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Water Conservation Garden Welcomes New Executive Director

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

The Water Conservation Garden in Rancho San Diego has a new leader to keep it growing. Jennifer Pillsbury was hired in November to be the executive director/CEO of the xeriscape demonstration garden adjacent to Cuyamaca College. Overseen by an 11-member governing board, the 6-acre, not-for-profit garden displays drought-tolerant landscaping and offers water-saving ideas. It was founded in 1999. Its $1.3 million operating budget is offset in part by a joint powers agreement (JPA) with several local water agencies. The agencies are Helix Water District, Otay Water District, Sweetwater Authority, the city of San Diego and the San Diego County Water Authority. Cuyamaca College is also part of the agreement.

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Recycled Water, Fire Safety, Meeting Time Top District Agendas

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant

Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) directors kicked off 2018 by considering whether to switch their monthly meeting time from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The prelude to voting on an ordinance that would amend the legislative code to allow evening meetings began with directors’ preliminary approval Dec. 12. The vote was 3-1 with board members Jim Hickle, Jeff Lawler and Bryan Wadlington in favor and Thomas Ace dissenting.

 

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Otay, Padre Dam Vote Entitlement Increased, Helix’s Drops

/in , /by /The East County Californianby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The vote is changing. The San Diego County Water Authority board meeting Dec. 6 approved the 2019 vote entitlements for SDCWA member agencies, and the weighted vote for the Otay Municipal Water District and the Padre Dam Municipal Water District will increase from the agencies’ 2018 vote entitlements while the Helix Water District percentage will decrease, and the Lakeside Water District weighted vote is unchanged.

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Lessons from Orange County, California’s Water Strategy

/in , /by /GreenBiz (Oakland)by John Addison

Water is a serious issue for the cities of the world. Even in a wealthy nation such as the United States, people die from toxic water in Flint, Michigan, confront megadroughts in Los Angeles, face salinated aquifers in Miami and worry in Omaha about oil pipeline spills in the Ogallala aquifer. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in its annual U.S. infrastructure report card gives U.S. drinking water a grade of D. Water is the greatest challenge in resiliency planning. Southern California heavily depends on water from the Colorado River.

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Like Fruit, Vegetables, and Almonds? Scientists Have Bad News.

/in , /by /Mother Jonesby Tom Philpott

So far, this winter has brought ample snows to the Sierra Nevada, the spine of mountains that runs along California’s eastern flank. That’s good news for Californians, because the range’s melted snow provides 60 percent of the state’s water supply. Anyone in the United States who likes fruit, vegetables, and nuts should rejoice, too, because water flowing from the Sierra’s streams and rivers is the main irrigation source for farms in the arid Central Valley, which churns out nearly a quarter of the food consumed here.

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Storm Departs Leaving Cool, Dry Weather

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie L. Sklar

A Christmas Eve winter storm drenching Holiday Bowl fans and dropping varying amounts of rain countywide — and snow in the mountains above 4,000 feet — has departed leaving cool, dry conditions, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. “A very dry, continental air mass has now moved in,” NWS forecaster Joe Dandrea said. “Amounts were anywhere from a trace, to a few hundredths of an inch to as much as a half-inch or more,” he said. “Snow fell down to about 3,500 feet.” Rainfall amounts were about half an inch in Lakeside and Lemon Grove. El Cajon received 0.64 of an inch. Palomar Mountain got 0.77 of an inch.

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Couple Fined After Claiming to Use More Water than the Earth Holds

/in , /by /Redding Record Searchlightby Damon Arthur

A couple with rights to take water from a Trinity County creek has been fined $10,000 for overstating the amount of water they diverted, at one point claiming they used more water than is actually available on Earth. As part of an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board, the couple has agreed to pay for misstating the amount of water they took from Price Creek, a tributary to the Trinity River. Everyone who diverts water is required to report to the Water Board the amount used.

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2018 Another Dry Year for California

/in , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Matthew Renda

As the Golden State moves into 2019, it will close the book on an abnormally dry year with hopes that a few rain storms can stave off the prospect of another drought. Two consecutive years of devastating wildfires killing dozens of residents, causing billions in property damage and reducing millions of acres to ash has demonstrated the effects of the prolonged drought stretching from 2012 until 2017. Storms finally brought much-needed precipitation in 2017, replenishing reservoirs and aquifers, but the moisture content in the forest vegetation and the swathes of dead trees in the Sierra Nevada attest to the consequences of the sustained dry weather.

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Wind Replaces Wet as San Diego County Welcomes the New Year

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Robert Krier

2018 went out wet in San Diego County. 2019 comes in windy. Strong winds are expected in the county mountains from early morning New Year’s Day through early afternoon, with some spots seeing gusts of 45 mph. The inland valleys could see 25 mph gusts Tuesday, and 15 mph gusts are possible at the coast. The winds, which are coming out of the northeast, are expected to be much stronger in the San Bernardino and Orange County mountains, where gusts could reach 65 mph. Blustery conditions are forecast for the Rose Parade in Pasadena on Tuesday morning.

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Environment Report: Big Northern California Water Deals Will Trickle Down to San Diego

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

In this week’s Environment Report, let’s focus on an issue that doesn’t always get much attention in Southern California: the rivers of Northern California. Every so often, people get together and divide a river. That’s been happening a lot lately in the final throes of Gov. Jerry Brown’s term. State and federal water officials have worked furiously to redo how we all share the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers and their numerous tributaries. At stake for cities and farms is how much water will be available and at what price. At stake for fish is their very existence.

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