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Fire Weather Prompts Red Flag Warning for San Diego, Possible Power Outages for 65,000

/in , , /by /NBC 7by Christina Bravo

Amid an already dry winter season, the first Santa Ana wind event of 2025 is elevating fire danger this week and threatening power shut-offs for thousands of San Diego Gas & Electric customers.

The electricity utility warned nearly 65,000 customers their power may be cut off anytime from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Friday amid strong winds and low humidity that create the perfect weather conditions for wildfires to spark and spread rapidly, according to the National Weather Service.

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San Diego County Slips Back Into Drought: What to Expect This Winter

/in , , /by /ABC 10by Madison Weil

After a few wet winters, Southern California is officially back in drought conditions, with San Diego County among the regions affected.

The latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows much of Southern California slipping into moderate drought status. Julie Kalansky, Deputy Director at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says San Diegans should be prepared for increasingly extreme conditions.

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State Reduces Water Usage to ‘Lowest Levels Since the 1940s’ — Here’s How It Happened

/in , , /by /The Cool Downby Mike Taylor Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After two years of conservation efforts, Lake Mead is on the come-up.

Voluntary measures by Californians to save water in the Colorado River system are on their way to keeping well over the promised 1.6 million acre-feet of water in the reservoir by 2026, SFGATE reported. In a news release, the Colorado River Board of California announced a coalition over the last 23 months had conserved 1.2 million acre-feet of water.

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How Worrisome Is a Winter Storm? Thanks to UCSD’s Atmospheric River Research, There’s a Scale for That

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

Marty Ralph loves Swedish pancakes. His dad made him scrumptious ones when he was a kid. He’s been ordering them when he’s out for breakfast ever since.

It’s a passion that led to an aha moment for the veteran UC San Diego meteorologist — and helped him find a way to explain to people whether the mysterious atmospheric rivers that fuel winter storms are likely to prove a blessing or a nightmare.

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Biden Admin Completes Under-The-Wire Endangered Species Rules for California Water Projects

/in , , /by /Politicoby Camille von Kaenel

The Biden administration signed off on Friday on its plan for how to run the massive system of pumps, canals, reservoirs that moves water across California, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with a very different vision.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s record of decision closes a four-year process to overturn Trump’s previous rules for the Central Valley Project, which both environmentalists and the state of California claimed did not adequately protect endangered fish like the Chinook salmon and Delta smelt and sued over.

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5.5 Billion Gallons of Water Released From Lake Hodges Dam in Past Two Years

/in , , /by /CBS 8 San Diegoby Jenny Day Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

As we watch our water bills rise and are asked to consistently conserve water in a drought – billions of gallons of water are being dumped from the Lake Hodges Dam and there are concerns more water will be wasted this winter.

It’s been a dry fall, but we are expecting rain in the coming months and because the dam is badly in need of repairs, water levels have to be kept very low right now – meaning more of this precious resource will be released into the ocean.

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Pure Water Construction Snafu That Cost the City Millions Is Creating a ‘Pure Nightmare’ on One Major Road

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

A flooding problem that’s inflating the price tag of San Diego’s Pure Water recycling system by many millions is also creating another problem that’s frustrating people from Mission Valley to Point Loma.

The seemingly never-ending closure of westbound Friars Road at a key choke point between Napa Street and Sea World Drive is causing major congestion during rush hour and doubling commute times for many.

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Rising Water Costs in San Diego Is a Never-Ending Story

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby McKenzie Elmer

The cost of water in San Diego will continue to skyrocket but we don’t have a good idea where or whether it will stop.

The city of San Diego recently revealed its own water rates will rise a whopping 61 percent through 2029, adding about $57 per month to the average water bill. Part of the reason is the San Diego County Water Authority, which sells water to the region’s 22 water districts, is paying off debt and deals it took on many years ago to claim more Colorado River water and tap into ocean water for drinking. Another reason is cities like San Diego are building their own expensive wastewater recycling systems.

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Climate-Change Adaptation for California’s Land, the Sea and Water Supply

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens

California state government and many local agencies put a premium on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

But recent developments underscore the parallel emphasis on adapting to the effects of global warming — from advances in sea-level rise strategies to stretching water supplies to thinning forests at high risk for wildfire.

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Water Transfers, Conservation Partnerships Deliver Benefits to Regional Ratepayers

/in , , /by /The Coast News Group Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

For the second year in a row, the San Diego County Water Authority and its partners have struck a deal to conserve water in Lake Mead, support the long-term sustainability of the Colorado River and save local ratepayers money. 

The agreements between the Water Authority, the Imperial Irrigation District, and the Metropolitan Water District, with funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, are designed to promote voluntary water conservation. The 2024 agreement was announced during a meeting of the Colorado River Board of California at this year’s Colorado River Water Users Association’s conference in Las Vegas.

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