You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

“Scanny” Gives SDCWA a New Perspective on Pipe Inspection

/in , /by /American Water Works Association

The high-tech surveillance device is called “Scanny.” Previously, SDCWA hired a specialty rope crew at a minimum of $3,000 a day to help perform the steep, slippery work throughout the hills and canyons of its service area. Shutoffs for this type of maintenance can’t surpass 10 days, so the pipe remained slick throughout the job.

Martin Coghill, SDCWA’s operations and maintenance manager, created the Scanny device in his spare time in his garage for less than $6,000. He arranged a series of GoPro cameras and lights on a mobile chassis. Learn more about how Scanny works in this video.

Full Story

Stopping Cadiz is Good for People, the Environment and our Water Future

/in , /by /Desert Sunby Ron Escobar

When the California Desert Protection Act was signed into law 30 years ago, the United States pledged to protect the fragile desert lands in the traditional territory of Chemehuevi Native Americans, establishing places now known as Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve. It was a turning point for the nation toward a more respectful relationship with the land, aligning with the Chemehuevi people who have stewarded this region since the beginning of time.

Preserving these lands has helped preserve our origins, history, songs, religious ceremonies, ancient sites and trails. When we protect land, it is not only for the benefit of wildlife or the natural environment, but for our well-being.

Full Story

Unstoppable Invasion: How Did Mussels Sneak into California, Despite Decades of State Shipping Rules?

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Alastair Bland

After the recent discovery of a destructive mussel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, some experts say California officials have failed to effectively enforce laws designed to protect waterways from invaders carried in ships’ ballast water.

A state law enacted 20 years ago has required California officials to inspect 25% of incoming ships and sample their ballast water before it’s discharged into waterways. But the tests didn’t begin until two years ago — after standards for conducting them were finally set — and testing remains rare. State officials have sampled the ballast water of only 16 vessels out of the roughly 3,000 likely to have emptied their tanks nearshore.

Full Story

3 Steps Business Leaders Can Take To Help Improve U.S. Drinking Water

/in , , /by /Forbesby Richard Razgaitis

To the long list of issues that demand a company’s attention, it’s time to add the state of our drinking water. Why? Because the quality of water impacts more than just public health—it can influence employee well-being, operational sustainability and a company’s reputation.

Federal standards for water safety haven’t significantly evolved since the Safe Drinking Water Act was enacted nearly 50 years ago, even as industrial and agricultural activities have introduced harmful contaminants to our water supply. As water quality has diminished, the bottled water industry has grown, creating a reliance on plastic. But this also poses potential health risks.

Full Story

2025 U.S. Presidential Shift: Water Policy Impact and Industry Implications

/in , , /by /Smart Water Magazineby Alejandro Maceira Rozados

The re-election of Donald Trump in 2024 will likely lead to a notable shift in U.S. water policy, steering away from the sustainability-focused initiatives of the Biden administration. This change is expected to reshape key sectors within the water industry — including infrastructure development, water quality standards, climate change strategies, and water utility operations — by prioritizing economic growth and regulatory relaxation over federally driven environmental protections.

Full Story

Climate-Driven Impacts on Water in US West will Raise the Cost of Grid Decarbonization: Study

/in , , /by /The Hillby Sharon Udasin

The western U.S.’s plans to decarbonize electricity grids by 2050 may be much more expensive than anticipated, as such targets fail to account for the effects of climate change on water resources, a new study has found.

Shifts in water availability due to warming could decrease hydropower production by up to 23 percent by midcentury, while electricity demand could rise by 2 percent annually, according to the study, published Monday in Nature Communications.

Full Story

What to Know about a Newly Defined Chemical Byproduct Found in Drinking Water

/in , , /by /ABC 10 News by Mary Kekatos

A chemical byproduct found in some treated drinking water in the U.S. that remained a mystery for more than 40 years may have finally been identified by scientists.

The authors of the study, published Thursday in the journal Science, have named the byproduct chloronitramide anion, and believe it is a decomposition byproduct of chloramine, which is used as a disinfectant in tap water.

Full Story

Record Dryness in US Northeast Should Change Water Behavior, Experts Say

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Brittany Peterson

It hasn’t been a typical fall for the northeastern United States.

Fires have burned in parks and forests around New York City. Towns and cities in a stretch from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to south of Philadelphia had their driest three months on record, according to the Applied Climate Information System. Some reservoirs in the region are near historic lows.

Full Story

California’s Water Crisis Demands Solutions Beyond Reservoirs, Report Finds

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Tom Howarth

California’s ongoing struggle with water scarcity has spurred significant investment in reservoirs and dam expansion, but a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) highlights why these massive infrastructure projects may worsen the state’s water and environmental crises.

The report, titled “Beneath the Surface,” challenges the notion that reservoirs are a sustainable solution, arguing that their benefits are undermined by environmental and economic costs, especially as climate change intensifies.

Full Story

Carlsbad to Study Whether to Build Solar Power Farm

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

Carlsbad has decided to proceed with a feasibility study of whether it should build a solar power farm on 30 to 40 acres in a rarely visited corner of the city.

The site is at the city’s Maerkle Reservoir, near the border of Oceanside and Vista, where Carlsbad owns about 100 acres including the 17-acre reservoir topped by a floating fabric cover.

Full Story