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Planned Calif. Desalination Plant Faces Final Permit

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

Poseidon Water has announced its application for a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the construction of the proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Facility will soon be considered.

The facility is in the final phase of its permitting process and the CDP is the last major discretionary permit needed to build the long-awaited seawater desalination plant. The permit will be considered by California Coastal Commission staff during its upcoming March hearing.

“Poseidon Water appreciates the thoughtful considering of our Coastal Development Permit application by Commission staff,” said Jessica Jones, Poseidon’s director of communications. “We have a lengthy 15-year history of working cooperatively with the Coastal Commission on the permitting of the proposed Facility. As California continues to grapple with climate change-induced drought we remain committed to building on the success of our Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination facility.”

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The Colorado River Basin’s Water Forecast Looked Good in January. Now Everything Has Changed.

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Chris Outcalt

The past 30 days have at least temporarily erased hopes of above-average spring runoff in the Colorado River Basin, according to the February report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.

“Very little precipitation during the last three weeks of January, especially across southern Utah and southwest Colorado,” Cody Moser, a hydrologist with the NOAA forecast center, said Monday during a web briefing to review the agency’s latest monthly water-supply report.

The National Resources Conservation Service maintains snow telemetry (SNOTEL) sites across the Colorado River Basin, which automatically report snow depth and quality. Beginning in December, NOAA produces regular reports based on the SNOTEL data, detailing how that snow might translate into streamflow come spring.

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TID Lands $20 Million Grant to See if Placing Solar Panels Atop Canals Makes Sense

/in , /by /The Modesto Beeby John Holland

The Turlock Irrigation District plans to use a $20 million state grant to demonstrate solar panels atop canals.

TID would be the first water agency in the nation to try such a thing if its board votes Tuesday to accept the money.

The panels would feed electricity into transmission lines already along the canals, helping TID boost the renewable sources for its 103,000 or so power customers. The devices also would shade the water, possibly reducing evaporation losses for farmers.

The pilot project grew out of a study last year at the Merced and Santa Cruz campuses of the University of California. Researchers said installing canal panels throughout the Central Valley could get the state halfway to its goal for climate-safe power.

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Hydropower Turbine Proposal Would Cut Power Costs for Three NorCal Cities

/in , /by /CBS Sacramentoby Laura Haefeli

Three cities in Northern California may see a change in their energy bill if a proposal to buy power from a renewable energy company is approved.

“The prices have moved up here over the years,” said Grace Henderson.

Henderson has lived in Manteca for 25 years and says the place has only gotten pricier.

“Inflation is an issue right now, so all the prices are higher when you go to the gas station and the grocery store so that’s a major issue,” she said.

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Multiple Water and Wastewater Industry Awards Won by City of Escondido

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The City of Escondido scored wins in three categories at the annual California Water Environment Association awards on January 29. CWEA is California’s oldest and most prominent association of water protection professionals.

Hale Avenue Facility Named San Diego Section Wastewater Plant of the Year

The City of Escondido’s Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility, HARRF won the 2022 Wastewater Plant of the Year Photo: City of Escondido wastewater industry awards

The City of Escondido’s Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility, or HARRF, won the 2022 Wastewater Plant of the Year Photo: City of Escondido

The City of Escondido’s Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility (HARRF) won the 2022 Wastewater Plant of the Year (Medium Category). The HARRF is designed to treat up to 18 million gallons per day from the City of Escondido and the Rancho Bernardo area of the City of San Diego. The plant operates 24 hours a day, producing recycled water for the City of Escondido, along with organic materials called biosolids for beneficial reuse in Yuma, Arizona as agricultural soil amendments.

Professional staff make use of technology to manage plant operations with real-time information. A significant outcome is the consistent production of high-quality effluent, which allows the HARRF to drastically reduce chemical use in producing recycled water.

The City of Escondido wastewater department continually strives for the most cost-effective and process-minded maintenance program to minimize emergency calls or system failures. Over the past five years, the maintenance department has seen a reduction in emergency callouts by 75% by implementing an aggressive preventative maintenance and testing program.

Collection System of the Year Award

Escondido also won recognition for Collection System of the Year (Medium Category). The City of Escondido has 380 miles of collection system pipelines, dating back to 1928. As the system ages, aggressive maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement are imperative. The 16-person team cleans all 380 miles in the system annually. Older lines at risk of failing get priority replacement.

Where acceptable, crews rehabilitate lines with liners as a relatively inexpensive alternative to digging trenches for complete replacement. The liners have a 25- to 30-year lifespan. In 2021, 1,112 linear feet of pipeline were relined. Open trench replacement work was performed on 450 feet of pipeline.

Jorge Huitron Honored as Laboratory Analyst of the Year

Jorge Huitron (second from right) receives his award as Laboratory Person of the Year. Photo: City of Escondido wastewater industry awards

Jorge Huitron (second from right) receives his award as Lab Analyst of the Year. Photo: City of Escondido

Escondido Lab Technician II Jorge Hutiron’s outstanding work won recognition with the Lab Analyst of the Year award.

Huitron conducts complex water and wastewater analyses, from bench chemistry to bacteriological assessments, sample setup, data entry, and clean-up. His work assures all water supplies are safe for users.

Huitron trains both new and seasoned Escondido employees based on four decades of experience. Colleagues comment they learn something new from Huitron, even those with years of experience.

“Incredible asset”

“Jorge has been an incredible asset,” said Ralph Ginese, Supervising  Chemist, who nominated Huitron. “There really isn’t anything Jorge does not do. We are thankful to have him working with us.” Ginese said the 66-year-old veteran professional did his work so quietly over the years, it took the coronavirus pandemic to call attention to his effort, expertise, and value as a team player.

The nomination also cites Huitron’s ability to keep morale high during the pandemic through his leadership, teamwork, training, sharing, and empathy, along with ongoing consistency and reliability. “Jorge has a gleam in his eye, pride as he watches his colleagues learn from his experiences,” wrote Ginese in his nomination. “Laughter and smiles cross everyone’s face as he shares his stories of failures and success. Up until last year, this part of Jorge has been hidden. He now encompasses every attribute of what it means to be Laboratory Person of the Year.”

Each of the 20 CWEA award categories honors exceptional CWEA members and California wastewater professionals, facilities, and agencies. The program seeks to recognize outstanding achievements within the wastewater field, improve the professional status of all personnel working in the wastewater industry and related fields and stimulate public awareness of the importance of wastewater treatment to public health and the water environment.

(Editor’s note: The City of Escondido is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

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

Water Authority Credit Ratings Remain Strong, Saving Ratepayers Money

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We received some welcome news from the three major U.S. rating agencies last week, when they reported strong credit ratings and credit quality for the San Diego County Water Authority.

While that might not seem like a big deal, it really is. The newly released analysis by Fitch Ratings, S&P Global, and Moody’s allow the Water Authority to optimize its debt portfolio and minimize the cost of financing vital water reliability projects. In addition, S&P changed its long-term outlook for the Water Authority to stable from negative due to actions by the agency’s Board of Directors and staff leaders.

Ultimately, that means saving ratepayer money.

Investments in water supply diversification

All three rating agencies highlighted the strength of the Water Authority’s significant investments in supply diversification, which allow the agency to meet demands in its service area despite ongoing drought conditions. The Water Authority’s credit quality is deemed strong, in part because the agency adopted its Long-Range Financing Plan in 2021. S&P said, “the LRFP reflects strong management of the authority’s financial and capital needs balanced with long-term affordability for its member agencies.”

Strong credit ratings

The rating services also cited the Water Authority’s financial leadership, including prudent strategies to manage issues related to COVID-19, its success diversifying water supply sources, its commitment to infrastructure maintenance, and its financial reserves for managing contingencies.

Bond sale

We plan a $170 million bond sale this week, and these ratings will help us get the best rates. That’s just one part of our strategy at the Water Authority to promote affordability in everything we do – from maintaining our extensive water supply system to distributing tens of millions of dollars to our member agencies to investing in conserved water sources.

I look forward to sharing more of our affordability strategy as we move into 2022.

Eva Plajzer Named Director of O&M for Water Authority

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February 7, 2022 – Eva Plajzer, a 30-year civil engineering and management professional, has been appointed Director of Operations and Maintenance for the San Diego County Water Authority. She fills the position vacated by the retirement of Jim Fisher, whose 32-year career included nearly 10 years in a leadership role at the Water Authority.

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Water Authority Greenhouse Gas Emission Tracking Is Climate Leadership Case Study

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

The Water Utility Climate Alliance has added the Water Authority’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to its mitigation case studies library. The case studies provide valuable information and inspiration for greenhouse gas mitigation or sewage thermal energy use projects from concept to implementation for water utilities across the U.S.

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California’s 2022 Water Year – Both Wet and Dry

/in , , /by /California WaterBlogby Jay Lund

After two years of solid drought, and four months into California’s “wet” season, we don’t know if this year will be wet or dry.  This is normal for California.  But this year’s monthly precipitation “whiplash” is unusual.

For northern California, October was the 2nd wettest October in 102 years of record (400% of average October from one 2-day storm!).  November was the 31st driest November (50% of average). December was the 23rd wettest December (160% of average), and January was the 7th driest January on record (16% of average).

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California Desperately Needs Rain. What Are the Chances of a ‘Miracle’ in March?

/in , , /by /SF GATEby Amy Graff

The start of the wet season was promising in California, with a record-breaking atmospheric river in October and an onslaught of storms in December, but the weather forecast has remained persistently dry since the start of the year — with no hope for rain in the immediate future.

The lack of rain during what is usually the wettest time of the year is problematic in a drought-plagued state that needs to replenish its water supply and dampen a wildfire-prone landscape. The last hope that remains for winter is a surge of precipitation in late February and in March. What are the chances of that even happening?

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