There are two critical urban land use debates raging across the San Diego region today. How they play out will determine whether our region’s ecosystem becomes more resilient over the next several decades.
The San Diego County Water Authority is preparing to launch a major project to fix a leak in Pipeline 4 in the Moosa Canyon area of Bonsall. Pipeline 4 is a 90- inch diameter pipeline that provides treated drinking water throughout San Diego County, including the Vallecitos Water District (VWD). The leak site is in a remote area with no adjacent homes or business. Pipeline 4 will be shut down for up to 10 days. The shutdown likely will start on September 9, 2019, however, these dates may be adjusted depending on the severity of the pipeline leak or dangerous weather conditions, such as Santa Ana winds or Red Flag warnings.
A new plan recommends four strategies to advance water reuse in California over the next three decades – an important part of both the state and regional water resilience portfolio.
The California WateReuse Action Plan includes a comprehensive set of proposed actions that will more than double the use of water recycling in California and help prepare the state for the impacts of climate change, according to WateReuse California, which released the plan in July.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill (SB 307) that prevents proposals to export desert water without state review. The bill goes into effect on January 1, 2020.
The bill protects federal and state lands, including Mojave National Preserve and Mojave Trails National Monument. It effectively stops the Cadiz Water Project which would extract water from an underground aquifer in the Mojave Desert and export it. Developed by Cadiz Inc., the project proposes to pump 16 billion gallons of water a year from the Mojave Desert aquifer.
Think summertime and the mind usually wanders to warm thoughts of sand, sunscreen, and fireworks. But increasingly summertime fun is being interrupted by algal blooms. From the Atlantic seaboard to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Great Lakes to the Pacific coast, harmful algal blooms are shutting down beaches, killing fish, birds, and other wildlife, and contaminating drinking water. The economic impacts of an algal bloom can be severe, especially if the algae become toxic.
After months of virtual silence, the California Department of Water Resources revealed via its blog on Tuesday that it is pursuing work on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s scaled-back Delta tunnel project. Newsom announced in February that he was dropping former Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to bore two tunnels to transport water from the Sacramento River 30 miles south across the Delta to massive pumps near Tracy.
In the string of small farm towns that stretches south from California’s Salton Sea toward the border with Mexico, pretty much everyone knows someone with asthma.
As many as three of every 10 people report having the disease in places like Brawley, Calipatria and Westmorland — compared with about one of 10 in California as a whole. Bronchitis is also common, and many residents complain about coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath
Cummins, a manufacturing company, on Tuesday announced a multiyear partnership with the University of California (UC) San Diego and its battery validation lab to analyze viable business applications and technical approaches to reuse and repurpose electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The partnership will focus solely on lithium-ion batteries and is one of the first projects to exclusively study second-life battery capabilities that were designed for commercial applications, Cummins said.
Aquacycl, a San Diego-based wastewater technology startup, announced Wednesday that it has closed a $4 million seed round that will help the company scale its manufacturing processes and expand its sales efforts.
The investment round was led by The Roddenberry Foundation, with participation from existing and new angel investors and impact funds, according to a news release.
