MWD has been working on a new source of reliable water called the Pure Water Southern California recycling program, that takes cleaned wastewater and purifies it into high-quality drinking water.
MWD is asking for public comment on this project through Nov. 14.
The Nov. 8 election will include two Rainbow Municipal Water District board seats. Miguel Gasca is the incumbent for the Division 3 seat and is being challenged by Greg Irvine. Bill Stewart was appointed to fill the District 4 vacancy and is being challenged by Patti Townsend-Smith, whose communications preference ran afoul of a monthly data limit.
With the nation’s two largest reservoirs continuing to decline, federal officials announced plans Friday to revise their current rules for dealing with Colorado River shortages and pursue a new agreement to achieve larger reductions in water use throughout the Southwest.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared 41 parcels, including a 14.48-acre parcel on the west side of Pala Temecula Road, as surplus land which is no longer required for MWD’s current and foreseeable needs. The MWD board vote Oct. 11 also authorized MWD staff to take the necessary actions to divest the parcels. Another public agency will have the first option to obtain the land, and if no public agency desires a specific parcel at a mutually agreeable price the land may be sold to a private party.
The cost of water has over last two decades risen dramatically across San Diego County as a result of investments in desalination, ongoing maintenance, ever-increasing energy prices and unprecedented conservation. However, not everyone’s feeling those impacts equally. Rates vary considerably among the region’s two dozen local water agencies, according to an analysis done last year by the Otay Water District. For example, a typical 1,100 cubic feet of water costs about $90 a month in the city of San Diego, compared to nearly $137 in the Padre Dam Municipal Water District.
Thousands of San Diegans are struggling to pay their water bills as shutoffs resume across much of the state. Experts fear the burden will only get worse as the cost of water continues to soar, driven in part by ongoing historic drought.
However, federal emergency cash is now providing temporary relief for many low-income residents — up to $2,000 for unpaid water bills.
The U.S. government warned on Friday that it may impose water supply cuts on California, Arizona and Nevada to protect the Colorado River and its two main reservoirs from overuse, drought and climate change.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation unveiled three possible action plans: one to impose cutbacks, another to allow western states to work out a reduction plan on their own, or a third and least likely option of taking no action.
Neena Kuzmich, Deputy Director of Engineering at San Diego County Water Authority, with more on the San Vicente Energy Storage Facility Project.
San Diego County Water Authority aims to provide thousands of homes with power by storing energy in the San Vicente Reservoir.
Neena Kuzmich of the @sdcwa joined FOX Weather to discuss this proposal and how the project would work. @MarissaTorresTV pic.twitter.com/a1DQ1JEPF6
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) October 27, 2022
The San Diego County Water Authority and waterwise garden guru Nan Sterman have teamed up to offer a series of free public webinars designed to help San Diego County residents care for their gardens during a fourth straight year of severe drought.
A Nevada water agency has taken the first concrete step toward accounting for evaporation and other losses in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin. The new analysis attempts to pinpoint exactly how much water is lost, and who should cut back to bring the system closer to a balance between supply and demand. An analysis compiled by the Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates the total amount of water lost in the river’s lower reaches. If implemented in its current form, the proposal would translate to significant cutbacks for users in Nevada, Arizona and California.
