City of San Diego officials may be rethinking Phase 2 of its Pure Water project, as the $1.5 billion Phase 1 nears completion.
Phase 1 will recycle 30 million gallons of sewage per day. It’s one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the region. But elected officials are debating what the second phase might entail.
As a federally imposed deadline for a Colorado River agreement came and went without a deal, Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature called for the federal government to intervene. Hobbs and the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Legislature blamed Colorado and the other Upper Basin states for the impasse.
Chemical-laden dust from southern California’s drying Salton Sea is probably harming the lungs of people around the shrinking body of water, and the effects are especially pronounced in children, new peer-reviewed research from the University of California, Irvine, shows.
A separate peer-reviewed study from the University of California, Riverside, also found the Salton Sea’s contaminated dust seemed to alter lung microbiome, which could trigger pulmonary problems that have been reported around the lake.
Every month, a group meets to debate what should be done with our toilet water. Right, now they’re arguing about the fact that there might not be enough for everybody to reuse.
Three years ago, I wrote about how the city of San Diego was at war with a bloc of Eastern County cities over the region’s wastewater supply. Both wanted to treat it and supply it to residents as drinking water. But their systems are intertwined, and when East County rolled off to do their own thing, it left costs to support the region’s wastewater system on the backs of other cities.
A quick-moving atmospheric river, capable of bringing heavy downpours and mountain snow, is expected to drench San Diego County by late Thursday, and it could offer some early clues about the water year.
California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. January and February are typically the wettest months. So far this season, a Pacific storm in mid-October brought more than an inch of rain in the mountains and about four-fifths of an inch along the coast.
After two fraught years of negotiations amid dire projections for the Colorado River’s reservoirs, California and six other states that rely on the river’s water have yet again failed to reach a deal — despite a federal deadline.
“While more work needs to be done, collective progress has been made that warrants continued efforts to define and approve details for a finalized agreement,” the states said. The written statement released Tuesday included no details about how they plan to manage the river after the current rulebook expires at the end of next year.
Water and sewer rate increases proposed in October to take effect in 2026 for Oceanside residents and businesses were cut in half Wednesday by the Oceanside City Council, but only for a year.
Water department employees initially asked for increases of 6% for water and 4% for sewer in 2026 and again in 2027, but the council pushed for belt-tightening and postponed a decision after complaints from residents at the Oct. 1 meeting.
The warming San Diegans are experiencing this weekend will turn cooler by the middle of the week, with a chance for rain later in the week, forecasters said Sunday.
The cooling is expected by Tuesday, although highs will remain above average as the area of high pressure weakens ahead of an incoming low pressure system.
As San Diego County continues to navigate the complex challenges of water affordability and supply reliability, the Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate Program, or PSAWR, offers a smart, equitable solution that economically benefits the entire region — not just farmers.
Some water agencies have asked: “What’s in it for us?” — especially those who don’t serve farmers directly. It’s a fair question. But the answer is clear: PSAWR helps stabilize water rates across the region, preserve local jobs, protect our economy and sustain the environment of San Diego County.
The November 5 edition of the AgNet News Hour struck a chord with California farmers and voters alike as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Don Wagner, candidate for Secretary of State of California, to discuss the state’s leadership crisis, water mismanagement, and the fight to restore common sense to Sacramento.
Wagner, currently serving in Orange County and endorsed by former Secretary of State Bill Jones and former Governor Pete Wilson, said the same thing many Californians are feeling: “The problems in this state are entirely man-made.” He pointed to decades of political gridlock and poor decision-making that have crippled business, agriculture, and infrastructure. “We don’t have a resource problem,” Wagner said. “We have a government problem. It’s bad policy, not bad luck, that’s hurting California.”
