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Supervisors Support County Water Authority Customer Vote for Rainbow, Fallbrook Departure

/in , , /by /NBC 7by City News Service

The San Diego county Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 Tuesday to support state legislation that would require a vote by all customers served by water districts within the County Water Authority before individual districts can leave the authority.

Proposed by Supervisor Joel Anderson in a board letter, the policy follows a July 10 decision from the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission to allow the Rainbow Municipal Water District and Fallbrook Public Utility District to leave the water authority.

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San Diego Researchers Work on Forecasting Tool for Ocean Pathogens

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

California is investing $3 million in an effort to allow researchers to predict when and where ocean waters near Imperial Beach may be contaminated.

The ocean off the coast of Imperial Beach has suffered decades of contamination which includes trash, toxic chemicals and untreated sewage runoff.

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Feinstein, Padilla Ask Senate for $310 Million to Address Border Pollution

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Elizabeth Ireland

California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla Tuesday called on U.S. Senate leadership to include $310 million in an upcoming emergency supplemental bill — money that would be used to repair infrastructure to treat raw sewage spilling across the border from Mexico.

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California Electricity Pricing Exploded in the Last Three Years, Far Outpacing Inflation

/in , /by /PV Magazineby John Fitzgerald Weaver

Energy Toolbase, a financial modeling platform specializing in solar and energy storage that collects nationwide electricity tariffs and rates, has published an in-depth analysis on the inflation of California’s electricity rates over the past decade. The analysis found that the state’s electricity inflation far outpaced generation inflation, averaging 15.3% from the 2020 through 2023. This surge came on the heels of a comparatively modest six-year span, which saw an average inflation of 1.6%.

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EPA Revises Waters Rule to Align With High Court Wetlands Ruling

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Law by Bobby Magill

A new rule governing federally protected waters and wetlands was issued Tuesday by the EPA to align agency regulations with a US Supreme Court ruling that will allow unpermitted development in wetlands across the country.

The rule revises the Biden administration’s earlier waters of the US, or WOTUS, definition finalized in January, removing its legal basis, which was struck down by the Supreme Court in May in Sackett v. EPA.

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Thousands of Gallons of Sewage Spills After South Bay Plant Pumps Fail

/in , /by /ABC 10 by Laura Acevedo

Residents in San Diego’s South Bay were left to deal with a strong odor after thousands of gallons of sewage spilled onto a roadway.

The International Boundary and Water Commission confirmed that about 20,000 gallons spilled onto Hollister Street on Monday afternoon.

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Tish Berge and Kelley Gage Appointed to Key Leadership Positions

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San Diego County Water Authority executives Tish Berge and Kelley Gage were promoted Monday by General Manager Dan Denham. Berge moves from assistant general manager to deputy general manager after two years in her prior post. Gage, who served as director of water resources the past five years, is now assistant general manager.

Berge moves from assistant general manager to deputy general manager after two years in her prior post. Gage, who served as director of water resources the past five years, is now assistant general manager.

Berge oversees finance, government relations, public affairs, administrative services, and human resources at the Water Authority. Gage oversees the water resources, engineering, and operations & maintenance departments.

Depth of knowledge and experience

“Tish and Kelley are veteran leaders in the water industry who bring a depth of knowledge and experience that will continue to benefit the region and our retail member agencies,” said Denham.  “We have an exceptional leadership team at the Water Authority, with Tish and Kelley at the forefront.”

Berge joined the Water Authority as assistant general manager in February 2021, and since joining she secured $18.5 million in state funding and negotiated project labor agreements and memorandums of understanding with labor. From 2017 to 2021 Berge served as general manager of the Sweetwater Authority, leading the agency to earn a “District of Distinction” award from the Special District Leadership Foundation.

Before that, Berge served as Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District’s director of administration and finance and as assistant general manager for San Elijo Joint Powers Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Certified Special District Manager and Registered Professional Engineer.

Gage has been with the Water Authority for more than 19 years, working in the fields of water supply planning, environmental planning, and water and regulatory policy. She started with the agency in 2001, then rejoined the Water Authority as director of water resources in 2018. From 2015 to 2018, Gage served as the senior director of water resources at Eastern Municipal Water District. She has also worked for the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, and the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. She has a bachelor’s degree in geology and environmental science from Michigan State University.

(Editor’s Note: For more information about the Water Authority’s leadership team, go to: sdcwa.org/about-us/departments-leadership/.)

San Diego County Water Authority And its 24 Member Agencies

Tish Berge and Kelley Gage Appointed to Key Leadership Positions

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San Diego County Water Authority executives Tish Berge and Kelley Gage were promoted Monday by General Manager Dan Denham. Berge moves from assistant general manager to deputy general manager after two years in her prior post. Gage, who served as director of water resources the past five years, is now assistant general manager.

Berge oversees finance, government relations, public affairs, administrative services, and human resources at the Water Authority.

Deputy General Manager Tish Berge

Tish Berge-Deputy General Manager-leadership-Berge

San Diego County Water Authority Deputy General Manager Tish Berge. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Assistant General Manager Kelley Gage

Gage oversees the water resources, engineering, and operations & maintenance departments.

Kelley Gage-Gage-Assistant General Manager-leadership

San Diego County Water Authority Assistant General Manager Kelley Gage. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Depth of knowledge and experience

“Tish and Kelley are veteran leaders in the water industry who bring a depth of knowledge and experience that will continue to benefit the region and our retail member agencies,” said Denham.  “We have an exceptional leadership team at the Water Authority, with Tish and Kelley at the forefront.”

Berge joined the Water Authority as assistant general manager in February 2021, and since joining she secured $18.5 million in state funding and negotiated project labor agreements and memorandums of understanding with labor. From 2017 to 2021 Berge served as general manager of the Sweetwater Authority, leading the agency to earn a “District of Distinction” award from the Special District Leadership Foundation.

Before that, Berge served as Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District’s director of administration and finance and as assistant general manager for San Elijo Joint Powers Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Certified Special District Manager and Registered Professional Engineer.

Gage has been with the Water Authority for more than 19 years, working in the fields of water supply planning, environmental planning, and water and regulatory policy. She started with the agency in 2001, then rejoined the Water Authority as director of water resources in 2018. From 2015 to 2018, Gage served as the senior director of water resources at Eastern Municipal Water District. She has also worked for the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, and the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. She has a bachelor’s degree in geology and environmental science from Michigan State University.

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Rainbow and Fallbrook Fight to Leave San Diego County Water Authority Amid Rising Water Rates

/in , , /by /NBC 7by Priya Shridhar Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Nick Serrano, a board member of the San Diego County Water Authority and Deputy Chief of Staff to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said if Fallbrook and Rainbow detach from the water authority, the rest of the ratepayers in the county could see their bills increase as much as 5% per year.

“I think it’s stunning that there is an argument to not allow people to vote, that people do not deserve a say in this matter and we just disagree with that,” Serrano said. “I think at the very least, we believe that the ratepayers, who will be impacted by this decision, should have the opportunity to vote. It’s not to say that detachment can’t occur, but they have the opportunity to vote.”

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At Lake Mead, 1 Inch Equals 2 Billion Gallons

/in , , /by /8NewsNowby Greg Haas

After years living with a lingering sense of doom, residents have taken some pleasure in seeing Lake Mead fill up a little bit on the strength of a record snowpack for the Colorado River. The fact remains that it’s only a third full, but it’s a big improvement over last year. In fact, the lake is 23 feet higher today than its low point in July of 2022.

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