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WATER 101: A Recap of Where We Are Amidst a Historic Drought

/in , , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Luis Gomez Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Local farmers may soon be forced to bite the bullet and find ways to use significantly less water in 2023 — potentially for a lot longer.

This drastic measure may come as a result of an emergency water conservation effort to prevent further depletion of the Valley’s main source of water, the Colorado River. If less water flows down the Colorado River, the consequences could be catastrophic for the two reservoirs — lakes Mead and Powell — that feed into the so-called basin states.

For example, if water levels in Lake Mead continue dropping, it could bring water and hydropower to a grinding halt, all due to a relentless drought over two decades.

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Helix Water District Recognized for Excellence in Financial Reporting

/in , , /by /sdnews.comby Dave Thomas

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recently announced that Helix Water District is the recipient of a distinguished budget presentation award for its fiscal year 2022-23 budget document.

“This award shows the commitment by the district’s board of directors and staff to serving the public with integrity, fiscal accountability, and transparency,” said Kathleen Hedberg, Helix Water District’s board president. “Our budget is well organized and easy to read. We want customers to easily see what we are doing, how we are efficient and how we keep our operating costs steady.”

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Chula Vista Homeowners Win Otay Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Chula Vista homeowners Bryan and Denee Felber earned “Best in District” honors as the winner of the Otay Water District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest. Converting 2,143 square feet of turf to a drought-tolerant garden in 2015 continues to save water and pay off for the Felbers while beautifying their neighborhood.

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She Cut Her Water Bill in Half by Tearing Out Her Lawn and Going All in on ‘Hugelkultur’

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jeanette Marantos

When Elana O’Brien decided to eliminate the front lawn outside her Pasadena home, she had three goals: water conservation, increased privacy and a view more natural than a city street and the seasonal decorations in her neighbor’s yard.

Smothering her 850-square-foot lawn with cardboard and mulch — a.k.a. sheet mulching — wasn’t enough, O’Brien said. She wanted to add some height and contour to her yard, and she found the answer with — literally — a lot of sticks and stones, using a process known as hugelkultur.

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What the Startling Low Water Levels in Lake Mead Mean for LA

/in , , /by /LA istby Julia Paskin

NASA recently released startling satellite images of Lake Mead, which the agency notes is now at its lowest since April 1937, when the reservoir was still being filled for the first time.

A measurement taken on July 18 put Lake Mead at just 27% of capacity. That effect you see in the image above — with the lighter color on the cliffs where the water level once was — is known as the “bathtub ring.”

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Plans to Import Water to the Salton Sea Seek Approval

/in , /by /NBC Palm Springsby Ceci Partridge

The Salton Sea Independent Review Panel has 3 viable ideas to restore the Salton Sea.

In a press release, the Independent Review Panel announced that there were 18 concepts submitted through “Request for Ideas” in 2017 and 2021. Of those 18 ideas, three made it to the top of the list. And one is to import water from the Sea of Cortez, a large body of water in Mexico.

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Buena Vista Lagoon Project Gets $1 Million From State

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

State Fish and Wildlife Department officials have awarded a $1 million grant to the San Diego Association of Governments for planning the restoration of the Buena Vista Lagoon at the Oceanside-Carlsbad border.

The $1 million announced last month comes on top of $3 million the state Wildlife Conservation Board awarded in December to SANDAG, which oversees planning and contracting for the proposed cleanup of the stagnant 220-acre lagoon.

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Water Authority General Manager Sandra Kerl Named CUWA Board Chair

/in , /by /The Vista Press Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl is taking the reins as board chair of California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA), a nonprofit corporation that supports development of sound water policy statewide.

The Water Authority is one of 11 member agencies of CUWA that are collectively responsible for serving drinking water to about two-thirds of California’s population. As the united voice for the state’s largest urban water purveyors, CUWA provides a technical perspective to promote common understanding and consensus-based solutions for urban water issues.

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Opinion: One Size Doesn’t Fit All for Drought Response, but All Californians Must Help

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Steve Welch and Sandy Kerl

All Californians play a role in preserving and enhancing our water supplies for a drought-resilient future. California again is in a familiar state of drought, although not all communities are affected equally.

Some regions are in extreme water shortage; others are not. We must address these differences. That starts with all Californians understanding where their water comes from and what they can do to use it wisely.

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Here’s How Low California’s Reservoirs Are and What to Expect in the Future

/in , , /by /The Orange County Registerby Kurt Snibbe

Here’s a look at the status of California’s reservoirs during another drought:

There has not been much good news about California’s water supply lately, but there could be some relief on the way. The North-of-Delta Offstream Storage project, often referred to as the planned Sites Reservoir, was authorized by Congress in 2003. The long delayed project got a financial boost in March when the federal government signaled its intent to loan the project nearly $2.2 billion — about half of the cost to design, plan and build it.

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