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Helix Water District-Lake Jennings-Winners-Photo Contest

Lake Jennings 2022 Spring Photo Contest Call For Entries

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The 11th annual Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest is now open for entries.  The theme is “Life at the Lake.”

The contest goal is to share the beauty of the reservoir and its surroundings with the local community while highlighting public recreation opportunities. Photos can capture any aspect of the lake, including recreation, fishing, lake vistas, wildlife, and wildflowers.

Photos taken at Lake Jennings between March 1 and May 31, 2022 are eligible.

Contest participants can get a free day-pass to access, explore and photograph the scenic reservoir in Lakeside.

Judging will be performed by a panel of Helix Water District staff. Entries are judged based on this year’s theme, visual appeal, technical quality, and creativity.

Second Place – Johnathan Bradley, "Sun Star" Spring Photo Contest

Photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove won first place in 2021 for his image titled “Open Field.” Photo: Helix Water District

“We encourage photographers of all skill levels to visit Lake Jennings and enter the 2022 Spring Photo Contest,” said recreation manager Kira Haley. “Lake Jennings offers visitors plenty of beautiful things to photograph like its scenic views, clear water, numerous trails, fishing, and plenty of wildlife.”

Cash prizes and public recognition for winners

In the Youth category, second place to Gabriel Heilpern, “Fishing on the Lake.” Photo: Helix Water District Lake Jennings 2022

Gabriel Heilpern’s photo “Fishing on the Lake,” was second in the youth category last year. Photo: Helix Water District

Contest sponsor, Helix Water District, will award prizes in two divisions, adult and youth. First-place winners in each division will receive $150; second-place winners will receive $100, and third-place winners will receive $50. Awards will be presented at a public board meeting in June.

Participants must submit entries digitally to by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31. There is a limit of three photo submissions per photographer. Photos may not contain watermarks. See rules, and entry, and model release forms at http://www.lakejennings.org/photo-contest/.

Third Place – Jeff Morin, "Ladies on a Lunch Break" Spring Photo Contest

In 2021, third place in the Adult category went to Jeff Morin for “Ladies On A Lunch Break.” Photo: Helix Water District

Sixty-one photographers submitted their work in 2021. Photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove won first place for his image titled “Open Field” and second place for the photo “Sun Star.” Third place went to Jeff Morin for “Ladies On A Lunch Break.”

In the Youth category, first place went to Aaron De’Souza for “Cacti by the Lake,” and second place to Gabriel Heilpern, “Fishing on the Lake.”

Photographers planning their visit should check the Lake Jennings website for current information on hours and access.

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

San Diego Research Links Oroville Dam Crisis to Global Warming

/in , , /by /KPBSby Thomas Fudge

The Oroville Dam in northern California is the nation’s tallest dam and it creates the state’s second-largest reservoir. In February of 2017, an atmospheric river dumped a huge amount of snow then a huge amount of rain into the reservoir’s watershed.

A 30-foot wall at the top of the dam, called the weir, nearly gave way to the volumes of water and 188,000 people had to be evacuated.

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L.A. Has $556 Million and a Plan to Capture More Storm Water. But Will They Ever Do It?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ralph Vartabedian

After a series of storms drenched the region with a record 9.4 inches of rain in December, the Los Angeles River became a roiling, violent torrent in its concrete channel, before finally spilling into the Pacific Ocean.

The storms transported an estimated 29.5 billion gallons of fresh water into Long Beach Harbor — 62% more water than the nation’s largest desalination plant in San Diego produces in an entire year. It was enough to supply as many as 181,000 families annually.

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Rains Turn Tijuana River Valley Into ‘Swamp of Sewage.’ but Wetlands May Need Those Flows.

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Recent rains have poured into the Tijuana River, blasting Imperial Beach with more than a billion gallons of heavily polluted water since mid-February, according to federal estimates.

Pumps operated by Mexico that suck water out of the Tijuana River have been turned off for several weeks as rains overwhelmed the system’s capacity and debris clogged the intake. Officials said it should be cleaned out and running in about a week.

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Opinion: Liz Writes Life: California’s Drought Is an Alarming Problem

/in , , /by /The Siskiyou Daily Newsby Liz Bowen

No rain or snow in January and February certainly added to the drought in California. L.A. Times reporter Ian James reported on Feb. 24 that many farmers in the federal Central Valley Project will not receive water from the federal system this year. In mid-February, the federal Bureau of Reclamation announced a zero-water allocation for many irrigation districts that supply farmers throughout the Central Valley. Makes one wonder: Where our food will be grown?

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Record Growth, Record Heat, Record Drought: How Will Las Vegas Weather the Climate Crisis?

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Gabrielle Canon

Away from the lights and fountains of the Las Vegas Strip, bulldozers are working overtime as the suburbs of Sin City are bursting out of their seams.

Las Vegas is growing at a staggering rate. Clark county, where the city is located, is home to roughly 2.3 million people, but forecasts predict the population could go beyond 4 million by 2055.

Attracted by the lure of cheaper costs of living, lower taxes, and newly built homes, more than half a million people are expected to flock to southern Nevada in just the next 15 years.

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Pinal County Farmers Are the First to Feel the Pain of Colorado River Cuts

/in , , /by /Fronterasby Anthony J. Wallace

Farming is in 30-year-old Jace Miller’s blood.

“I love my job, it’s the greatest way of life,” Miller said. “It’s the best profession in the world, in my opinion.”

His great great grandfather came to Arizona in 1917 and started a farm in Gilbert. Four generations later, Jace is still doing it. But that 100-year run is at risk of ending — Triple M Farms, named for the three Miller generations that work there today — is losing access to its most important resource: water.

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Spring Is Starting Sooner and Growing Warmer, Analysis Shows

/in , , /by /Yale Environment 360

Spring is beginning sooner in the United States, with 97 percent of 242 locations across the country experiencing temperature increases since 1970, according to a new analysis from Climate Central.

The analysis showed that close to half of the 242 locations have warmed by at least 2 degrees F. Reno, Nevada saw the greatest increase of any city, warming by 6.8 degrees F, followed by Las Vegas, Nevada and El Paso, Texas, which warmed by 6.2 degrees and 5.9 degrees, respectively.

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Water-Energy Program Helps Low-Income Families Achieve Savings

/in , , /by /Water News Network

The San Diego County Water Authority’s water-energy partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric is seeking $1.8 million in additional funding through 2026 to continue saving water and energy for thousands of income-qualified residents across the San Diego region.

For more than 25 years, the Water Authority’s Water-Energy Nexus Program, or WEN, has maximized energy savings while supporting water efficiency in the San Diego region. SDG&E and the Water Authority have worked together to trim water and energy use and costs in one of the longest-running partnerships of its kind in California.

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Seawater Desalination Possibly Expanding in California Amid Worsening Drought

/in , , /by /abc 7 Newsby Mike Nicco and Tim Didion

As the pressure on California’s water supply grows more intense this summer, another urban area could begin the process of producing their own. The California Coastal Commission is set to vote later this spring on what would be the state’s second major coastal desalination plant in Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles.

Glenn Farrel is with the industry group, CalDesal.

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