San Diego may shift the second phase of the city’s Pure Water sewage recycling system to a more efficient purification method that could save billions of dollars, preventing steep jumps in local sewer and water bills.
The new method could dramatically change the size, scope and cost of the massive project’s Phase Two, which had been expected to be nearly twice as large as the nearly complete first phase.
We’re on the edge of our seats. Tomorrow the San Diego City Council will decide whether to charge San Diegans more for water over the next four years.
As our MacKenize Elmer reported, not approving the rate increase could wreak havoc on the city’s Public Utilities Department. And while the San Diego County Water Authority’s leader said they won’t turn off the water if the city can’t pay its water bill, not paying up could cost the city a lot in fees.
A controversial proposal to build a 14-mile underground tunnel to transport water from Northern California southward got a boost from the state Court of Appeals, which ruled that preliminary work can begin on the project.
Last year, a judge in Sacramento County agreed with a collection of counties, water districts, environmental groups and native tribes seeking to stop the Delta Conveyance Project. The judge found that preconstruction geotechnical work had to be certified by a state agency before it could begin, and issued a preliminary injunction preventing that work from moving forward.
Residents living near the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant in La Mesa continue to struggle with loud noises that have persisted for months despite mitigation efforts, according to neighbors interviewed about the issue first reported in June.
The noise stems from a filter restoration project at the plant, which is owned by the City of San Diego. The project was originally expected to be completed in September, but a new completion date has been set for the end of November, according to a city spokesperson.
As the pumps whir around us, Denis Bilodeau motions to the liquid in the vats below. It looks like iced tea, but in fact it’s secondary treated sewage, cleaned of any solids by the plant next door. In less than an hour, and after three steps of processing, we will be drinking it – as pure water.
The Groundwater Replenishment System facility in Orange County, California, houses the pipes, filters and pumps to move up to 130m gallons each day – enough for 1 million people – processing it from dark to clear. The facility, which opened in 2008, is part of broader moves to help conserve water.
A controversial proposal to build a 14-mile underground tunnel to transport water from Northern California southward got a boost from the state Court of Appeals, which ruled that preliminary work can begin on the project.
Last year, a judge in Sacramento County agreed with a collection of counties, water districts, environmental groups and native tribes seeking to stop the Delta Conveyance Project. The judge found that preconstruction geotechnical work had to be certified by a state agency before it could begin, and issued a preliminary injunction preventing that work from moving forward.
Water agencies all over California are experiencing water affordability and cost increase challenges. We spoke with Dan Denham, general manager of San Diego County Water Authority, to learn how his agency is working to keep prices affordable for its customers.
It is a topline issue. It’s not new: water affordability is something we’ve always had to deal with. But there’s an enhanced focus on affordability now, because rates have been outpacing income growth for most residents in San Diego County and elsewhere.
California’s mountain snowpack has long acted as a free, natural water reservoir. Each winter, snow builds up in the Sierra Nevada and melts slowly in spring, helping fill rivers, support wildlife, and supply communities across the state.
But researchers are seeing troubling changes. New findings suggest this vital water source is becoming less reliable, a warning sign in a warming world, the Public Policy Institute of California reported.
California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 through the end of September. California ended the 2023-24 water year with almost every major storage reservoir above historical average for the date, and we began the 2024-25 water year with the biggest October storm in many years. The State Water Resources Control Board raised the allocation of water from the State Water Project to 50% of maximum earlier this year. Anything above 40% usually allows state water contractors like the Metropolitan Water District to make water available for storage. Our local water providers took advantage of the extra water to help recharge regional aquifers. With robust surface and underground storage levels California is in a good position to withstand several back-to-back dry years when they happen. If this is a wet winter, additional water can be placed in storage for use in future dry years.
Yannick Claerman and his wife Erlinde Cornelis created a found family with the purchase in 2021 of their midcentury-modern home on half an acre in Escondido. The couple, who are from Belgium and moved here about 13 years ago, are now U.S. citizens and have led a pretty eclectic life — one that in no way incorporated gardening.
Claerman is co-founder of Yūgen Kombucha, in Belgium, a fermented tea company that he helps operate remotely. He’s also an award-winning boomerang maker. Cornelis is associate professor of marketing at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business, where she teaches sustainable marketing strategy and the undergrad sustainable business consulting program.
