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Sweetwater Authority Encourages Continued Water Efficiency and Applauds Customers’ Ongoing Efforts

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Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority continues to encourage customers to use water wisely and efficiently. On March 28, Governor Newsom called upon water agencies in California to activate their Drought Response Plans to higher levels of water restrictions to mitigate concerns of the long-term drought impacting our state. Because of the hard work and water efficient lifestyle that Authority customers have always embraced, we are already meeting the 20 percent water reduction associated with higher levels of the Drought Response Plan.

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SkillBridge Interns Explore Career Opportunities After Military Service

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

The San Diego County Water Authority is providing training opportunities to military veterans looking for new careers in public service as part of the Skillbridge Program. The program is helping military veterans transition to career-track training opportunities, including work in the water and wastewater industry.

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Governor’s New Water Saving Order Will Have Minimal Effect on San Diego

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Chris Jennewein Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Monday calling for increased water conservation after the driest first quarter in California’s history, but the San Diego region will be largely spared.

Newsom called on local water suppliers to move to their Level 2 drought plans, which anticipate shortages of up to 20% and could include restrictions on watering in many parts of the state.

 

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‘Continue With Our Water Conservation Practices’ | Californians Aren’t Conserving Enough Water

/in , , /by /CBS 8by Steve Price

Even with our recent storm, San Diego County is still well below our average for rain this year. And as bad as the drought conditions are here, in Northern California they are even worse.

As a result, Governor Gavin Newsom just issued an executive order that moves the state into a stricter level of water saving, but he’s allowing each local district to set its own rules.

“We’re going to continue with our water conservation practices,” said Jeff Stephenson, Water Resources Manager with the San Diego County Water Authority. “We’ve ramped up our messaging and then directing people to our conservation programs.”

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What Newsom’s Drought Actions Mean for San Diego

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diego / Morning Reportby MacKenzie Elmer Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

It rained almost two inches over Monday night in certain parts of the San Diego region, but the drought is not over. In fact, Jeff Stephenson, water resources manager at San Diego County Water Authority, said residents should consider turning off their sprinklers for the next seven days.

Of the six levels of emergency actions taken during a drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday moved California from the first to the second level. That means local water suppliers must act like supplies have dipped by at least 10 to 20 percent, as CalMatters explained.

But he isn’t requiring everybody to cut water use by the same amount across the board. This time he’s letting cities and jurisdictions trigger their local plans for action during drought prepared back in 2020.

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Here’s How Much the Latest Rainstorms Affected Water Levels in California’s Reservoirs

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Danielle Echeverria

The storms that rolled across the Bay Area and much of California on Sunday and Monday delivered some of the highest rainfall totals of the calendar year so far, as meteorologists predicted — but that still isn’t much, they said Tuesday.

“On a bigger picture, this is one of the biggest storms we’ve had of 2022,” said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “But we’ve only had a handful of systems actually bring any precipitation to the Bay Area in January and February.”

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Arizona Will Endure Another Hot, Dry Spring as Drought Persists

/in , /by /AZ Big Mediaby Emily Sacia

People in Arizona hoping for a break this spring from the drought gripping the state will be disappointed, with climatologists calling for minor to exceptional drought conditions, what one calls the state’s “new normal.”

The spring outlook released this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the largest drought coverage seen in the U.S. since 2013, with as much as 60% of the continental U.S. facing drought conditions.

“This outlook that NOAA is saying, that we’re going to develop or have worsening drought, it’s not surprising, it’s not unexpected,” said Erinanne Saffel, Arizona’s state climatologist.

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City Opposes 8% Metropolitan Water District Rate Increase

/in , /by /Pasadena Now

Interim City Manager Cynthia Kurtz sent an opposition letter to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) over rate increases.

“Pasadena does not support rate increases of 8% and 8% for each of the next two years,” Kurtz wrote in the March 21 letter. “Over the past decade, Metropolitan staff has continuously communicated to its member agencies to expect rate increases of 3-5% per annum. And, Metropolitan has stayed that course and managed to operate within those parameters despite some of the most challenging drought years in recorded history.”

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Gov. Newsom Outlines a Peace Agreement on California Water. Will the Fighting Finally End?

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration unveiled a $2.6 billion environmental peace treaty on the Central Valley’s overtaxed rivers Tuesday. The deal calls for farms and cities to surrender billions of gallons of water while contributing funds to help restore troubled fish habitats.

Newsom’s top aides called the 34-page memorandum of understanding a compromise measure that will leave more water in the rivers — but not as much as many environmentalists believe is needed to prop up ailing populations of salmon, steelhead and other fish. And some key water users, such as the city of San Francisco, haven’t yet signed onto the plan.

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California Plan Would Pay Farmers to Grow Less to Save Water

/in , /by /AP Newsby Adam Beam

California would pay farmers not to plant thousands of acres of land as part of a $2.9 billion plan announced Tuesday aimed at letting more water flow through the state’s major rivers and streams to help restore the unique habitat in one of North America’s largest estuaries.

The agreement, signed Tuesday between state and federal officials and some of California’s biggest water agencies, would result in about 35,000 acres of rice fields left unused — or about 6% of the state’s normal crop each year, according to the California Rice Commission.

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