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Blog: ‘Big Ideas’ Diversify San Diego Region’s Reliable Water Supply

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundation

Ensuring water for future generations requires investing and investigating big ideas, according to Sandy Kerl.

Kerl, acting general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, shared some of those ideas today in San Diego, as she delivered the opening remarks at the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association annual fall conference, which runs through Thursday at the Town and Country Hotel Convention Center.

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Feds To Make A Big Water Proposal, While Imperial County Seeks Newsom’s Help With Salton Sea

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Dan Morain

The U.S. government today is announcing plans to alter operations of California’s water system, potentially resulting in less water flowing through the Delta into San Francisco Bay and more to cities and San Joaquin Valley farms.

The plan, part of which was announced via a commentary in CalMatters, includes changes that the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say will improve habitat for Chinook salmon and Delta smelt, a tiny fish that is teetering on the verge of extinction in the wild.

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Trump Plan Delivers More Water for Valley Farmers

/in , /by /GV Wire

The Trump administration unveiled a new plan Tuesday to govern California’s water usage that would deliver more irrigation water for Valley farmers. But the proposal is ringing alarms from environmental groups that say it would have a negative impact on endangered species such as salmon and delta smelt. An analysis by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, however, says the plan “will not jeopardize threatened or endangered species.” The plan includes spending $1.5 billion to support endangered fish such as the delta smelt. The government would also monitor rivers for endangered fish, with commitments to reduce pumping when they are present.

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DWR Celebrates The Completion Of Tidal Habitat Restoration In The Delta

/in , , /by /California Department of Water Resources

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) gathered with its partners and contractors Oct.15 to celebrate the completion of the 460-acre tidal wetland known as Tule Red in the Suisun Marsh.

More than 100 attendees watched as a giant excavator perched on top of a 200-foot wide levee removed the earth separating the high tides of Grizzly Bay from the interior channels. The crowd cheered as tides began flowing over the breached levee. With the site opened to the daily tides, this ideal location along the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will provide much needed habitat to benefit endangered fish and wildlife species.

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Public Officials Say Desal Is A Bad Deal

/in , /by /Voices of Monterey Bay by Royal Calkins

More than two dozen elected officials have signed a letter urging the California Coastal Commission to pull the plug on a desalination plant proposed by the California American Water Co. to serve Monterey Peninsula residents.

The letter was released during an event held by Pure Water Monterey on the lawn in front of Monterey City Hall.

Among those signing the letter were the entire board of the Marina Coast Water District, Monterey Mayor Clyde Roberson, Seaside Mayor Ian Oglesby, Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado Del Rey Oaks Mayor Alison Kerr and Monterey County Supervisor Jane Parker.

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OPINION: A New Approach For Managing California’s Water And Improving The Environment

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Paul Souza, Barry Thom, and Ernest Conant

Water is at the center of California’s economic and environmental health. The need to maintain reliable water supply for California’s farms, families and cities while protecting the environment has been at the forefront of our minds as we have worked to review and finalize a new operations plan for the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.

Together, these projects provide water for 25 million Californians and millions of acres of some of the most productive farmland in the world.

The projects impact but also protect important commercial and recreational fisheries, wildlife refuges, and rare species.

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Padre Dam Water District Set To Raise Rates – Twice

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Residents and businesses in Santee and Alpine who are under the auspices of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District will see two rate increases in the coming months.

The rate increases are scheduled for November and January.

In 2017, the district’s Board of Directors approved a comprehensive cost-of-service study, then approved a five-year plan and budget that showed rate hikes scheduled yearly through 2021-22. The district had frozen rates last year for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

For an average Padre Dam water customer in a single-family house in the western part of the district, such as Santee, bills are expected to go up by nearly $3.50 per month, to $115.75 starting on Nov. 1.

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See And Learn How Water Is Delivered To Your Home

/in , , /by /East County Magazine (San Diego, Calif.)

This Saturday, October 26, Helix Water District is hosting Helix Water Talks, a behind-the-scenes look at how their field operations crews maintain the vast water distribution system that delivers water from their treatment plant in Lakeside to 276,000 people in El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and Spring Valley.

The free event begins 8:30 a.m. at 1233 Vernon Way in El Cajon with coffee and bagels and includes a 2-hour walking tour of their operations center in El Cajon. Participants will see and learn how the district repairs broken water mains, installs service lines to homes and maintains water meters.

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Climate Change Making Stronger El Ninos, Study Finds

/in , , /by /ABC Newsby Seth Borenstein

Climate change is making stronger El Ninos, which change weather worldwide and heat up an already warming planet, a new study finds.

Scientists examined 33 El Ninos — natural warming of equatorial Pacific that triggers weather extremes across the globe — since 1901. They found since the 1970s, El Ninos have been forming farther to the west in warmer waters, leading to stronger El Ninos in some cases.

A powerful El Nino can trigger drought in some places, like Australia and India. And it can cause flooding in other areas like California. The Pacific gets more hurricanes during an El Nino and the Atlantic gets fewer.

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Central Valley Water Board Plan to Reduce Nitrate Contamination in Groundwater Gets Approval

/in , , /by /California Water News Dailyby California Water News Daily

Help is on the way, both immediate and long-term, for the nitrate and salt contamination of groundwater basins and surface water in the Central Valley. Although the long-term resolution may be a multi-year process, stakeholders have developed a plan to address one of the region’s most challenging water quality problems.

After more than 13 years in development by stakeholders and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) a plan was approved earlier this week by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to address the buildup of salt and nitrates in Central Valley groundwater basins and surface water.

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