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Backstory: San Diego’s Divestment From The Metropolitan Water District Of Southern California

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Why is water is such a contentious issue? Water is a scarce resource, especially in California where rainfall is so inconsistent. Compounding capricious hydrological cycles, the southern part of the state gets very little precipitation. This means that nearly all water must be pumped in from Northern California or the Colorado River. Controlling that water is big business. There seems to be an endless stream of litigation concerning water rights and the cost of transporting supplies. It’s important to remember that water is not only crucial for taking showers and doing dishes.

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San Diego’s Efforts To Divest From Rival L.A. Water Agency Have Driven Up Rates For Residents. Is It Worth It?

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

If the most powerful water officials in San Diego get their way, the county will ratchet down to a trickle one of its cheapest sources of water in the next two decades. Local officials say ongoing efforts to secure alternatives to the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — known as the Met — have safeguarded businesses and residents against crippling cuts triggered during prolonged drought. However, the strategy of the San Diego County Water Authority to move away from Southern California’s largest wholesaler has come with a cost.

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Heat Wave To Hit San Diego Late This Week

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

A classic summer heat wave will develop in San Diego County on Friday and Saturday with temperatures hitting 80 degrees at-or-near the coast and the upper 90s and low 100s across inland valleys, says the National Weather Service. “The week will start out mild, with temperatures going up a degree or two each day,” said James Brotherton, a weather service forecaster. “The big warmup will come right after the Fourth of July, with Friday and Saturday being the warmest days.”

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Drought Back On The Map For Northern California

/in , /by /SF Gateby Amy Graff

Drought has crept back into Northern California. Despite a flurry of late storms in spring, precipitation for the winter season was below normal and the region is facing moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions once again, according to the federal government’s U.S. Drought Monitor. What’s more, temperatures were above normal throughout winter. The Drought Monitor’s weekly map, released Thursday, shows a large swath extending north of San Francisco through the Sacramento Valley to the Oregon border in moderate drought. The Bay Area and the North Coast went from normal to abnormally dry; parts of the northern Sierra remain normal.

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If We Don’t Want To Run Out Of Water, We Should Look To The Sun

/in , /by /Popular Scienceby Jeremy Deaton

A winter of exceptionally meager snowfall has revived California’s water woes. Snowpack typically supplies the state with much of its water during the spring and summer, but this year, snow is in short supply, spurring Gov. Jerry Brown to instate permanent conservation measures. Thanks to climate change, the problem is only going to get worse, leaving officials worried about the future of water in the Golden State. Huntington Beach, a seaside Southern California city, is taking the long view, investing in a new desalination plant that will turn seawater into clean, drinkable H20.

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Reclamation Commissioner To Arizona: Get A Water Deal Done This Year

/in , /by /Cronkite News Arizona PBSby Bret Jaspers

After a detailed – and dire – technical presentation from one of her experts, the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Thursday told an audience of water stakeholders that officials weren’t trying to scare people, only make plain the risks of historically low levels on Lake Mead. Commissioner Brenda Burman and other federal officials urged, cajoled and pushed Arizona to finalize a so-called Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan. The plan identifies earlier, steeper cuts to water users than those mandated by a 2007 agreement to decrease the risk of a rapid decline in lake level.

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Daily Business Report-June 29: Wholesale Water Rates Kept In Check For 2019

/in , /by /San Diego Metro Magazine Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Wholesale water rates adopted Thursday by the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors include some of the smallest increases in the past 15 years due to successful litigation against the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and strategic use of financial reserves, the agency said. They also highlight a historic shift in water costs: The Water Authority’s independent supplies from the 2003 Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement are now less expensive for the region than supplies from MWD, and that difference will grow in the years ahead.

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Arizona Commits To Drought Plan For Colorado River

/in , /by /The Associated Press by Felicia Fonseca

Arizona water officials committed Thursday to reach a multi-state plan by the end of the year to stave off Colorado River water shortages, or at least lessen the impact. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been prodding Western states to wrap up drought contingency plans, one each in the lower and upper basins. Little snowpack, rising temperatures and ongoing drought have led to steady declines in the river that serves 40 million people in seven U.S. states.

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San Diego’s Biggest Infrastructure Need Isn’t Streets — It’s Storm Drains

/in , /by /KPBSby Andrew Bowen

Underneath San Diego streets lies a network of pipes and tunnels that most people never see. But when it rains, that network is busy carrying water out from neighborhoods and into the city’s rivers, bays and beaches. Much of that network is on the verge of collapse, and the city has nowhere near enough money to fix it. A report from the City Auditor’s Office released this month notes a staggering $459 million funding shortfall for stormwater infrastructure.

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New State Water Conservation Laws Set For 2019

/in , /by /The Coast News Group (Encinitas)by Steve Puterski Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In less than six months, California will begin to enact new statewide water conservation laws. Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668 call for new urban-efficiency standards for indoor and outdoor uses, water lost to leaks and appropriate variances. The bills will take effect in 2019, although there will a grace period before enforcement, according to Mario Remillard, water conservation specialist for the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. Additionally, water agencies are required to stay within their water budgets regardless of current drought conditions. However, the California State Water Board will not enforce these standards until November 2023.

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