You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

Agreement Will Pipe Treated Tijuana Water To Baja’s Wine Country

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michele Parente

Officials in Baja California’s drought-parched Valle de Guadalupe wine country are toasting a new agreement that will pipe in treated wastewater from Tijuana to irrigate the vineyards. A pact was signed in the Valle de Guadalupe on Sept. 13 between Baja’s governor, Francisco Vega de Lamadrid, and Fabián Yañez, who oversees operations in Latin America for ODIS Asversa, a private Israeli company that specializes in treating wastewater and recycling it for irrigation.

Full Story

One Of The Hottest Summers On Record Comes To An End This Week In San Diego

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Gary Robbins

The final week of summer in San Diego will start out a little hotter than average, then cool off a bit, says the National Weather Service. But high temperatures and gusty winds will raise the risk of wildfires Tuesday through Thursday in the region’s mountains and deserts. The fall equinox occurs at 6:54 p.m. on Saturday. But for reporting purposes, the weather service defines summer as June, July and August. This year, the mean temperature during that period was 73.6 degrees — making it the third hottest summer on record in San Diego.

Full Story

Helix Water District Is Going Electric

/in , /by /Water News Network

Representatives from the Helix Water District, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa and Lemon Grove on September 12 celebrated Helix’s new electric vehicle charging stations in conjunction with National Drive Electric Week and Electric Vehicle Day on September 15. Helix installed 10 electric vehicle charging stations at the district’s operations center in El Cajon and 10 more at its administration office in La Mesa through SDG&E’s Power Your Drive program, which funded the equipment and installation. Installing electric vehicle charging stations at its operations center and administration office is the latest cost control initiative undertaken by the Helix Water District.

Full Story

Improvements Could Bring More Activities To Diamond Valley Lake Near Hemet

/in , /by /The Press-Enterprise (Riverside)by Craig Shultz

Road improvements and other efforts could lead to longer hours at Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet. “We’re making steps forward all the time. It’s another step,” said Linda Krupa, a Hemet City Councilwoman and chair of a committee looking to increase recreational activities around the drinking-water reservoir. Upgrades have been made to the main access road to protect local wildlife — which is more active at night. Metropolitan Water District, which operates the lake, installed 10 steel plates over concrete culverts on either side of the road to ensure animals can safely cross. It also added rumble strips and signs to slow traffic.

Full Story

House Of Representatives Passes Bill That Could Rescue California Desert Hydropower Project

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Sammy Roth

The companies trying to build a massive hydroelectric power plant on the doorstep of Joshua Tree National Park got one step closer to their objective last week. The House of Representatives unanimously approved America’s Water Infrastructure Act, a sprawling bill that would authorize and fund projects across the country, from bridge repairs to school drinking fountain replacements. The bill includes a provision that would allow federal regulators to throw a lifeline to the Eagle Mountain hydropower plant, which would be built in the open desert near Interstate 10, about an hour east of Palm Springs, on a property as close as 1.5 miles to Joshua Tree National Park.

Full Story

OPINION: Prop. 3 Is Pay-To-Play Water Bond For Billionaires

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Eric Parfrey

Proposition 3 is an irresponsible approach to California’s water problems. The nearly $8.9 billion bond was crafted behind-the-scenes, contains critical elements that could directly harm the environment and turns important water policies on their head. The bond substantially benefits billionaire stakeholders and is a bad water deal for Californians. Bond proposals are best created through a legislative process that is transparent and open to the public. Instead, the Proposition 3 authors have taken a clandestine approach from the start.

Full Story

Farmers Thought They Had 20 Years To Use Groundwater As They Wished. Maybe Not Anymore

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

California farmers are laboring under a daunting edict: They must stop over-pumping groundwater from beneath their ranches. The saving grace is that state law gives them more than 20 years to do it. Now, however, a landmark court ruling could force many farmers to curb their groundwater consumption much sooner than that, landing like a bombshell in the contentious world of California water. For the first time, a California court has said state and county governments have a duty to regulate groundwater usage when it’s clear that the pumping drains water from adjacent rivers.

Full Story

OPINION: PRO/CON: Is Prop. 3 A Water Fix Or Billionaires’ Windfall?

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)

Proposition 3 would issue $8.9 billion in general obligation bonds for a range of water infrastructure projects. The funding breakdown includes $2.4 billion to restore and protect watersheds and another $4.1 billion for disadvantaged communities seeking to improve their water infrastructure. Prop. 3 would also allocate $640 million for groundwater improvements and $500 million for safe, affordable drinking water. Yes: Initiative’s main backer says Prop. 3 will meet state needs as population grows and climate changes. No: Sierra Club leader says Prop. 3 benefits billionaire stakeholders and could harm the environment.

Full Story

California Had Its Own Climate Summit. Now What?

/in , /by /The New York Timesby Brad Plumer

For years, presidents and prime ministers have been the public face of the fight against climate change, gathering at United Nations summit meetings and pressuring each other to reduce emissions. The results have often been lackluster. A climate conference in California this week tried something different. The meeting, organized by the state’s governor, Jerry Brown, had far fewer national leaders present. Instead, an array of governors, mayors and business executives from around the globe met to promote their successes in cutting greenhouse gas emissions locally and to encourage one another to do more.

Full Story

OPINION: California’s Boondoggles Threaten Property Owners And Taxpayers

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Jon Coupal

One would hope that with the profound foolishness associated with California’s infamous High Speed Rail (HSR) project that our elected leadership would have learned a thing or two. But this is California. Because we do things bigger and better than anyone else, it’s apparent that one massive boondoggle isn’t enough — we need two. Let’s recap what we’ll call Boondoggle, Senior. The complete dysfunction of HSR is no longer in dispute. Missed deadlines for the business plans, lack of transparency, massive cost overruns, engineering hurdles that make the project virtually impossible to complete and a lack of funding are tops on the list.

Full Story