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OPINION: Why Operating a Desalination Plant in California Is a High-Stakes Gamble

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Keith Solar Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

California’s acceptance of desalination has ebbed and flowed over the years as the state grapples with shoring up water security in the face of constant drought conditions. Recent discussions over “water swaps” have generated excitement over the possibilities.

While regional water-sharing arrangements between neighboring states and California could result in new desalination facilities, the process of converting seawater into drinking water comes with a host of regulatory hurdles that make planning, permitting and operating reverse osmosis plants extremely challenging in California.

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San Diego County Water Authority Proposes Rate Hike

/in , /by /NBC 7 Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The rate hikes announced Monday will be discussed in a public hearing before the water authority Board of Directors at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

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How San Diego Went From Water Shortages to Helping Other States

/in , /by /CBS 8by Vanessa Paz Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: Dan Denham

Just a few years ago, San Diego residents were being urged to conserve water as the West grappled with one of the worst droughts in centuries.

Today, the region finds itself in a very different position: exploring ways to help neighboring states facing growing water shortages.

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Data Center That Vowed to Avoid Colorado River Water Is Now Suing for 260 Million Gallons per Year

/in , /by /The Cool Downby Curtis Deacon

Questions are mounting around a proposed artificial intelligence data center in California’s Imperial Valley because its developer is now seeking Colorado River water, despite earlier saying the project would avoid drawing from the drought-stressed river.

KPBS reported that Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing has gone to court to secure 260 million gallons of water per year from the Imperial Irrigation District — about 750,000 gallons a day — for a planned artificial intelligence complex in the desert.

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San Diego County Water Authority Proposes 3% Water Rate Hike for 2027

/in , /by /CBS 8 San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: Dan Denham

The San Diego County Water Authority Monday proposed a 3% rate increase for 2027, with similar adjustments tentatively planned through 2032.

SDCWA leaders said while the rate hike was painful, it was actually below the national rate of inflation and a significant decrease from earlier projections — at least partly due to two water-sharing agreements with other agencies signed this spring.

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California Needs Water and Clean Power. It Might Have a Fix for Both.

/in , /by /New York Timesby Quinn Glabicki

In California, a sprawling 4,000-mile network of canals winds through citrus orchards and fields of tree nuts, delivering irrigation and drinking water to homes and farms across the state.

The canals are critical in an increasingly arid part of the country. But what if they could help fulfill another urgent need: renewable energy?

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California’s Water Crisis Driving Higher Interest in Desalination as a New Source

/in , /by /ABC 7 San Franciscoby Drew Tuma Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

From a fast-melting snowpack in the Sierra to over-pumped groundwater in the Central Valley and a drought on the Colorado River, California’s water supply is facing enormous pressure. Increasingly, some believe the only real alternative is to draw water from the Pacific Ocean offshore.

Former Water Manager Tim Quinn believes he and his team at OceanWell can do it safely and more affordably.

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WaterSmart Makeover: Creating a Space of Year-Round Color in Chula Vista

/in , /by /The Press Democratby Caron Golden Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Cathy Spence didn’t grow up gardening. She attributes that to the multiple moves her military family made when she was growing up — before they settled in Chula Vista. Now, she lives with her husband David in the same area — with their cute scruffy terrier mix rescue, Skipper.

They bought their house in 2018 after both retired from the military. David had been an emergency manager in the Army Corps of Engineers, while Cathy was a Department of Defense worker in the family services side of the Army and Air Force in Alaska, then in Germany, Georgia and Japan.

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With Bold Blooms and Outdoor Art, Clairemont Yard Is Awash in Color

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Caron Golden Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

It’s the entrance from the street that creates anticipation for seeing just what’s in the backyard.

There’s going to be a lot — an extravagant palette — of color. The plants will have low water needs. And it’ll be just a little eccentric. Oh, and did I mention all the color?

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Tensions Are Rising Among States That Rely on the Colorado River

/in , /by /New York Timesby Scott Dance

Water in the Colorado River is dwindling to levels that haven’t been seen in decades, and the seven states whose residents and farmers depend on the river can’t agree on a fair way to divide up what’s left.

Negotiations are going nowhere despite more than six months of ongoing talks, plus cajoling by the Trump administration, which twice gathered governors in hopes of a breakthrough that never came. States are already sniping at aspects of a water-use plan the federal Bureau of Reclamation is set to unveil this summer and impose later this year, and they’re threatening to sue each other over water deliveries, raising the prospects of prolonged legal battles just as Western states face demands to sharply reduce water use.

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