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Key Vote for Doheny Desalination Plant Coming Thursday

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

The California Coastal Commission is slated to vote Thursday on a crucial permit for a project that would draw ocean water through the sand off the coast of Dana Point, purify it and use it to help bolster water supplies for communities throughout Southern California.

A dozen desalination plants are permitted to turn ocean water into drinking water in California today, from as far south as Carlsbad to as far north as Monterey Bay. A year ago, three new desalination projects were pending in Southern California alone. But only one still remains viable: the Doheny Ocean Desalination Plant, which is being developed by South Coast Water District.

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Opinion: Climate Change Forces California to Make Long-Term Adjustments, Immediate Water Cuts

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

Internationally, the polar bear may be the climate-change canary in a coal mine.

Locally, it could be the avocado.

The fruit so identified with San Diego County agriculture has been on the decline for years. Severe weather, water availability and rising water prices — at least in part attributed to climate change — have reduced the yield of the crop and the revenue it generates.

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San Diego’s Avocado Production Plummets. Growers Cite Drought, Heatwaves

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

Avocado growers in San Diego County are facing tough times as a result of the soaring cost of water coupled with ongoing drought and heatwaves.

The crop generated just $82.8 million throughout the region last year, down from $152.9 million in 2020, according to the county’s annual crop report. It was the first time the fruit generated less than $100 million a year since 1996.

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San Clemente Council Approves Letter of Support for South Coast Water’s Desalination Plant

/in , , /by /Dana Point Timesby C. Jayden Smith

As the South Coast Water District prepares to present its proposed desalination plant to the California Coastal Commission next week, the San Clemente City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night, Oct. 4, to publicly back the project.

The council will send a pre-written letter of support to the Coastal Commission, which will consider on Oct. 13 whether to approve SCWD’s application to construct the proposed Doheny Ocean Desalination Plant.

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San Diego County Has New Top Crop as Agricultural Value Reaches $1.75 Billion

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie L. Sklar

For the first time in 12 years, San Diego County has a new top crop, while agricultural value exceeded $1.75 billion, according to the county’s Crop Report released Wednesday.

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Waterworks Management Degree Program Supports Career Growth

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Water and wastewater industry employees can advance their professional careers with a specialty degree to help them achieve their goals. The industry offers vast opportunities in engineering, operations, finance, public affairs, human resources, administration and information technology.

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Katz Elected Board Chair of San Diego County Water Authority

/in , , /by /San Diego Business Journalby Karen Pearlman Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Water is our most precious resource, and business owner and civic leader Mel Katz knows it.

“It’s the lifeblood of our county and economy,” said Katz, a Del Mar resident and as of Oct. 1, the chairman of the board of directors for the San Diego County Water Authority, the region’s wholesale supplier of water.

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Ramona Water District Pursues Grant Funding for Climate-Related or Other Projects

/in , , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Galliant

Ramona Municipal Water District directors agreed to apply for a state grant for up to $750,000 to help pay for a staff grant writer position and launch climate-related programs.

The Regional Climate Collaboration Program Grant, made available through the California Strategic Growth Council, makes about $5.4 billion in bond funds available for safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, natural resource protection and park improvements.

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As the Salton Sea Faces Ecological Collapse, Radical Plan to Save it With Ocean Water Dies

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

For as long as the Salton Sea has faced the threat of ecological collapse, some local residents and environmentalists have advocated a radical cure for the deteriorating lake: a large infusion of ocean water.

By moving desalinated seawater across the desert, they say, California could stop its largest lake from shrinking and growing saltier and could restore its once-thriving ecosystem. Without more water, they argue, the lake will continue to decline, and its retreating shorelines will expose growing stretches of dry lake bed that spew hazardous dust and greenhouse gases.

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California Wells Run Dry as Drought Depletes Groundwater

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Terry Chea

As California’s drought deepens, Elaine Moore’s family is running out of an increasingly precious resource: water.

The Central Valley almond growers had two wells go dry this summer. Two of her adult children are now getting water from a new well the family drilled after the old one went dry last year. She’s even supplying water to a neighbor whose well dried up.

“It’s been so dry this last year. We didn’t get much rain. We didn’t get much snowpack,” Moore said, standing next to a dry well on her property in Chowchilla, California. “Everybody’s very careful with what water they’re using. In fact, my granddaughter is emptying the kids’ little pool to flush the toilets.”

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