Pacific on Tap
After three years of construction, the San Diego County Water Authority and Poseidon Water dedicated the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant on December 14, 2015.
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Drought Produces Western Region’s Driest Summer Since 1956
Southampton farmer Tom Bashista doesn’t bother with insuring his crops. What’s the use, he says, of spending all your earnings from a good year on insurance, waiting for a bad year to come along? He’s standing next to an apple tree in the orchard that has borne the Bashista name since 1926. The sun is strong, the air is hot and thick with humidity like it has been all summer. In the shop, there’s an apple cake in the oven. The smell is infectious and sugary sweet.
San Vicente Reservoir to Open Sept. 22
The San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside will reopen for fishing and recreation Sept. 22 after a little more than eight years of being closed. The reservoir, owned by the city of San Diego, shut down to visitors Sept. 2, 2008, so the county Water Authority could raise the height of the reservoir’s concrete dam to increase its water storage. The dam is now at 337 feet. The Water Authority also constructed a new marina. San Vicente Dam, built between 1941 and 1943, originally stood at 220 feet and could store up to 90,000 acre-feet of water.
Does California’s Environmental Protection Law Impede Development? Five Things to Know About CEQA
A North Tustin senior housing project got derailed. Affordable housing for low-income residents in Orange was waylaid for several months. A water pipeline for south Orange County has been held up for four years. And a Santa Ana homeless shelter ended up going elsewhere. All four projects – serving the elderly, the poor, the homeless and the thirsty – ended up in court facing accusations they were potential environmental threats. The would-be environmentalists in these cases included neighboring businesses, neighborhood associations and a mining company serving the oil and gas industry.
Last Chance to Save the Delta Smelt?
California’s most controversial threatened species, the Delta smelt, has never been closer to extinction, but a state agency that could help it with the stroke of a pen is failing to do so. That’s according to a group of environmental organizations that are pleading with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to force aqueduct operators to leave enough fresh water in the Delta for the smelt.
FPUD Adopts 2016-17 Budget and Rates
The Fallbrook Public Utility District adopted its 2016-17 budget and FPUD’s new rates. One 5-0 FPUD board vote July 14 approved the final budget for the current fiscal year while a separate 5-0 vote amended FPUD’s Administrative Code to reflect the new rates. The water rates are on a calendar year basis and will take effect Jan. 1 while the fixed charges are on a fiscal year basis and took effect July 1. “They’re based upon a rigorous development of the budget and vetting by the board’s Fiscal Committee,” said FPUD general manager Brian Brady.
Region’s Water-Supply Answer is All of The Above: Guest Commentary
Just a year ago, California drought conditions were at their worst. The Sierra snowpack was at a historic low, we experienced record-high temperatures, and our state encountered its first-ever mandatory conservation measures issued by Gov. Jerry Brown. Earlier this year, while rainfall and snowpack in Northern California helped to replenish state reservoirs, the much anticipated El Niño presented a disappointing outcome by bringing minimal drought relief to Southern California. Because we rely on importing water from hundreds of miles away for almost two-thirds of our water supply, our water supplies are vulnerable to water shortages that may occur elsewhere.
Senate Sends Two Wolk Resource Measures to Governor
The California Senate voted Wednesday to send two natural resources measures by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. Senate Bill 1340 closes a loophole in state law enabling large new landscaping projects for existing homes and businesses to avoid state and local water-efficiency requirements. “About half of California’s urban water use, equivalent to 4.2 million acre-feet per year, is outdoors, largely for watering landscapes,” Wolk said. “Large or significantly expanded owner-initiated landscape irrigation projects, which are common in California, should not be exempt from local community ordinances intended to improve the efficiency of outdoor water use.
Blending Wastewater May Help California Cope With Drought
Recycled wastewater is increasingly touted as part of the solution to California’s water woes, particularly for agricultural use, as the state’s historic drought continues. The cost of treating wastewater to meet state health standards for reuse and to reduce salt levels that damage crops presents a new set of challenges, however.
San Fernando Valley Will Soon Store 5 Billion Gallons of Stormwater
The Tujunga Spreading Grounds may look like a vast, barren plot of dirt. But it’s what’s beneath the dirt that matters. Earlier this week, officials brandished shiny shovels to break ground on a project there that they say will play a key role in bolstering the region’s water supply and protecting against future droughts. The spreading grounds, a 150-acre tract of porous soil in the northeast San Fernando Valley, capture stormwater that falls from the sky or runs off from nearby mountains and hills, and allows the water to filter into a vast aquifer that can be drawn down when the resource is in short supply.
