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Wastewater Project Could Create Drought-Proof Drinking Water for 500,000 Southern California Homes

/in , , /by /The Sunby Martin Wisckol

In its effort to establish a new, drought-proof source of water that could serve a half-million Southern California homes, the Metropolitan Water District on Thursday, Oct. 10 unveiled a $17 million pilot plant that will bring wastewater to drinkable standards. Water from the trial project in Carson will not be piped to customers – it will be put back with regularly treated wastewater and pumped into the ocean. But it’s a key step toward construction of a working plant that would reduce the region’s dependence on imported water.

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Governor’s Water Resilience Portfolio Will Impact Local Water Agencies

/in , , /by /Community News

San Bernardino Valley residents will find out later this month how far Governor Gavin Newsom is willing to go to support projects designed to ensure the long-term reliability of our imported water supplies. The governor’s soon-to-be-released Water Resilience Portfolio will describe current and future water projects that are considered priority projects for the Newsom administration, including improvements to the State Water Project, which provides roughly 25 percent of the San Bernardino Valley’s water supply.

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Wildfire Threat Leads SDG&E to Turn Off Power to 400 Customers in San Diego County

/in , , /by /The San Diego Tribuneby Gary Robbins

San Diego Gas and Electric has temporarily turned off power to about 400 customers across inland San Diego County to minimize chances that its power lines will spark wildfires while the Santa Ana winds are blowing. The largest outage involves 344 customers in Live Oak Springs and Jacumba, where the power is not expected to be fully restored until 5 p.m. on Saturday.

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This is What Adapting to Climate Change Looks Like

/in , , /by /The Atlanticby Robinson Meyer

California has always promised Americans a glimpse of the future. But this week, the Golden State is forecasting a future that nobody wants to live in. Millions of people across California lost their power this week, after the local utility Pacific Gas and Electric intentionally shut off electrical lines to avoid starting wildfires in dangerously dry and windy conditions.

The outage—termed a “public-safety power shutoff”—stretched hundreds of miles across the state’s northern half, dousing the lights in affluent Bay Area suburbs, on Sacramento Valley ranches, and in large coastal cities such as Eureka.

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Recharging Depleted Aquifers No Easy Task, But It’s Key to California’s Water Supply Future

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundationby Gary Pitzer

To survive the next drought and meet the looming demands of the state’s groundwater sustainability law, California is going to have to put more water back in the ground. But as other Western states have found, recharging overpumped aquifers is no easy task.

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Public’s Input Sought On State of Salton Sea and Proposed Fixes

/in , , /by /KESQ by City News Service

A public meeting to decide what fixes might be applied to change the fate of the dying Salton Sea — and how much taxpayer money should be spent on the effort — will be held Tuesday morning in North Shore, hosted by a committee chaired by Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez.

“I’m glad we’re having this meeting in North Shore, which is where our efforts are centered on in providing a safe and stable Salton Sea, protecting public health and the environment and creating economic, tourism and recreation opportunities,” Perez said.

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CWA Ratifies Contracts for Moosa Canyon Pipeline Repair

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The San Diego County Water Authority ratified two contracts for the repair of Pipeline 4 in Moosa Canyon. A unanimous CWA board vote Sept. 26 ratified a $950,000 contract with J.F. Shea Construction Inc. for the repair of Pipeline 4 and a contract for $871,342 with Fibrwrap Construction Services, Inc., for the carbon fiber relining of Pipeline 4. The action also authorized the continuation of the emergency declaration which exempts the CWA from the normal contract procurement process and from California Environmental Quality Act review.

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Water Authority Maintenance Pro Scores Three-Peat in National Competition

/in , /by /Water News Network

San Diego County Water Authority maintenance professional Bobby Bond Jr. made it a three-peat, representing San Diego at the 2019 American Public Works Association’s National ROADEO Skills Competition in Seattle, Washington. Bond placed 13th among all 70 competitors nationwide. He secured the right to represent the San Diego region as the Master Skills Operator Champion by winning first place out of 20 competitors.

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EPA to Unveil New National Lead-in-Water Standards

/in , , /by /Bloombergby David Schultz

The EPA will unveil the first updates to its regulations on lead in drinking water in nearly three decades at an Oct. 10 event in Green Bay, Wis., according to a person invited to attend the event.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler is scheduled to attend the event, along with David Ross, the agency’s top water official, and Cathy Stepp, the head of its Midwestern regional office.

The agency’s lead regulations, officially known as the Lead and Copper Rule, went into effect in 1991 and haven’t been substantially updated since then.

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U.S. Military Economic Footprint In San Diego Is Growing, New Report Says

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Andrew Dyer

Defense industry personnel and military operations continue to be a significant driver of San Diego’s economy and, according to a new report, are projected to grow in the coming years.

According to the 2019 San Diego Military Economic Impact Study, 354,000 military-connected jobs accounted for 22 percent of all jobs in the region. This amounts to a $51 billion contribution to the local economy, or one-fifth of San Diego’s total gross regional product (GRP).

The report, released today by the San Diego Military Advisory Council, projected this impact will increase 7 percent next year as the national defense strategy continues to shift toward the Pacific, and more Navy ships are home-ported in San Diego.

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