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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s First California Budget Deal Is Near. Here’s What To Watch For

/in , , /by /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Ben Adler

The first California budget deal under Gov. Gavin Newsom is just days away. Newsom and legislative leaders must finalize their spending plan for the coming fiscal year this weekend for lawmakers to meet their June 15 constitutional budget deadline. Democrats had hoped to close out the joint Senate-Assembly budget conference committee by Friday — likely with a late night hearing — in hopes of a budget passing the full Legislature next Thursday, two days ahead of next Saturday’s deadline. But it now appears that talks between Newsom, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) aren’t gelling as fast as hoped.

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UC San Diego Study Shows Large Levels Of Micro-Plastics In Deep Ocean Environment

/in , /by /ABC10 (San Diego) by Jared Aarons

A new study by a UC San Diego Assistant Professor says there is more plastic pollution in the deepest parts of the ocean than previously thought. Assistant Professor Anela Choy spent the last three years studying water samples off the Monterey Bay coast and found the highest concentration of micro-plastics at levels 200-600 meters below the surface. “It’s a great problem,” Choy says. “Tt’s pervasive and we’re just starting to understand the sources.” Choy worked with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute to test water samples at varying depths. They also took readings of micro-plastics in the digestive systems of animals at different depths.

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CWA Authorizes Water Audit Contract With Mission RCD

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority authorized a contract with the Mission Resource Conservation District to administer the SDCWA’s WaterSmart Field Services Program. The May 23 CWA board action authorized CWA acting general manager Sandra Kerl to enter into a three-year contract with the Mission RCD which will pay $260,000 for administration of the WaterSmart Field Services Program through June 30, 2022. The authorization also includes an option for a two-year extension which can be ratified administratively rather than by CWA board approval. The WaterSmart Field Services Program includes residential surveys, landscape audits, irrigation checkups and follow-up irrigation controller visits.

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San Diego County Water Authority Marks 75 Years Of Service That Shaped The Region

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribune Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

No roadside marker notes its historic significance, but a rural hilltop just off state Route 76 near Fallbrook is where the story of modern San Diego County begins. A few feet underground is a gravity-flow pipeline delivering water from the Colorado River through Lake Skinner in Riverside County, then to San Vicente Reservoir near Lakeside. South of the hilltop connection is where the San Diego County Water Authority takes ownership of the region’s historic Pipeline 1, along with four other major concrete and steel veins that send water coursing to cities and water agencies throughout the San Diego region.

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Column: Officials Respond To Concerns About Grebe Nests

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Ernie Cowan Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Concerns by conservation and wildlife groups about the destruction of grebe nests at Lake Hodges because of fluctuating water levels has caught the attention of water managers and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The issue was raised last week in a letter to the city of San Diego, owner of the water storage reservoir just south of Escondido. Recent changes in water levels at the reservoir have resulted in as many as 300 grebe eggs being destroyed because adult birds could not reach the nests after water levels suddenly dropped. Brian Caldwell lives adjacent to Lake Hodges and operates Lake Hodges Photo Tours. He was one of the first to sound the alarm about nests being destroyed.

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Trump EPA Releases Blueprint For Stemming Tijuana River Pollution That Routinely Fouls San Diego Beaches

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Shorelines in South Bay San Diego will never be fully immune from the sewage and chemical pollution that flows north from Mexico over the border through canyons and the Tijuana River. However, beach closures triggered by contaminated stormwater and Tijuana’s leaky sewer system can be dramatically reduced — from more than a hundred days a year to perhaps a just few dozen. That was the message last week from President Trump’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which released the most comprehensive blueprint to date for addressing water pollution that fouls shorelines in Imperial Beach more than a third of the year on average.

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Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve Celebrates Decade Of Outdoor Education

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

Residents, volunteers, and officials gathered June 1 at the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve in Escondido to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Interpretive Center honoring Susan J. Varty. Located at OMWD’s Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, the center was constructed as a centerpiece of environmental education through a cooperative effort between OMWD and the Escondido Creek Conservancy. “As we celebrate ten years of operation, we couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished by working together,” said OMWD Board Secretary Robert Kephart. “Yet, without the dedicated support of docents and donors, this one-of-a-kind facility with its many successful education programs would not have been possible. We also honor their efforts today.”

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Sen. Feinstein Says Mojave Water Project Isn’t Sustainable

/in , /by /The Wall Street Journal (New York)

In “A Flood of Regulations Threatens to Leave California Dry” (Cross Country, June 1), Allysia Finley misinterprets the facts surrounding Cadiz’s plan to drain a vital Mojave Desert aquifer for profit. Cadiz wants to draw up to 50,000 acre-feet of water a year from the aquifer. However, it falsely claims the aquifer’s natural recharge rate is 32,000 acre-feet a year to justify withdrawing that much water.

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US Navy Seek Ideas For Water And Energy Resilience On Islands Off California

/in , /by /Microgrid Knowledgeby Elisa Wood

The US Navy is seeking ideas to improve water and energy resilience for bases on two islands off the coast of California: San Clemente and San Nicolas. The islands already use various distributed energy resources, including solar, wind and diesel generators. The request is not a solicitation for contracts, but seeks information to help the Navy determine strategy for the facilities, leading to possible future solicitations. The Navy hopes to collaborate with private industry “to develop holistic energy and water solutions” on the islands, according to the white paper request. San Clemente is home to Naval Base Coronado, and San Nicolas to the Naval Base Ventura County.

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Fixes Could Finally Be Coming For Mexico’s Cross-Border Sewage Spills

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

Local officials plan to huddle over the next few weeks to pick a strategy to control the region’s cross-border pollution problem. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer was the first local politician to say he is ready to take action to stop the cross-border pollution flows.He told a gathering of stakeholders who met in Coronado that he wants local officials to commit to a solution and to get underway. Faulconer asked that the solution be comprehensive and come with a price tag.

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