You are now in Home Headline Media Coverage San Diego County category.

Oceanside Takes First Place in Nationwide Waterwise Contest

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Linda Mcintosh

The city of Oceanside took first place in this year’s Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, earning the title of most waterwise among similarly sized cities across the country.

In total, Oceanside residents and businesses saved 32,945 gallons of water, collected more than 10,000 pounds of debris headed for local rivers and the ocean and reduced carbon emissions by 137 pounds during Earth Month in April.

During the annual competition, mayors around the country encourage their communities to conserve water, reduce carbon emissions and reduce waste.

Full Story

Drought Ravages Californias Reservoirs Ahead of Hot Summer

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Adam Beam

Each year Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation’s crops, sustain endangered salmon beneath its massive earthen dam and anchor the tourism economy of a Northern California county that must rebuild seemingly every year after unrelenting wildfires.

But now the mighty lake — a linchpin in a system of aqueducts and reservoirs in the arid U.S. West that makes California possible — is shrinking with surprising speed amid a severe drought, with state officials predicting it will reach a record low later this summer.

Full Story

Oceanside Introduces 360 Tour of Water Recycling Project

/in , , /by /The Logby Jordan B Darling

Oceanside released an immersive 360-degree video and tour of the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility, and new home of Pure Water Oceanside which is set to go online in 2022.

The video was released as part of “Water Awareness Month” and is a step-by-step tour of the water purification process, with a unique 360-view of the facility.

By turning your phone, you can see a view of the plant from all directions while hearing a narration of the process.

Full Story

California’s Epic Drought Is Parching Reservoirs and Worrying Farmers

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Greenby Leslie Kaufman and Eugene Reznik

There is dry, and then there is desiccated.

As any movie fan knows from the classic film Chinatown, California is an infamously thirsty place. But this year, even by its own standards, the state is shockingly, scarily parched. So far in 2021, the state has received half of its expected precipitation; that makes it the third driest year on record according to California’s Department of Water Resources.

This past week, as temperatures from Sacramento up to the Oregon border topped 100º Fahrenheit, the intense heat evaporated the remaining water at an astonishing pace, creating scenes more reminiscent of Hollywood-manufactured dystopias like Mad Max than the lush paradise Americans are used to envisioning on their West Coast.

Full Story

Here’s Where the Bay Area’s Water Actually Comes From, and What to Expect During California’s Drought

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Yoohyun Jung and Nami Sumida

With three quarters of the state now in extreme drought zones, dwindling water supplies are forcing many California water agencies to take restrictive measures to conserve water. In the Bay Area, Marin County was the latest to declare a state of emergency as parched conditions had ranchers trucking in water from elsewhere.

Yet compared to rural parts of California, the water supplies for San Francisco and the East Bay, are in healthier shape. But it’s not because San Francisco or the East Bay are getting much more rain than the rest of the state.

Full Story

The Importance Of Planting Drought-Tolerant California Native Plants In Your Garden

/in , , /by /CBS Los Angeles

Nurseries made record sales during the coronavirus pandemic as many people looked to pick up gardening as a new hobby.

However, most plants people grow come from outside of California and can be harmful to nature, especially monarch butterflies. Many people don’t realize that California native plants can bring their yards to life, with butterflies, hummingbirds and more.

The Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley is leading the movement to transform the state’s landscape by promoting drought-friendly plants that will still thrive in people’s yards. It’s a unique nursery in that all its plants are native to California.

Full Story

The Colorado River is Facing an Alarming Water Shortage for the First Time Ever

/in , , /by /The Hillby Christian Spencer

Between Las Vegas and Arizona, Lake Mead, the body of water that is fed by the Colorado River, dropped below 1,075 feet on Tuesday. The low water marks are signaling what could be the first-ever water shortage on the Colorado River, CNN reports.

The lake’s levels show a continuing decline, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), and any hope of recovery won’t happen until at least the end of 2022.

Full Story

San Diego Launches $10-Million Assessment of Aging City Dams, Including Three Rated ‘Poor’

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby David Garrick

San Diego is launching a $10-million effort to complete risk assessments of all nine of the city’s aging dams — only three of which are considered in satisfactory condition. City officials say the assessments are expected to reveal problems that will require an estimated $1 billion in repairs and upgrades in coming decades — and possibly some replacement dams in extreme cases. San Diego’s dams are among the oldest in the state and the nation. State officials said three dams are in “poor” condition — Hodges, El Capitan and Lower Otay — and three have been rated “fair”: Morena, Barrett and Lake Murray.

Full Story

‘Big Risk’: California Farmers Hit by Drought Change Planting Plans

/in , , /by /Reutersby Christopher Walljasper

Joe Del Bosque is leaving a third of his 2,000-acre farm near Firebaugh, California, unseeded this year due to extreme drought. Yet, he hopes to access enough water to produce a marketable melon crop.

Farmers across California say they expect to receive little water from state and federal agencies that regulate the state’s reservoirs and canals, leading many to leave fields barren, plant more drought-tolerant crops or seek new income sources all-together.

Full Story

Urban Water Districts Consider Mandatory Conservation as Drought Deepens

/in , , /by /Politicoby Debra Khan

Urban water agencies are planning to impose mandatory conservation orders after federal water managers slashed deliveries this week amid a rapidly deepening drought.

The Bureau of Reclamation cut water deliveries from the Central Valley Project by about half. That has prompted the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which serves 2 million residents in the Silicon Valley region, to consider a potential conservation order at its board meeting next month. And the Contra Costa Water District, which serves 500,000 residents in the East Bay, is now planning to vote on one in July.

Full Story