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Drought Emergency Declared for All Southern California

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune / Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Joshua Emerson Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.

The decision from MWD’s board came about eight months after officials declared a similar emergency for 7 million people who are dependent on supplies from the State Water Project, a vast network of reservoirs, canals and dams that convey water from Northern California. Residents reliant on California’s other major supply — the Colorado River — had not been included in that emergency declaration.

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San Diego County Supervisors OK Program to Increase Use of Native Plants

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Elizabeth Ireland and City News Service

San Diego County supervisors voted 4-0 Wednesday in favor of a multi-year program to increase the use of native plants in the region.

The program was developed by the San Diego Regional Biodiversity Working Group, which formed via a proposal from Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Terra Lawson-Remer.

Lawson-Remer said that more native plants aren’t just good for environment, they also benefit the regional economy in the form of more landscaping and related service jobs. She said the program will provide incentives to “residents, landscapers and businesses to protect the biodiversity that makes our region so beautiful and unique, as well as require native plants be used in many county projects.”

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Brown and Caldwell to Help Replace Southern Calif. Water Pipeline

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

Brown and Caldwell, an engineering and construction services firm, announced that it has been hired by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to design a sectional replacement of a critical Southern California water supply pipeline, the Rialto Pipeline. The Rialto Pipeline, constructed in 1972, is approximately 30 miles long with a diameter ranging from 96 inches to 144 inches.

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Opinion: Imperial Valley Can’t Sustain Another Water Cut

/in , , /by /The Desert Sunby Mike Wade

As we head into winter, and growing season is over in most of the country, it is California’s Imperial Valley that supplies many of the winter vegetables you count on to keep your family eating healthy. It supplies much of the country’s winter vegetables including lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and other healthy produce. The Imperial Valley also provides a critical food source that consumers never see, but greatly impacts what we eat.

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Condensing Water Into Beer: San Diego Airport’s Unusual Collab With East Village Brewery

/in , , /by /KPBSby Alexander Nguyen

What’s better than an ice-cold beer inside a perfectly air-conditioned room on a hot San Diego day? How about beer made from water condensation from those AC units? It’s an unusual partnership between the San Diego International Airport and East Village Brewing Company.

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San Diego Mountains Become Winter Wonderland as Snow Falls in Julian, Mount Laguna, Palomar

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Christina Bravo and Renee Schmiedeberg

San Diego’s mountains have turned into a winter wonderland thanks to a storm system that dumped a layer of snow on the county’s peaks to start the week. The winter storm swept across San Diego County overnight Sunday and left snowfall on Julian, Mount Laguna and Palomar mountains. By 9 a.m. Monday, at least 4 inches fell at Mount Laguna and more than 4 inches on Birch Hill near Palomar Mountain, and 3 inches were recorded in Julian, the National Weather Service said.

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Storm Makes it Likely More Potential Drinking Water Will Have to Be Released From Lake Hodges

/in , /by /ABC 10by Jeff Lasky

While rain is usually a very welcome sight for officials who oversee the City of San Diego’s drinking water supply, Monday’s storm will, at least in part, not provide its usual benefits. That’s because the Lake Hodges Dam is in such bad shape, it’s not capable of holding its regular supply of water, meaning much of the runoff from this storm may have to be released.

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WaterSmart Makeover: Welcoming a Sense of Whimsy

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Caron Golden Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Cathy and Mike Godfrey’s most recent front yard landscape project was not their first rodeo. The couple, who bought their Carlsbad house in August 1997 and are empty nesters with two adult daughters, are avid gardeners and DIYers.

Twenty years ago, Cathy dug 40 holes to sink posts for the white picket fence that encircles their small front yard. They reduced the scale of the lawn (mostly to discourage neighborhood dogs being walked from pooping on their property) and, for a tropical look, added palms and decorative plants like red fountain grass, which Cathy said they regretted.

(Editor’s Note:This is the second in an occasional series on winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority. To learn about entering the next contest, visit landscapecontest.com.)

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From the Archives: San Diego Aqueduct Dedication 75 Years Ago Marked New Era in Region’s Quest for Water

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Merrie Monteagudo Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Seventy-five years ago, on Dec. 11 1947, the 71-mile San Diego Aqueduct was dedicated and put into operation, bringing water from the Colorado River to San Diego. By 1949, 85 percent of all water consumed in San Diego was Colorado River water. Today, after conservation, desalination, and other efforts to add to local water supplies, some 70 percent of the region’s water supply still flows through the aqueduct system.

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Doheny Desalination Plant in Dana Point Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle

/in , , /by /The Orange County Registerby Brooke Staggs

State officials on Friday cleared the final major regulatory hurdle for the Doheny desalination plant, which aims to use ocean to help shore up drinking water supplies for drought-ridden Southern California. The California State Lands Commission unanimously granted South Coast Water District a 20-year lease for land off Doheny State Beach, in Dana Point.

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