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Desert Farmers Defend Maligned Alfalfa Production

/in , , /by /Ag Alertby Caleb Hampton

The Imperial Valley, a vast grid of greens, browns and yellows, produces dozens of crops. But two visual features define the valley: open channels carrying water from the Colorado River and blocks of hay that tower above the irrigation channels.

Forage crops such as alfalfa, sudangrass and bermudagrass cover more than half the Imperial Valley’s farmland. “From the growers’ perspective, alfalfa is their best crop,” said Ali Montazar, University of California Cooperative Extension irrigation and water management advisor for Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties.

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LA Reuses Lots of Stormwater, but Wants to Save More

/in , , /by /KCRWby Caleigh Wells

Hours after another storm soaked Southern California, LA County’s principal stormwater engineer Sterling Klippel stands at the base of the San Gabriel Dam, looking like a kid in a candy store. He gazes in awe at the thousands of gallons of stormwater rushing through this dam every second.

“Just this October, this facility was completely drained,” he says.

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Often-Dry Twitchell Reservoir East of Santa Maria Filling Up to Dramatically High Level

/in , , /by /KEYT TVby Dave Alley

Recent wet weather is helping fill up the often-dry Twitchell Reservoir to a dramatically high level not seen in a quarter century.

As of Wednesday, the reservoir located about 10 miles east of Santa Maria, along the Northern Santa Barbara and South San Luis Obispo county line, measured at 57% capacity, a remarkable amount since it was only 1% capacity in early January.

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Is This San Diego’s Rainiest ‘Water Year’ on Record?

/in , , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Christy Simeral

This year has been off to a rainy start for much of California, and San Diego is no exception.

With all the wet weather the region has experienced as of late, San Diegans may be surprised to learn that when it comes to the number of (measurable) rain days, these last few months haven’t exactly shattered records.

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Here’s How Much Rain Fell in 30 San Diego County Communities in the Region’s Latest Storm

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

The Pacific storm that passed through San Diego County on Tuesday and early Wednesday was among the strongest, most widespread systems to hit the region since the rainy season began on Oct. 1.

The system pushed March rainfall at San Diego International Airport to 3.42 inches. The airport averages 1.46 inches for the entire month of March.

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Blustery Early Spring Storm Douses San Diego Area

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diego

The first full day of spring arrived in decidedly wintry fashion in the San Diego area, with a blustery, season-straddling storm continuing Wednesday with widespread rain, whipping winds and potential for more mountain snow.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, the unsettled atmospheric system had generated two-day precipitation tallies of more than 1 1/2 inches along the coast, over 2 inches in the inland valleys, well over 3 inches in the East County highlands and up to four-fifths of an inch in the deserts, according to the National Weather Service.

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Salton Sea Partnership Calls on Newsom to Commit to Measurable Progress at Salton Sea

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Press

In response to comments by California Governor Gavin Newsom, touring the Salton Sea on Monday, March 20 with California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot, according to a press release from the Salton Sea Partnership, the Salton Sea Partnership issued the following statement:

“The governor’s visit to the Salton Sea is heartening, and we’re encouraged by Secretary Crowfoot’s commitment to fill the position vacated in August by Salton Sea Management Program head Arturo Delgado in a matter of days.

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Fix-A-Leak Week 2023 Saves Water, Environment

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Fix a Leak Week is an opportunity for all water users to repair leaks and save our most precious resource.  The week (March 20-26) is a reminder every March to check indoor and outdoor plumbing systems for costly, wasteful water leaks.

Increasing awareness of opportunities to repair leaks is supported by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, and by other regional WaterSense partners throughout North America.

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Carlsbad Desalination Plant Getting $274M Upgrade

/in , , /by /San Diego Business Journalby Noah Harrel Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant supplies about 50 million gallons of water to the San Diego region every day, enough to fill 75 Olympic swimming pools.

Currently the seven-year-old plant, built at a cost of more than $1 billion, is in the process of implementing a $274 million upgrade to its intake-discharge system. The result will be a new pumping facility that will keep the water flowing while greatly lessening the operation’s environmental impact.

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The Price of San Diego’s ‘Drought-Proof’ Water Could Spike a Whopping 14 Percent

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diegans are facing a tidal wave of rate increases in coming years for so-called drought-proof water — driven in large part by new sewage recycling projects coupled with the rising cost of desalination and importing the Colorado River.

While many residents already struggle to pay their utility bills, the situation now appears more dire than elected leaders may have anticipated.

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