Authority’s Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate (PSAWR), a program that SFID Director Sandra Johnson said recognizes the value of agriculture by reducing water rates for growers.

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San Elijo’s Water Reclamation Facility Named “Plant of the Year”

/in , , /by by The Coast News Group

The San Elijo Joint Powers Authority’s water reclamation facility near San Elijo Lagoon on Manchester Avenue in Encinitas was named “Plant of the Year” by the California Water Environment Association, the agency announced today.

The award recognizes accomplishments in compliance, innovative practices, cost-effectiveness and superior plant performance amongst wastewater agencies across California.

San Elijo’s medium-sized facility earned the accolade for its commitment to renovating aging infrastructure, collaborating with San Diego State University and utilizing student research, prioritizing staff development and integrating computer modeling into day-to-day operations, according to a recent release.

San Elijo’s medium-sized facility earned the accolade for its commitment to renovating aging infrastructure, collaborating with San Diego State University and utilizing student research, prioritizing staff development and integrating computer modeling into day-to-day operations, according to a recent release.

“What really impressed the judges about the San Elijo submittal was that they scored well in every category,” said Brian Peck, a delegate for the California Water Environment Association, on June 15 when presenting the award to the board of directors.

San Elijo serves Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and portions of Rancho Santa Fe and can process more than 5 million gallons per day of wastewater and stormwater.

The agency employs advanced treatment technology to produce recycled water for industrial uses and irrigation at golf courses, schools, parks, streets, greenbelts and the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

San Elijo delivers recycled water through several local partnerships, including Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District and the City of Del Mar.

(Editor’s note: The Olivenhain Municipal Water District, San Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District and the City of Del Mar are four of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

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Opinion: Farmers and Ranchers Need Support During Drought

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Karen Ross and David Shabazian

While California is known for its world-famous entertainment industry and ever-transforming tech sector, agriculture is the often-overlooked backbone of our diverse state and one of its earliest economic engines.

Our state’s multigenerational farmers and ranchers not only feed Californians, but also supply one-third of our country’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts, while also leading the nation in milk production.

Metropolitan Water District Gets a New Chief. What Changes Might Adel Hagekhalil Bring?

/in , , /by /KCRWby Steve Chiotakis

Much of Southern California’s water comes from Northern California, the Sierra snowpack, and the Colorado River. One of the agencies tasked with making that happen is the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), headquartered in downtown LA by Union Station. Nearly 19 million people across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties depend on MWD for at least some of their water supply.

Hundreds of MWD workers have a new incoming leader: Adel Hagekhalil. He’s the outgoing head of LA’s Bureau of Street Services. Before that, he was second-in-command at the city’s sanitation department.

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This Giant ‘Inland Ocean’ is Southern California’s Last Defense Against Drought

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Louis Sahagun

Mechanical engineer Brent Yamasaki set out amid the recent blistering heat wave to take stock of the giant dams, pumps and pipes that support Diamond Valley Lake in Riverside County, the largest storehouse of water in Southern California.

The reservoir, which he helped build 25 years ago, is 4½ miles long and 2 miles wide and holds back nearly 800,000 acre-feet of water — so much that it would take 20,000 years to fill it with a garden hose.

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Bureau Blocks Water Transfer to Help Save SJ Valley Farmers

/in , /by /Manteca Bullitenby Dennis Wyatt

Farmers on the western edge of the parched San Joaquin Valley have little or no ground water resources this year. The South San Joaquin Irrigation District and Oakdale Irrigation District have legal rights to 200,000 acre feet of water sitting behind New Melones Reservoir beyond this year’s needs of the farms and urban customers they serve. The two districts want to help the farmers who will face a difficult choice: Let tens of thousands of acres of productive orchards die and leave cropland fallow or else accelerate groundwater pumping to exacerbate dropping aquifers the State of California has identified as a pressing issue.

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As the Drought Persists, Here’s How Phoenix is Prepared

/in , /by /AZ Big Media

Water is a precious resource in a desert city like Phoenix. Community members understand the importance of water conservation to keep the city thriving. Unlike other areas in the southwest, Phoenix is not in a water shortage. While the drought is serious, Phoenix is prepared.

Over 20 years into the current drought, Phoenix continues to have access to several water supplies, including Salt, Verde, and Colorado River, groundwater reserves, and reclaimed wastewater for crops and sustainable activities. Investments in infrastructure, strategic and innovative planning on behalf of city leaders, and long-standing water conservation programs are just some of the reasons why water supplies in Phoenix will remain in good shape.

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