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Bringing the Colorado River to Mesa: New 10.5-Mile Water Pipeline Under Construction

/in , /by /12Newsby Jen Wahl

The ongoing and historic drought has many Valley cities declaring water shortages. In Mesa, the city is in stage one of its water shortage management plan. While they’re reducing water usage citywide, Mesa is also spending millions to boost its water infrastructure. Construction started on a 10.5-mile pipeline on Monday. The plan is to build out the Central Mesa Reuse Pipeline and it begins at Greenfield and Southern.

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Metropolitan Water District Launches Turf Replacement Program for Sustainable Landscaping

/in , /by /WestsideToday.comby Dolores Quintana

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Turf Replacement program aims to update homeowners’ landscaping practices by encouraging the removal of existing grass and replacing it with organic, drought-tolerant alternatives. With a focus on water conservation and sustainability, the program seeks to combat the effects of water scarcity and promote responsible water usage among residents.

It is essential to note that synthetic turf is not an approved option for conversion under this program. Instead, the emphasis is on promoting organic and eco-friendly landscaping solutions that align with the city’s environmental goals.

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The IID’s Water Rights – a Balancing Act of Responsibility and Sustainability

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Wally Leimgruber

Water is the lifeblood of civilizations, and the management of this precious resource has always been a challenging task. The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) holds a significant stake in water rights, playing a vital role in water distribution and agriculture. This essay delves into the history, challenges, and strategies employed by IID to manage water rights responsibly and sustainably.

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Vista Irrigation District Landscape Winner Complements Home Design

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Vista Homeowner Diane Krupnak redesigned her front yard to save water and won the 2023 Vista Irrigation District WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

The annual contest recognizes outstanding watersmart residential landscapes based on the criteria of overall attractiveness, appropriate plant selection, design, appropriate maintenance, and efficient irrigation methods.

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Valley Center Has Grown With its Water District

/in , , /by /Valley Roadrunner by David Ross Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Making the desert bloom. That’s what our local water district has accomplished in the nearly 70 years of its existence.

Although settlers first came to Valley Center in the 1860s, the town’s population stayed at just a few hundred people throughout the first part of the 20th Century. On the eve of the formation of the district, the population was about 900, according to the Valley Center History Museum. But in 1954 the voters of the community voted overwhelmingly to create the Valley Center Municipal Water District (VCMWD). From then on, the town has grown with the water district, which made it possible to grow to the population it is today, around 22,000 (VCMWD’s total service area population is 29,700.)

What made that all possible was the creation of the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) in 1944 and the completion of the 1st San Diego Aqueduct in the later 1940s’s. The Aqueduct’s purpose was to bring water from the Colorado River to San Diego County, from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (the “Met”) to provide something more than the area’s limited groundwater and streams that flowed during rainy seasons like we have had this year, but otherwise not so much.

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SoCal Water Recycling Program Gets $80M From State

/in , , /by /KFI Am 640by City News Service

State officials Wednesday presented an $80 million check to advance Pure Water Southern California, a large-scale, regional water recycling program intended to create a new source of water to benefit 19 million people amid changing climate and weather whiplash.

Assemblywoman Lisa Calderon, D-Whittier, Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, and Carson Mayor Pro Tem Jawane Hilton joined water district officials during Wednesday’s event at the Pure Water demonstration facility.

“The climate crisis has strained our region’s water supply,” Calderon said in a statement. “It’s imperative we continue investing in our projects focused on addressing our water needs.”

Pure Water will take cleaned wastewater that is currently sent to the ocean and purify it to produce high-quality drinking water, officials said.

Project partners Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Los Angeles County Sanitation District received funding from the state’s 2022-23 budget to accelerate the project’s design and construction, with the potential to begin construction as early as 2025 and have water deliveries start in 2032.

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Funding for Water Projects Takes $200 Million Bite

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Jesse Vad

The state’s money problems are taking a $200 million bite out of funding for drinking and wastewater projects.

The state Water Resources Control Board voted Tuesday to approve the cuts as part of a statewide belt tightening effort.

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Arizona Cities Offering Money Incentives to Residents in Bid to Reduce Water Use: Here’s What to Know

/in , , /by /Fox 10 Phoenix by Lauren Clark and Kenneth Wong

From $800 to $1,000, and even $5,000, some Valley cities are dangling money incentives to residents, in the hope they will cut their water use amid the state’s ongoing crisis.

The programs are a direct result of cities grappling with a future of less water from the Colorado River.

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Every Drop Counts: Water-Wise Landscaping and Design Takes Creativity

/in , , /by /Pasadena Weekly by Morgan Owen

Having an eco-friendly yard doesn’t have to mean replacing a lawn with sand and succulents. Ann-Marie Benz, California Native Plant Society’s horticulture program manager, says creating a drought-resilient landscape has a bad reputation. Creating a native, water-wise yard can be rewarding — and done with a personal flair.

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Hellish Heat Leaves Southwest in Misery: Fainting, Broken Cars, Sizzling Sidewalks

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jack Herrera, Hayley Smith, Summer Lin and Cari Spencer

An unrelenting heat wave that has blanketed the the Southwestern U.S. continued to break records Wednesday, inflicting misery in major cities and offering what experts described as a disturbing glimpse into the future as human-caused climate change increases the frequency and duration of extreme heat events.

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