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Water Authority Marks 75th Year, Approves $1.7 Billion 2020-21 Budget

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority officially celebrated it 75th year at a board meeting Thursday, while also approving a record $1.7 billion, two-year budget. On June 9, 1944, San Diego voters approved the Water Authority’s formation. Three years later, water from the Colorado River began arriving to support the growing post-war population of San Diego. “It is a pleasure to celebrate the San Diego County Water Authority’s 75th anniversary. We share a common history and a common vision for water-supply reliability that has been essential to the economic vitality and prosperity to all San Diegans.

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Judge Halts Pure Approved Water Construction Contracts

/in , , /by /KUSI News (San Diego)

In a recent ruling, Superior Court Judge John S. Meyer awarded an injunction against the City of San Diego after the City Council, last year, voted to exclude non-union contractors from bidding on the Pure Water project.  In his ruling, Judge John S. Meyer, rightfully stated that the City’s action “is puzzling because it appears to be an attempt to amend or repeal SDMC 11.4401 (Prop A), et seq., which is precluded under the Ordinance. ‘This Ordinance shall not be amended or repealed except by a majority vote of the voters of the City of San Diego.”

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OPINION: California Needs Clean Water

/in , , /by /Bloomberg

In 2012, former California governor Jerry Brown signed into law the Human Right to Water Act, recognizing that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.” At least 1 million Californians are still waiting to exercise that right, according to Brown’s successor, Governor Gavin Newsom, who has called the state’s water crisis a “moral disgrace and a medical emergency.”

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Lower Colorado River Basin Can Still Expect Shortage Next Year

/in , , /by /KJZZby Bret Jaspers

The Lower Colorado River Basin does not avoid a shortage in 2020 despite the plentiful snowpack on the Rocky Mountains this past winter. Why? Well, the new Drought Contingency Plan defines different “tiers” of shortage. The Lower Basin will not drop into a Tier One shortage next year because Lake Mead will almost certainly remain above 1,075 feet in elevation.  At the same time, Mead will likely remain under 1,090 feet. That triggers a Tier Zero shortage.

 

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San Diego Tops Clean Beach Honor Roll

/in , , /by /Fox 5 San Diego by Mathew Meyer and Aric Richards

Some San Diego beaches are among the cleanest in the state, according to a water quality report card by a Southern California environmental group. Each year, Heal the Bay releases its Honor Roll and notorious “Beach Bummers” list ranking the bacteria levels found in water at beaches throughout the state. San Diego County had the most beaches on the honor roll with 12 this year — more than Orange County’s 10 and Los Angeles’ two.

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Search Begins For The Next General Manager Of The County Water Authority

/in , , /by /San Diego Metro Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority has hired the executive search firm William Avery & Associates to manage the recruitment and selection of the agency’s next general manager. The Los Gatos-based Avery & Associates has decades of experience recruiting candidates for public and private sector positions. After a competitive selection process, a work group of the Water Authority’s Board of Directors chose the firm to fill the position vacated in March by the retirement of longtime Water Authority General Manager Maureen Stapleton.

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Special Districts Recognized For Use Of Tech In Innovation

/in , , /by /Techwireby Janet Grenslitt

AT&T and Government Technology, Techwire’s sister publication, have launched a regional awards program for special districts, with three categories to recognize IT innovation and leadership. An evaluation committee reviewed nominations in the three categories, and California districts placed well in the West region. Nominations were submitted by the public and private sectors,  and three categories were available

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Beach Pollution Surges After Massive Wildfires And Heavy Rains, Report Finds

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hannah Fry

If there was one upside to the severe drought that plagued California for seven years, it was how the lack of rain and dirty runoff improved beach water quality. But ocean pollution has surged once again at some Southern California beaches because of an unusually wet winter and the effects of the massive Woolsey fire, which added pollutants and worsened runoff. The findings, contained the annual Heal the Bay report card, underscore how much ocean water quality is tied to other environmental factors.

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Despite Water Levels, Spillway Release ‘Unlikely’

/in , /by /Oroville Mercury -Register

For those wondering if the gates to the Oroville Dam’s spillway will be opened this summer, the answer from the Department of Water Resources is “unlikely.” The DWR said Friday that levels for the reservoir are full, but stable. The current water elevation of Oroville reservoir is 895 feet. Snowpack from the Feather River has mostly melted, while use of the main Oroville Dam spillway to manage lake levels is “unlikely,” officials said in a press release. However DWR did confirm that if new circumstances arise, causing the department to activate the spillway, the public and media would be notified immediately.

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Scripps Scientist Explains Beach Nourishment And Sand Movement Along The Coast

/in , /by /Imperial Beach Eagle & Timesby Pete Laszcz

Bonnie Ludka, PhD, of Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO), spoke to about 40 people at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve June 15 as part of the their bi-monthly speaker series. Ludka presented the results of her research into the movement of beach sand along the coast and the impact of beach nourishment on the closure of the Tijuana River in 2016. Southern California beaches are experiencing a sand deficit. She explained that beach sand is normally created by sediment flowing from rivers and cliff erosion. Unfortunately, river sand that would normally flow into the ocean is now trapped behind dams that are present in every southern California river except the Santa Margarita river near Oceanside.

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