Editor’s Note: This feature highlights water utility employees in the San Diego region working during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure a safe, reliable and plentiful water supply. The water industry is among the sectors that are classified as essential. Emily Fleming, Padre Dam Municipal Water District Customer Service Representative, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.
The Imperial Irrigation District and farmer Michael Abatti have been locked in a years-long legal battle with as many twists as the river over which it has been fought. The saga might finally come to an end, though, after a California appellate court handed down a ruling on Thursday that found IID is the rightful manager of the portion of the Colorado River guaranteed to the Imperial Valley.
The Water News Network website has been named “Best Website” among California public agencies for 2020 in the California Public Information Officers EPIC Awards competition.
The CAPIO EPIC Awards recognize the “best of the best” in government communications throughout the state. Winning entries demonstrate the most creative and effective efforts in the areas of communication and marketing campaigns, newsletter production, photography, special events, writing, website development and video production.
Farmers once again clashed with Mexican military forces Sunday to protest releases of water from a dam to repay a water debt owed to the United States.
Last week Escondido’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator, Carrie Selby was featured as the Water Utility Hero of the Week by the San Diego County Water Authority SDCWA. Shelby was interviewed for the Water News Network and talked about her career and work life during the pandemic.
The Rainbow Municipal Water District will be rehabilitating its North River Road Land Outfall pipeline, and Hoch Consulting will be preparing the bidding documents and providing engineering support to the Rainbow district.
A 5-0 Rainbow board vote, June 23, approved a $151,180 contract with Hoch Consulting, which is headquartered in San Diego. The contract does not have a specific end period, although construction is anticipated to begin in early 2021 and take approximately eight weeks.
“It’s an important project to maintain a critical part of our wastewater infrastructure,” Tom Kennedy, Rainbow general manager, said.
Several state legislators have asked the Governor to extend his order prohibiting water shutoffs for nonpayment to even the smallest water utilities.
Right now, the Governor’s April 2 order applies to water utilities serving 200 or more connections.
A committee to review issues regarding the proposed detachment of the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District from the San Diego County Water Authority held its first meeting July 6.
Nearly half a century after a Gold Rush-era quicksilver mining operation shut down in northern California, mercury continues to flow into a nearby creek, and federal officials blame the mine’s state landmark status for cleanup delays.
The Salton Sea in California’s far southeast corner has challenged policymakers and local agencies alike to save the desert lake – a vital stop for migrating birds – from becoming a fetid, hyper-saline water body inhospitable to wildlife and a source of choking dust. The state of California, long derided for its failure to act in the past, says it is now moving full-bore to address the sea’s problems, with ambitious plans for wildlife habitat and dust suppression. Skeptics say addressing the sea’s issues is vital not only for the sea and surrounding communities, but for management of the Colorado River as well.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
