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Mysterious Sewage Spill Baffles Officials

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

Federal officials are investigating why millions of gallons of sewage-laden water isn’t making its way from Tijuana to the international wastewater treatment plant in the U.S. Instead, that untreated wastewater is flowing into San Diego through a border drain, which indicates there’s probably a broken pipe or a clog somewhere in Tijuana.

The runaway flow began Jan. 7 around 1:30 p.m. when almost a million gallons of sewage escaped from Tijuana through Stewart’s Drain, which sits just east of the International Wastewater Treatment plant operated by the International Boundary Water Commission.

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Warm, Dry Santa Ana Winds Return to Southern California as Drought Drags On

/in , , /by /VC Starby Cheri Carlson

Santa Ana winds returned to Ventura County this week, bringing back dry, breezy and warm conditions but little fire risk.

Peak Santa Ana wind season typically runs from October through January, and without enough rain, fire season can drag on. This year, however, December storms drenched the region, dampening the threat of large wildfires.

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County Supervisors OK Sustainability Plan for San Pasqual Valley Basin

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Elizabeth Ireland

County supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved a sustainability plan for the San Pasqual Valley Groundwater Basin.

The plan will have the county be responsible for 10% of basin management costs within its jurisdiction.

The basin is located 25 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, and is home to dairies, orchards and nurseries.

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California City Doubles Local Potable Water Supply

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Managementby WFM Staff

In December, the City of Camarillo, Calif., announced the start-up and commissioning of its North Pleasant Valley (NPV) Groundwater Desalter Plant, moving the city closer to a more self-reliant, affordable potable water future.

For nearly two decades, groundwater quality in the northern portion of the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basin in Ventura County continuously declined due primarily to the infiltration of poor-quality surface water. These challenges compelled the city to reduce groundwater pumping and increase the blending of imported water with Wells A and B, two of Camarillo’s largest wells.

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Newsom Voices Pledge to Lithium Valley

/in , , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Antoine Abou-Diwan

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, Jan. 10 announced a commitment to incentivize and spur development of the state’s lithium reserves around the Salton Sea.

“We have what someone described as the Saudi Arabia of lithium here in the state of California down in Imperial County near the Salton Sea,” Newsom said on Monday as he unveiled his budget proposal for 2022-2023 dubbed “The California Blueprint.”

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Central, South Coasts Get Some Impressive Rainfall, But Water Experts Say It’s Just a Down Payment on Easing Drought

/in , , /by /KCLUby Lance Orozco

A series of storms dumped impressive amounts of rainfall on the Central and South Coasts during the last quarter of 2021. But, water experts say people need to understand what we’ve had is nothing close to being a drought buster.

There was a lot of excitement in the drought-stricken region. By the end of 2021, the news media was reporting that places like Camarillo had received 176% of normal-to-date rainfall, Oxnard 211%, and Santa Barbara 168%. But, water experts say many people are misunderstanding the nuances of the statistics.

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Recent Rains Provide Chance to Use ‘Fire to Fight Fire’ With Prescribed Burns in Backcountry

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

Jason Kraling sank his fingers deep into the spongy soil on Mount Laguna Saturday and pulled out a fistful of dead leaves, brittle pine needles, shards of wood and rich brown soil.

“Look at how moist this is,” said Kraling, a fire battalion chief with the U.S. Forest Service. “We’ve gotten a reprieve from how dry things were last summer. It’s a good time for prescribed burns.”

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Winter Weather Perfect Time for WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series

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

December rainfall and cooler temperatures in San Diego County make it the perfect time of year for homeowners to create low-water-use landscaping to fit their needs. The San Diego County Water Authority offers its first 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series of free online classes starting Wednesday, February 2. Registration for the four-class series closes on Monday, January 17. Register at WaterSmartSD.org. There is no fee to participate, but course participation is limited.

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Atmospheric Rivers Helping San Diego Rainy Season

/in , , /by /CBS8by Shawn Styles

San Diego’s rainy season is off to a good start thanks to a series of atmospheric rivers according to Alex Tardy who is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“Well, for this year, this is our third. The one in late October was strong for Northern California, weak for us, then there was December 14th and that was strong for Southern California,” Tardy said.

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Opinion: To Fight Climate Change, We Must Redesign San Diego Communities

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Robert Leiter, Julie Kalansky, Cary Lowe Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

As the world struggles for consensus on climate action and national policy focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of climate change occur all around us. Drought, intense heat, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and rising seas, all on a scale not previously seen and often happening concurrently, bear witness to this.

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