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San Diego Gas And Electric Looks To Quadruple Customers’ Minimum Monthly Bill

/in , /by /pv magazine by Tim Sylvia

The utility is looking to raise its monthly minimum utility charge from $10 to $38 under the premise that distributed solar customers represent a “cost shift” to other utility customers.

Customers of San Diego Gas and electric (SDG&E) could soon see a drastic increase in their monthly electric bills, as the utility has submitted to state regulators a proposal to raise the monthly minimum utility charge from $10 to $38.

The California Public Utilities Commission, is expected to make a decision on the proposal by spring of 2020.

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Another Hot, Muggy Day In Store For San Diego County

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

Hot and muggy conditions are expected in most parts of San Diego County Tuesday and thunderstorms will be possible in the mountains and deserts.

A high-pressure system lingering over southern California will create a chance of thunderstorms in those two areas each afternoon through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in San Diego.

The chance of measurable precipitation is 40 percent in the mountains and 20 percent in the deserts.

Monsoonal moisture will remain in the region until Friday, when the high pressure system is expected to weaken and temperatures will drop through the weekend, forecasters said.

 

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Who governs California’s drinking water systems?

/in , /by /California WaterBlog by Kristin Dobbin and Amanda Fencl

A key feature of California’s drinking water system is the large number of individual water systems.

There are approximately 3,000 Community Water Systems (CWSs) in the state, meaning systems that serve a residential population year-round (the remaining 5,000 of the state’s 8,000 Public Water Systems are non-community systems serve places like schools, daycare, hospitals, campgrounds, or businesses that serve at least 25 people but have transient or non-residential populations.

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Controversial Water Legislation Heads To Calif. Assembly Floor

/in , , /by /The San Jouquin Valley Sun

Senate Bill 1, a highly controversial piece of water legislation, is headed to the floor of the California State Assembly in the coming weeks after clearing the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday.

The bill, penned by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D–San Diego) would tie California’s air quality and water laws to the Federal standards as of Jan. 19, 2017 – the final day of the Obama administration.

Initially, Senate Bill 1 was placed in the committee’s “suspense file,” or Legislative jargon for setting the bill aside temporarily. During Friday’s committee hearing, the bill was brought on with new amendments included.

 

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Two Small Agencies Want A Divorce From The Water Authority. It Could Get Messy.

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Back in January, the head of an obscure government agency that exists almost entirely to draw the boundary lines of other public agencies had gotten wind of something. Two rural water agencies wanted to bolt from the San Diego County Water Authority so they could start buying cheaper water from Riverside County.

Keene Simonds knew what was in store for his agency, the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees things like where a city’s limits end and where water districts can sell water.

This water thing, Simonds wrote in an email to a consultant, “could be a doozy.”

How much of a doozy is only now becoming clear.

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San Diego Water Rates Going Up 6.3 Percent This Year

/in , /by /KPBSby Maya Trabulsi

Water customers in the City of San Diego will be seeing another increase on future bills, but not quite as high as it could have been. The increase will be a combination of the city rate increase that took effect Sunday, September 1st, and another increase from San Diego County.

In a letter reminding customers of the rate change, the City of San Diego said the 4.82% increase will pay for, among other things, infrastructure investments, water quality testing, and costs that are passed down from other agencies.

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Pacific Beach Girl Scout Promotes Water Wise Landscaping

/in , , /by /San Diego Community News

When many San Diegans think about native plants, it can bring up images of dry landscapes or prickly cacti. However, truly native plants can create a colorful landscape for Pacific Beach residents year-round.

This summer, at the Pacific Beach Taylor Library Community Room, Girl Scout Isabella Catanzaro held a workshop on how to create a beautiful landscape using only 30% of the water consumed by a typical lawn.

 

 

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With New State Law, Pico Rivera’s Water Is Now Considered Tainted

/in , , /by /Whittier Daily Newsby Bradley Bermont

Under new water quality standards issued by the state, the Pico Rivera water supply is now considered tainted.

The city will soon be sending notices to all residents about high levels of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, more commonly referred to as PFOA and PFOS.

Dubbed “forever chemicals,” the two are “readily absorbed, but not readily eliminated from the human body,” according to the state’s Water Resources Control Board. Long-term exposure can damage an individual’s immune system, thyroid and liver. It can also cause cancer and harm developing fetuses and infants alike.

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Jury Awards Atwater $63 Million In Groundwater Pollution Suit Against Oil Giant Shell

/in , /by /Merced Sun - Star

A jury has ordered Shell Oil Company to pay the City of Atwater a total of $63 million in damages in a groundwater pollution suit.

The decision, reached Friday after a four-month trial in Merced County Superior Court, awarded Atwater $53 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages, according to a news release from the city.

The lawsuit stemmed from the highly toxic chemical 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP), which can pose a risk to public health and can contaminate drinking water.

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Ornamental Horticulture Groundbreaking Cultivates Career Opportunities

/in , , /by /Water News Network

With the turn of 11 gleaming shovels, groundbreaking took place on August 22 for a $16.7 million project to renovate and improve indoor and outdoor classrooms and facilities for Cuyamaca College’s Ornamental Horticulture program. Thousands of students have graduated from the program since its launch in 1980. Many have gone on to careers in landscape design and sustainable landscaping, irrigation technology and turf management. The renovation will allow the program to provide a hands-on training experience reflecting current industry standards. “We are a career technical education discipline and we strive to help students get jobs, so it is very important that we are able to replicate what’s currently used in industry,” said Leah Rottke, program coordinator for the horticulture program.

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