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Collaboration Helps Water Authority Deliver Water Security to Region

/in , , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Gary Croucher Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the cost of water — and that makes sense given the economic realities faced by many residents, farmers, and businesses. But it also seems that newer generations of San Diegans do not know there was a time when we didn’t have water when and where we needed it.

Thankfully, that’s not a problem in San Diego County today, even though elsewhere drought-stricken communities face the potential of only having enough water to meet basic health and safety needs. Due to investments we’ve collectively made in seawater desalination, conserved water, reliable infrastructure, and increased storage capacity, the San Diego region has transformed its water supplies from highly insecure to some of the most reliable in the nation.

(Editor’s Note: Gary Croucher is chair of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors.)

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As Drought Persists, Minimal Water Deliveries Announced for the Central Valley Project

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by Ian James

With California entering a third year of drought and its reservoirs at low levels, the federal government has announced plans to deliver minimal amounts of water through the Central Valley Project, putting many farmers on notice that they should prepare to receive no water from the system this year.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the project’s dams and canals, announced a zero-water allocation for irrigation districts that supply many farmers across the Central Valley. Cities that receive water from the project in the Central Valley and parts of the Bay Area were allocated 25% of their historical water use.

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Personal Finance Education a Valued Benefit for Water Authority Employees

/in , , /by /American Water Works Association Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Educating employees about how to manage their personal finances is paying big dividends for the San Diego County Water Authority.

The wholesale water supplier received a $24,884 grant in 2020 to develop a financial wellness program for its staff and the more than 16,000 employees at its 24 retail water agencies, which include cities, special districts and a military base in the San Diego region.

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Seven Weeks of Near-Record Low Snowfall in the Colorado River Basin Have Water Managers Worried

/in , , /by /The Salt Lake Tribuneby Zak Podmore

The water level in Lake Powell was at a record low when rain and snow began to fall across the Colorado River Basin in October, soaking dry soils ahead of the winter season.

Water managers, who hoped the trend would build into an above-average snow year that might delay a looming water crisis in the Southwest, watched the snowpack drop to near zero in November. Then, after a massive storm cycle brought six feet of snow to parts of the Rockies around the New Year, they again breathed a sigh of relief.

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San Marcos and Vallecitos Partner for Hydration Stations

/in , , /by /The Coast News Group Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Both the city of San Marcos and the Vallecitos Water District are committed to the reduction of single-use plastics in our community. To accomplish that, they have teamed up to offer new hydration stations in local parks to encourage the use of refilling reusable bottles during outdoor activities instead of reaching for bottled water.

Feb. 22, the San Marcos City Council issued a proclamation recognizing the ongoing partnership between the Vallecitos Water District and the city of San Marcos. City of San Marcos Ordinance 2021-1507, adopted on Oct. 26, 2021, restricts the use of single-use plastic food-service ware.

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Key Hearing on Poseidon Desalination Plant Delayed Two Months

/in , , /by /The Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

Ongoing disagreements between Poseidon Water and state regulators over a proposed desalination plant in Huntington Beach have resulted in a March 17 permit hearing being postponed at the company’s request.

Poseidon is seeking the final permit needed, from the state Coastal Commission, before it can finalize contract terms with the Orange County Water District and begin construction on a controversial, $1.4 billion plant that would produce enough drought-proof water for 400,000 people. The hearing slated for next month is now expected in May.

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Opinion: Byzantine Water Laws Will Leave Californians High and Dry

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Richard Frank and Holly Doremus

It’s been said that California is confronting a 21st century water crisis armed with 20th century infrastructure and 19th century laws. That’s indisputably true.

California’s water rights system was created in the latter half of the 1800s. It has changed surprisingly little since then. In a state that prides itself on environmental innovation, it’s alarming that California’s calcified water rights system is out of sync with current needs.

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Here’s Why You Might See Red Dye in the Water Near Del Mar Bluffs

/in , /by /FOX 5by Jamie Chambers

Bluff erosion along the coastal city has shut down train travel and endangered beachgoers.

Now, a new test has been set up to understand how rainwater destabilizes the bluffs in Del Mar.

The San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, is using red dye to color water and then flush it down the storm drains to see where the water runs out of the bluffs into the ocean.

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PWD to Offer Water Use, Conservation Courses to Customers

/in , /by /Antelope Valley Pressby Allison Gatlin

The Palmdale Water District Board of Directors gave the go-ahead to staff to develop a water education class, which customers could attend in lieu of paying fines for overuse, should mandatory water restrictions be put in place.

Suggested by Director Amberrose Merino, the class is modeled after one used successfully in Santa Cruz in 2014, which offered customers a one-time waiver of fees for overuse if they attended a course about water use and conservation.

“They actually had a really successful program,” Resource and Analytics Supervisor Claudia Bolanos said.

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Experts – Once Again — Tell Senate Panel That California’s Key Climate Change Strategy Is Flawed

/in , /by /Cal Mattersby Julie Cart

Legislators today debated the Newsom administration’s long-term strategy for cutting greenhouse gases, with some experts reiterating their common refrain that parts of California’s cap-and-trade program are deeply flawed.

A panel of experts and the Legislative Analyst’s Office told lawmakers at a Senate hearing what they’ve heard before: The market-based cap-and-trade program that California relies on to do the heavy lifting to reduce climate-warming pollutants is unlikely to achieve the state’s 2030 targets.

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