Reports of Tijuana sewage leaking over the border into the San Diego region stretch back at least to the 1930s. The fundamental issue hasn’t changed all that much over time. Plumbing still isn’t keeping pace with population growth. Water officials in Baja California have frequently pointed out that sewage collection in Tijuana far exceeds that in many parts of Mexico.
Ancient giant redwoods are among the charred survivors in Big Basin Redwoods State Park after a wildfire last year. Now rangers and conservationists are developing plans to better protect them out of fear that the world’s tallest trees may not survive future blazes that are almost certain to come.
As she promised, State Senator Melissa Hurtado has reintroduced legislation that would provide fund to improve California’s water infrastructure, including the Friant-Kern Canal. On Friday, Hurtado, a Democrat from Sanger whose district includes Porterville, introduced the State Water Resiliency Act of 2021 that would provide $785 million to restore the ability of infrastructure such as the Friant-Kern Canal to deliver water at their capacity.
San Diego County’s Local Agency Formation Commission approved municipal service reviews for the county’s three resource conservation districts while also updating the sphere of influence for each RCD. Separate 8-0 LAFCO board votes Monday, Feb. 1, approved the municipal service reviews for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego, the Mission Resource Conservation District and the Upper San Luis Rey Resource Conservation District while approving a sphere of influence update for each RCD which does not alter the sphere boundaries. LAFCO also had a presentation and discussion on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act that morning, although no board action was taken.
The Regional Water Quality Control Board amended U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s waste discharge requirements for the Las Pulgas Landfill. The 7-0 RWQCB vote Wednesday, Feb. 10, established procedures and technical specifications to remove the existing Phase I unit side slope liner system and to construct the engineered alternative Phase I unit side slope liner system. The revised waste discharge order recognized Marine Corps efforts to implement corrective actions at the landfill and resume waste disposal operations within the Phase I unit.
Water agencies across the region are seeking help from the County of San Diego and the 18 incorporated cities in the county to provide essential financial relief for households throughout the county that are facing growing water bill delinquencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District recently announced that it has connected the newly developing Santa Fe Heights neighborhood to its recycled water system, supplying the community with locally produced recycled water.
“We are excited to see another neighborhood begin using recycled water for irrigation,” said OMWD Board Secretary Ed Sprague. “Using recycled water is key for long-term sustainability of our water supply.”
The Marin Municipal Water District is calling on customers to voluntarily cut back on their water use for the first time since the 2013 drought in response to meager rainfall reminiscent of the notorious 1976-1977 drought.
“I have to say that looking at the forecast and how much rainfall we’ve had to date, we might actually be happy if we achieve the 1976-77 rainfall numbers at this point,” Paul Sellier, the district’s operations director, told the board of directors on Tuesday evening.
Much like COVID-19 is changing our election practices and day-to-day business operations, climate change could change your water rights, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
In the past, I have eluded to the shift from historical facts used for analysis and forecasting to a fear-based guessing game that allows an unelected bureaucracy backed by a one-party-rule elected body to usurp your property rights.
