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State Water Agency Seeks Input from Local Groups on Infrastructure Projects

/in , , /by /The Independentby Tony Kukulich

There is an adage in California that goes, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over.”

But instead of fighting, the California Water Commission is looking for opportunities to hear from local agencies on water infrastructure projects.

The CWC recently wrapped up a series of public workshops intended to determine the opportunity for a state role in financing water conveyance projects that meet the challenges of a changing climate.

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Improve Your Landscaping Soil With a Soil Test

/in , , /by /Water News Network

One of the first steps in your landscape makeover project involves preparing the soil to allow efficient use of irrigation. San Diego County soil quality needs a lot of help. The area is defined by impermeable soils with poor infiltration areas. Water doesn’t flow through the soil to replenish the groundwater, because it is made primarily of clay which is too dense.

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San Diego Water Managers Push for State Relief

/in , , /by /KPBS FM/TVby Erik Anderson Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County water managers are lobbying state officials to help get financial relief for customers and water agencies struggling with water debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The region’s water wholesaler was surprised by the amount of debt looming over water customers and the agencies that sell it.

State water officials estimate 1.6 million customers are behind on their water bills. The debt is worth more than $1 billion.

Glenn Farrel, San Diego County Water Authority director of Government Relations, said there are long-term issues that need consideration.

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Colorado’s Ornery, Independent Water Guardians Finally Agree On One Thing: Wall Street Can Look Elsewhere

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Jason Blevins

The calls came in shortly after the story in The New York Times announced Wall Street was on the prowl for “billions in the Colorado’s water.” “Can you help us? How do we get started?” wondered the New York financiers, pals of Andy Mueller, the manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

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Farmers’ Planting Plans Hinge on Water, Pandemic

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Ching Lee

As California farmers weigh decisions on what to plant and how much, lack of rainfall so far this winter has further clouded a 2021 crop outlook already complicated by market uncertainties created by the pandemic.

With current precipitation levels looking even drier than the 2014-15 drought years, Kings County farmer Brian Medeiros said he’s already making decisions about what ground to fallow. He noted that if he does not receive surface-water deliveries and must rely on groundwater all year, it becomes cost-prohibitive to grow many of the field crops that have been core to his business.

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New Regional Degree Program Responds to Water and Wastewater Workforce Needs

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Driven by the rapidly growing demands for skilled career professionals in the water and wastewater industry, National University and Cuyamaca College will launch a new degree pathway program starting in February 2021.

Developed in collaboration with regional employers, the new Bachelor of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Waterworks Management provides a seamless pathway for graduates of the Cuyamaca College Center for Water Studies to transfer into the bachelor’s program after earning their associate’s degree. Transfers are also available to graduates of other community colleges.

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Tens of Thousands of San Diegans Are in Debt Over Their Water Bills

/in , , /by /NBC7 San Diegoby Bob Hansen and Nicholas Kjeldgaard Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The coronavirus pandemic shook the economy of the United States and San Diego.

More than 100,000 people in San Diego County lost their jobs last year, and many have made tough choices financially. That’s led, in part, to nearly a billion dollars in statewide water-bill debt, according to a new report from the state water board.

“Folks are trying to scrape by and make ends meet,” said Allen Carlisle, the CEO & general manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District. “The first things on our minds are those families who are struggling and how do we try to help them?”

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Salton Sea: Congressmen Ruiz and Vargas Reintroduce Bill to Address New River Pollution

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

U.S. Reps. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, and Juan Vargas, D-San Diego reintroduced a bill this week that is aimed at cleaning up the New River, a highly polluted waterway originating near Mexicali, Mexico that flows north, emptying into the Salton Sea. The bill, HR491, would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create an organization to be called the California New River Restoration Program, which would coordinate funding and cleanup projects.

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What is an Atmospheric River? California has Long History of Intense Rain Storms, Floods

/in , , /by /The Tribuneby John Lindsey

An intense cold front will tap into subtropical moisture and take on atmospheric river characteristics as it moves southeastward through the Central Coast on Wednesday into Thursday.

At this time, between 2 and 4 inches of rain is expected along the Central Coast. However, if the front stalls over a particular area, rainfall amounts will be much higher.

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How a Water War on the Kings River Could Alter the Valley as We Know it

/in , , /by /The Sunby Alex Tavlian

Though it doesn’t hold historical contentiousness like its counterpart along the Central Valley Project, the Kings River has its own tale to tell.

Serving as a lifeline of sorts for three of the central San Joaquin Valley’s five major counties, the Kings is filled with its own universe of water agencies run by engineers, lawyers, farmers, and politicos jockeying to manage the state’s most precious resource on one stream.

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