In a major sign of California’s worsening drought, Santa Clara County’s largest water provider announced Monday that it is moving forward with plans to declare a water shortage emergency and to urge cities and water companies that serve 2 million residents in and around San Jose to impose mandatory water restrictions.
San Diegans in single-family homes may get a modest reprieve from a city plan to increase sewer rates nearly 19 percent next year and a total of 28 percent over the next four years. The city recently got a legally mandated second opinion on a consultant’s analysis that was used to calculate the rate increases, and the second opinion says the increases should be more gradual and smaller. City officials concede the initial analysis may have been too “conservative,” prompting higher rate increases than necessary. They have agreed to incorporate the second opinion analysis into their recommendations for rate increases. The City Council is scheduled to receive those final recommendations in July and then vote on them in September, with new rates potentially taking effect in January for the city’s 2.2 million sewer customers.
The most important thing to understand: If you’re reading this, you live in a desert. And you can live in this desert because politicians, scientists and engineers have moved mountains, almost literally, to bring you life-giving water.
The latest brawl in Water World plays out on this backdrop, and what comes out of your tap may well depend on the result. Will it come from recycled waste water? Desalination plants? A giant tunnel or two under the Delta? The answers will, in large part, depend on who’s chosen to lead the gargantuan Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water to 19 million people from Ventura County to the Mexican border.
The Imperial Irrigation District and Assemblyman Chad Mayes are at a war of words, which could potentially escalate to IID pulling out of the Coachella Valley altogether and taking legal action. The district threatened the move in response to proposed legislation by Mayes to increase the IID board of directors from 5 to 6 members, with the additional position appointed by the Fourth District Riverside County Supervisor, which is currently Manuel Perez.
In a major milestone for water reliability, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program was awarded a $388 million federal loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help advance the project’s completion.
“The East County Advanced Water Purification Program is the result of many years of strategic, long-term planning and this WIFIA loan marks a historic milestone in its development,” said Allen Carlisle, CEO and general manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District. “By providing East County with local control and independence of both its wastewater and water, the program secures a long-term solution for increased stability in our communities and safeguards the vitality of our economy and quality of life. We are grateful to the U.S. EPA for partnering with us on this important program and investing in future generations.”
The City of Poway’s water infrastructure improvement program is estimated to cost about $69.5 million, with the cost intended to be spread over water customers for generations to come.
The program’s estimated costs were discussed at the Poway City Council meeting Tuesday night. The council, minus Mayor Steve Vaus, who was absent, received an update on the program and approved with a 4-0 vote issuing a reimbursement resolution.
Just two years after California celebrated the end of its last devastating drought, the state is facing another one. Snowpack has dwindled to nearly nothing, the state’s 1,500 reservoirs are at only 50% of their average levels, and federal and local agencies have begun to issue water restrictions.
Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a drought emergency in 41 of the state’s 58 counties. Meanwhile, temperatures are surging as the region braces for what is expected to be another record-breaking fire season, and scientists are sounding the alarm about the state’s readiness.
Hoover Dam towers more than 700 feet above Black Canyon on the Arizona-Nevada state line, holding back the waters of the Colorado River. On top of the dam, where visitors peer down the graceful white arc of its face, one of its art deco-style towers is adorned with a work of art that memorializes the purposes of the dam.
In five relief sculptures by Oskar Hansen, muscular men grip a boat’s wheel, harvest an armful of wheat, stand beside cascading water and lift a heavy weight overhead. Words encapsulate why the dam was built, as laid out in a 1928 law: FLOOD CONTROL, NAVIGATION, IRRIGATION, WATER STORAGE and POWER.
In victories that make the state’s drought even crueler, two Southern California water districts have won the top prizes for best tap water in the U.S. at an international tasting contest.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California finished first and Santa Ana took second place for the nation’s Best Municipal Water on Saturday at the 31st annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting in West Virginia. Those two competitors finished first in the category in 2008 and 2018, respectively.
Third place went to the Southwest Water Authority of Dickinson, in North Dakota.
A water war is heating up in the North County.
Rainbow Municipal Water District and Fallbrook Public Utility District want to leave the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) because of rising costs. They want to join the Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside County, a move that could save their customers up to $5 million a year.
