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Opinion: COVID-19 is a Chance to Invest in our Essential Infrastructure Workforce

/in , , /by /Brookings Institutionby Joseph W. Kane

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps millions of people home and many businesses shuttered for social distancing, up to 62 million essential workers are still reporting to their jobs in hospitals, grocery stores, and other critical industries. They are on the frontlines against the coronavirus, vital to our public health and economic survival. Of them, the 17 million workers who operate and maintain our infrastructure are among the most essential—delivering our packages, keeping our water running, ensuring our broadband is up to speed, and more.

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Takes Proactive Steps in Response to Coronavirus

/in , , /by /Encinitas Advocate

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has posed an unprecedented threat to the global community, requiring quick action, responsible decision-making, and forward thinking. With nearly every community facing this global health emergency, the Olivenhain Municipal Water District has taken several proactive steps to protect customers, employees, and the water supply, according to a news release.

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Recharge Totals Get Boost from March Rains, With More to Come

/in , /by /Redlands Community Newsby James Folmer

Last month’s storms brought nearly 4.5 inches of rain to the San Bernardino region — about 57 percent above normal for March — helping to reverse the season’s plummeting precipitation totals to about 86 percent of normal for this time of year, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District has announced.

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Jameson, Gibraltar Reservoirs Over Capacity as Recent Rains Help Drought-Stricken South Coast

/in , /by /Santa Barbara News Pressby Mitchell White

Both Jameson and Gibraltar reservoirs are over capacity, with each holding some 100.4% of their respective capacities. Gibraltar Reservoir, holding 4,603 acre-feet of water, has experienced an increase of 2,064 acre-feet during the 2020 water year, which began Sept. 1, 2019, and runs through Aug. 31.

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Cachuma Lake Comeback Shows Impressive Water Supply

/in , , /by /KEYTby John Palminteri

One of the poster-lake shots for the California drought in 2016 was Cachuma Lake in the Santa Ynez Valley when it dropped down to a muddy level of seven percent surrounded by brown hills. This morning after impressive rains and a direct runoff from the Santa Ynez watershed it is rising to within 15 feet of the spill level at Bradbury Dam.

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What if California Faces a Disaster During the Pandemic?

/in , , /by /Associated Pressby Don Thompson

California has evacuation plans for earthquakes, floods, mudslides and, of course, wildfires, but what if one of those disasters occurs as the state is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak when everyone is being urged to stay home?

State and local officials are trying to figure that out.

“That’s something that is being looked at, but it’s challenging,” said California Office of Emergency Services’ spokesman Brian Ferguson.

Kim Zagaris, longtime fire and rescue chief for the emergency services agency, came out of retirement to help with planning during the virus crisis.

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Amid ‘Stay-at-Home’ Orders, What Kind of Financial Break can SDG&E Customers Get?

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

The California Public Utilities Commission, the agency that regulates the state’s major investor-owned power companies such as San Diego Gas & Electric, has agreed to shift the timing of a credit SDG&E customers receive each year to help give some financial relief in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The commission is also looking at extending less expensive winter rates by a few months into the summer, although making such a move would not result in customers really saving money over the long-term.

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923 Million Gallons of Water Released From Hodges Reservoir After Storm

/in , , /by /City News Service and NBC 7 San Diegoby City News Service and NBC 7 San Diego

Because of recent heavy rainfall, the city of San Diego Saturday began releasing about 923 million gallons of water from Hodges Reservoir into the San Dieguito River, which may eventually lead to the ocean, city officials said.

The dam release began at about 11 a.m. Saturday and will continue for about seven days or until the reservoir elevation is near 295 feet, spokesperson José Ysea said.

For safety reasons, the California Division of Safety of Dams has determined that the water level at Hodges Reservoir should not exceed 295 feet, which is 20 feet below spillway elevation, Ysea said. This requires periodic water releases from Hodges Reservoir.

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Watching California’s Wildlife Online Surges During Shelter-In-Place

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Gregory Thomas

Many nature webcams in California are seeing record traffic and interest this past month, as people bracing against the coronavirus pandemic look for virtual escapes from the doldrums of life indoors.

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San Diego Will Build 7 Medians in University City to Settle Pure Water Lawsuit

/in , , /by /San Diego Union Tribuneby David Garrick

San Diego has agreed to build seven new road medians in University City at an estimated cost of $1.2 million to settle two lawsuits that sought to block construction of the city’s Pure Water sewage recycling system.

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