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Drought Threatens to Close Calif. Hydropower Plant for First Time

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Anne C. Mulkern

A California power plant likely will shut down for the first time ever because of low water during a prolonged drought, squeezing the state’s very tight electricity supplies, state officials said yesterday.

The Edward Hyatt power plant, an underground facility next to Oroville Dam in Butte County, is expected to close in August or September, said John Yarbrough, California Department of Water Resources assistant deputy director of the State Water Project.

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East San Diego’s Approach to Water Resiliency

/in , , /by /Water Worldby Kyle Swanson

Building a legacy of water innovation takes years of planning, determination, leadership, partnerships — and funding. These elements have coalesced in East San Diego County, Calif., for an innovative and collaborative water reuse project.

Scheduled to be complete in 2025, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program (East County AWP) will create a new, local, sustainable and drought-proof potable water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify the area’s recycled water. The program will generate up to 11.5 million gallons per day (MGD) of new water — meeting approximately 30 percent of current drinking water demands for East San Diego County residents.

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CWA Approves Two-Month Extension of PSAWR Eligibility Transition

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

When the San Diego County Water Authority adopted the Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate, the SDCWA also adopted eligibility criteria but allowed previous Temporary Special Agricultural Water Rate customers a six-month grace period to establish eligibility. The CWA extended that transitional eligibility period by an additional two months June 24. The unanimous CWA board vote extends the temporary eligibility period to Aug. 31. Although the six CWA member agencies who requested an extension of the eligibility period sought a six-month extension, the CWA’s Financial Strategy Working Group recommended the two-month extension which was approved by the CWA board.

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How the San Diego Region is Preparing for the West’s Water Extremes

/in , , /by /CMUA Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Sandra Kerl talks about how the San Diego County Water Authority is adapting and innovating for this year’s drought and beyond, while continuing to provide reliable service to customers and reshaping the Water Authority’s internal processes, values and structure.

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Colorado’s Monsoon Season Is Struggling To Bring Relief to Rivers, Ranchers And Wildfires as the Climate Warms

/in , , /by /CPR Newsby Michael Elizabeth Sakas

The North American monsoon has returned to Colorado, and the rain has brought some much-needed relief to some of the driest parts of the state — after multiple back-to-back years of almost no summer rain. “We call it the no-soon, because we just didn’t get anything,” said Bill Trampe, a third-generation rancher from Gunnison in southwestern Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis has recently declared a drought emergency for the region and the rest of western Colorado.

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Can San Diego County Get Ahead of the Climate Change Curve?

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Deborah Sullivan Brennan

San Diego County is launching aggressive efforts to counter climate change, with a new climate action plan and a sweeping sustainability plan designed to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2035.

The County Board of Supervisors received reports on both projects Wednesday and discussed the balancing act required to slash carbon emissions while preserving jobs and expanding housing.

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With Drought Worsening, Should California Have Much Tougher Water Restrictions?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ari Plachta

When Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Californians to voluntarily conserve water last week as he stood in front of the retreating shoreline at Lopez Lake in San Luis Obispo County, some must have had déjà vu.

It was only six years ago when former Gov. Jerry Brown stood in a field near Lake Tahoe that was bereft of normally plentiful snow and called for water restrictions amid the state’s punishing years-long drought.

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Calif. Businesses and Residents to Cut Water Use by 15%

/in , /by /Environment and Energy Leaderby Harun Asad

Signing an Executive Order on July 8, California (CA) Governor Gavin Newsom has asked Californians to voluntarily cut their water use by 15% to mitigate severe drought conditions across the state, and to protect water reserves and help maintain critical flows for fish and wildlife.

During the last drought from 2012 to 2016, Californians were ordered to cut their water use by an average of 25% statewide. With the new drought emergency declarations, there is still no statewide emergency or mandate to reduce water use.

The request applies to businesses and agriculture as well as residents. Meeting the target could save enough water to supply 1.7 million average households for one year, according to state officials. Fifty counties, about 42% of the state’s population, are now under drought emergencies — essentially everywhere except San Francisco and urban Southern California.

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Encinitas Landscape Transformation Project Wins Local Contest

/in , , /by

Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors honored at its July 14 meeting Ken and Susan Terzes as the winner of OMWD’s 2021 WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

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Native Plants Garden Wins 2021 Escondido Landscape Makeover Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network

As California experiences another drought cycle, homeowners in the San Diego region continue to makeover their landscapes with native plants that need less water. An Escondido couple recently transformed their landscape to save water and won the City of Escondido Landscape Makeover Contest too.

Escondido homeowners Michael and Teresa Everett first learned about the 2021 Escondido Landscape Makeover Contest from Escondido family-owned El Pantio Nursery. It was the motivation they needed to makeover their landscaping with native plants.

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