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Winter Storm to Boost California’s Snowpack at the Right Time

A significant winter storm is expected to deliver heavy rain and snow to a wide swath of the United States this week, from the West Coast to the Northeast.

Cold air from Canada will interact with a pair of fronts, causing “numerous weather hazards” and abnormal temperatures while “almost all of the country [experiences] some form of notable weather,” the National Weather Service said.

Seven New Members Join SDCWA Board

Seven new members of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors have been seated.

The newly appointed members are expanding the agency’s leadership and policy making skills during a critical period for water in the west region, said San Diego County Water Authority board chairman Mel Katz.

Will California’s Excess Snow Become Usable Water This Year?

After three of the driest years in California history, this winter’s storms brought some of the wettest and snowiest weeks on record to parts of the state. Snowpack accumulated during winter is vital to the state’s water system because the natural form of water storage melts during the spring and fills reservoirs that can then distribute water downstream where needed.

Padre Dam Water Rates Stable for Now, Still Highest in San Diego County

Customers of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District are getting some relief on their usually hefty bills, thanks to a vote last year by its board to freeze rate increases over five years.

But that freeze only applies to internal rate increases, not those imposed by outside agencies such as the San Diego County Water Authority (CWA) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE), both of which are charging more for their services.

L.A. Promised to Stop Wasting So Much Stormwater. But Progress Has Been Painfully Slow

Only weeks ago, Angelenos watched as trillions of gallons of precious stormwater poured into the region’s concrete waterways, slid down slick pavement and washed out to sea. After so many months of drought-related water restrictions, it seemed to many like a missed opportunity.

While officials say they’re making progress when it comes to capturing more of the county’s stormwater, a new report from watchdog group Los Angeles Waterkeeper has focused on the plan’s sluggish progress so far, and calls for improved metrics and a more proactive approach, among other recommendations.

L.A.’s New Water War: Keeping Supply From Mono Lake Flowing as Critics Want It Cut Off

With its haunting rock spires and salt-crusted shores, Mono Lake is a Hollywood vision of the apocalypse. To the city of Los Angeles, however, this Eastern Sierra basin represents the very source of L.A.’s prosperity — the right to free water.

For decades, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has relied on long-standing water rights to divert from the streams that feed this ancient lake as part of the city’s far-flung water empire. But in the face of global warming, drought and lawsuits from environmentalists, the DWP is now facing the previously unthinkable prospect of ending its diversions there.

Celebrating 79 Years of Engineering at the San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority is celebrating National Engineers Week by highlighting how the agency’s engineers are instrumental in keeping the water flowing to San Diegans. Since the Water Authority’s formation in 1944, engineers have played a pivotal role in the establishment and growth of the agency and its commitment to delivering safe, reliable water supplies to San Diego.

(Editor’s Note: Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Engineers Week (February 19–25, 2023) is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers.)

South Coast Water District’s Desalination Project Will Provide a Local, Reliable Water Supply

South Coast Water District plans to decrease its reliance on imported water by creating a local, reliable, drought-proof supply through the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project. The project would also provide emergency water should the delivery of imported water be disrupted by earthquakes or other natural disasters.

Water Customers Will Need to Restrict Use Feb. 26

The Valley Center Municipal Water District has been advised by its wholesale supplier, the San Diego County Water Authority, of the following aqueduct shutdown.  The shutdown of the San Diego Aqueduct that delivers water to the District will be out of service for rehabilitation repairs and will begin at 1 a.m. on Sunday, February 26, through 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8. 

Will Clouds Shield Us From Climate Change? San Diego Could Hold Key Answers.

Researchers at UC San Diego have launched a year-long project aimed at better understanding the region’s clouds and, by extension, global warming.

A bevy of equipment provided by the U.S. Department of Energy was recently deployed on Mount Soledad and at the university’s Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier.