The United States Bureau of Reclamation has recommended a $6 million grant to a coalition of local water and wastewater agencies to develop reused water infrastructure in the region.
If approved by Congress, the North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition will use the funds to support its Regional Recycled Water Program: 2020 Project, which seeks to increase water reuse in the region through expanded recycled water infrastructure.
When the largest dam removal in U.S. history began on the Klamath River this year, it seemed as if the era of dam building was over in the West. Just a month later, however, the federal government finalized $216 million dollars in funding for a controversial dam project south of the Klamath, adding to the $1 billion in direct grants already pledged to the project known as Sites Reservoir. Rights for the water are being distributed this summer.
This would be California’s first major new reservoir in half a century. The project will require building two main dams on a pair of streams that typically only run during big winter rains. Most of the water would come from much farther away, however: Filling the reservoir means piping water from the Sacramento River uphill, away from the Central Valley. If it’s built, the reservoir will inundate Antelope Valley, 14,000 acres of hilly grassland in the California Coast Range, northwest of Sacramento.
Farmers who grow hay in the Imperial Valley will soon be eligible to receive cash payments in exchange for temporarily shutting off water to their fields for up to two months this year.
Under a program approved by the board of the Imperial Irrigation District, farmers can now apply for federal funds to compensate them for harvesting less hay as part of an effort to ease strains on the Colorado River.
There’s a new effort to bring a bit of well-deserved recognition to some people who have made a big difference after the major water main break in Calgary.
After volunteering to deliver water to seniors and people with disabilities, Paul Godard set out to collected donated gifts to send to water officials in San Diego. They helped ease Calgary’s crisis by shipping up a couple of massive pipes needed for the repair job.
Despite rising water rates, the city of Carlsbad has opted against prepaying fixed charges to the county’s wholesale water supplier in exchange for discounted rates in 2025.
In late May, the San Diego County Water Authority asked its 23 member agencies, including the Carlsbad Municipal Water District, to consider a prepayment option.
Valley Center Municipal Water District (“VCMWD” or “District”) has a long history of initiating and participating in various programs to assist and sustain agriculture in its services area.
District efforts have been coordinated with funding from the San Diego County Water Authority under its water use efficiency programs through the 1990s, 2000s, and through to today. VCMWD was also instrumental in helping to secure a $1.5 million Regional Conservation Participation Program Grant to fund water efficiency evaluations and access to on-farm improvement funding for our local growers through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Water reuse stands at the intersection of technology, policy, and public trust. The journey from basic agricultural reuse to advanced potable applications highlights the adaptability and potential of this approach.
Water scarcity and quality issues have increasingly pushed the boundaries of traditional water management practices. Among the innovative solutions gaining traction is water reuse, a concept that has evolved from agricultural and industrial applications to potable water supply. To explore the evolution, policy advancements, technological readiness, and future trends in water reuse in the United States, Smart Water Magazine spoke with three leading experts: Ben Glickstein, Director of Communications at WaterReuse Association; Eva Steinle-Darling, PhD, Water Reuse Technical Practice Director at Carollo Engineers; and Peter Grevatt, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of The Water Research Foundation.
June, 2024 marked the 70th Anniversary of the election held on June 21, 1954 approving the formation of the Valley Center Municipal Water District, which was made official by the California Secretary of State on July 12, 1954.
Since its formation in 1954, much has happened in the District and the community it serves. The record has been one of early growth and change to meet burgeoning agricultural demands, and then adapting to reflect the ever-changing character of its service area to one of mixed agricultural, commercial, and residential water uses.
San Diego plans to pay an engineering firm $100 million over the next decade to thoroughly evaluate the city’s aging dams and create a strategy to prioritize and coordinate repairs and possible rebuild projects.
The strategic plan will include proposals to shore up every dam, including cost estimates and specific timelines. It will also evaluate safety risks and how much each dam upgrade would boost reservoir capacity.
The California Supreme Court on Monday reversed the state’s Public Utilities Commission’s 2020 order that stopped water companies from using certain surcharges when their revenue falls short because of conservation efforts.
The court agreed with a group of water companies that the commission hadn’t clearly informed them that it would consider eliminating the so-called decoupling mechanisms — initially prompted by years of drought and the need to conserve water — in the scoping memos for the yearslong rulemaking proceedings that culminated in the 2020 order.
