Fixed pipes. Better pumps, turbines and motors. New bypass channels. Repaired fish ladders. Refurbished valves.
To improve California’s water infrastructure, more than $307 million of needed upgrades like those are included in staggeringly long to-do list of new public works projects throughout the West that will receive federal funding, Biden Administration officials announced on Wednesday.
The decision comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the statewide 15% water savings mandate.
Although several water restrictions have been lifted, officials said they still don’t want to see water wasters in the city.
They urge people not to water more than three times a week, regardless of the conditions.
An $8.2 million award for the Colorado River Basin’s Imperial Dam was announced on Wednesday.
Congressman Raul Ruiz joined Senator Alex Padilla and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau.
Including Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton to announce the award.
For most of California’s history, a record snowpack in the Sierra has been like money in the bank — filling reservoirs and keeping rivers healthy and flowing year-round. But in this era of climate change, there’s a real concern that some of that precious water could slip through our fingers.
“If we get a very warm rain, or a series of warm rains — if we get an extended period of warm weather, that’s going to trigger the snowmelt and the flooding potential for the river,” said Central Valley rancher Don Cameron.
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District invites residents with water-efficient gardens to enter the 2023 WaterSmart Landscape Contest for a chance to win a $250 prize. An online application is available at www.landscapecontest.com, and the submission deadline is May 12.
(Editor’s Note: This feature highlights new members of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 36-member Board of Directors. Each of the Water Authority’s 24 member agencies appoints at least one representative to the Board, which sets policy for the Water Authority.)
Who: Kyle Swanson was seated on the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors on January 11, 2023, representing the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. Swanson serves on the Administrative and Finance, Legislation and Public Outreach and Water Conservation Garden JPA committees for the Water Authority.
Background/Education: Swanson, a native of San Diego, earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from San Diego State University. He is the CEO/General Manager of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District and previously served as Executive Director of the East County Advanced Water Purification Project. He holds a Grade 5 Water Distribution Operator Certification and a Grade 2 Water Treatment Operator Certification, both from the State Water Resources Control Board. Swanson is also a Certified Public Manager and a Certified Special District Manager, SDLF.
Water Industry Affiliations:
WateReuse California, Member Board of Trustees; American Water Works Association (AWWA); California Water Environment Association (CWEA); Association California Water Agencies (ACWA); and California Special Districts Association (CSDA).
Q: How did you get interested in water issues?
A: As a San Diego Native my interest in water started at a young age. I was fortunate to have a family actively involved in the construction of large civil water treatment and conveyance infrastructure in the southwest. My father would routinely take me to projects providing an early respect for the facilities required to deliver safe and reliable water to our taps. My education and career followed with a water interest studying and working in hydrology and later with public water utilities. Water is both powerful and transformational; the issues relating are also equally so.
Q: What are your priorities or interests as a Board member?
A: Ensuring future generations benefit from our efforts towards water resiliency, development of local water supplies and the continual investment in a robust water system.
Q: Besides maintaining safe and reliable water supplies, what do you see as the top three issues facing the San Diego region?
A: Cost of Living, Resource Stewardship, Societal Collaboration
Q: What do you like to do when you are not working?
A: I’m an avid outdoor enthusiast. I enjoy camping with my family, exploring the natural beauty, riding mountain bikes and restoring cars. San Diego offers the perfect playground. We all need to take more time to pause our days and enjoy those around us and the environment we live in.
The Water Authority’s Board of Directors typically meets on the fourth Thursday of each month. The Board invites the public to attend its monthly meetings and to comment on agenda items or other matters before the Board. For meeting times, agendas and documents, go to www.sdcwa.org/board-directors
Californians gave their irrigation systems the winter off in much of 2023 thanks to above-average precipitation. As the weather warms, the U.S. EPA encourages everyone to perform a maintenance check in April as part of its “Sprinkler Spruce Up” effort.
California water officials reported on Monday that preliminary data showed the water contained in the state’s April snowpack is near historic levels.
Officials previewed the results after a morning measurement south of Lake Tahoe, where the snowpack exceeded 10.5 feet deep at one of California’s 260 snow measurement locations.
A fund to help San Diego County residents pay their water bills still has $2.5 million sitting unclaimed. According to leadership of the nonprofit Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty, or MAAC, which manages the fund, many people may not realize they qualify for assistance.
“We don’t want to leave money on the table when there are people that absolutely need these funds right now,” said Arnulfo Manriquez, MAAC’s president, who oversees the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program.
