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Grants Awarded to Restore Safe Drinking Water for Lake Morena Residents—but Process May Take Until 2024

/in , /by /East County Magazineby Karen Pearlman

For more than two years, Lake Morena Village area water users have been drinking bottled water because of formidable nitrate levels in the region’s wells, the main source of water for drinking in the rural San Diego county burg.

In September 2019, the county issued a do-not-drink order for about 125 customers of the Lake Morena Views Mutual Water Company, one of the two main water suppliers in the area.

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Rancho Guejito Tapped Groundwater Deep in San Pasqual Valley. Some Farmers Aren’t Happy About It.

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Hank Rupp stands on the edge of a holding pond on the historic Rancho Guejito — more than 22,000 acres purchased nearly 50 years ago by the now-deceased shipping mogul Benjamin Coates and considered by many the ecological crown jewel of San Diego County.

The 20-foot-deep reservoir — fed in part by several 1,000-foot wells dug on a more recently acquired property — is vital to the transformation of Rancho Guejito into a working agribusiness.

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Drought Remains a Threat Even After Wet December

/in , , /by /Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

Despite December’s heavy rains and record snowfall, water agencies remain geared up for California’s two-year-old drought to extend through 2022.

The precipitation did bring encouraging signs, including a Dec. 30 report from the Department of Water Resources that the snowpack at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada is at a healthy level. The 78 inches of snow was 202% of the average for the site at that time of year, offering hope for an abundance of the imported water used in much of Southern California.

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Higher Rates for LADWP’s Biggest Water Users Are Now in Effect

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1by Susan Carpenter

Water-hogging customers in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power service area will see higher bills this year.

Effective Jan. 1, LADWP began charging its heaviest water users as much as $3.60 more for every 748 gallons they take from their taps. Water bills for customers who use lower amounts will stay roughly the same as last year.

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San Diego Experiencing Longest Sub-70 Degree Weather in Six Years

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

The National Weather Service says that San Diego’s daytime high temperature remained below 70 degrees on Wednesday for the 37th consecutive day.

By mid-afternoon, the temperature had only reached 65 and was not trending upward.

This is the longest that the city has stayed below 70 since 2015-16, when it remained unusually cool for 38 days between December 10 and January 16.

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Vallecitos Supervisor Retires After Three Decades of Service

/in , , /by /Water News Network

From her first day on the job at Vallecitos Water District in 1988, Dawn McDougle knew that she wanted to finish her career at the San Marcos-based water agency. McDougle accomplished her goal, officially retiring on December 23, 2021.

McDougle’s dedication, innovation, and commitment to the community have paid off in many ways over three decades, including recognition in 1993 as the California Water Education Association of San Diego Laboratory Person of the Year, and again by CWEA in 2018 as the Supervisor of the Year. But McDougle’s impressive career needed a kickstart from fate.

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As OC Digs Deeper for Drinking Water, Worries About Contamination Arise

/in , /by /Voice of OCby Renee Elefante

According to attorney and water policy expert Felicia Marcus, who is also the William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, regional officials hope to purify this groundwater and are also actively pursuing collaborations with local water districts in order to obtain clean drinking water for its residents.

South Orange County, though, is not affected by this dilemma as at least 90% of its water is imported.

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Training Preps North County Firefighters for Confined Space Rescues

/in , , /by /Water News Network

North San Diego County fire agencies teamed up with Olivenhain Municipal Water District in early December for confined space training drills. The drills prepare firefighting professionals to respond to emergencies in facilities such as water or wastewater treatment plants and are required to maintain their confined space certification.

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Record Snowfall in Northern California May Help the State’s Electric Grid in 2022

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

The deluge of snow in recent days along the Sierra Nevada mountain range has been a record-breaker. And that’s not only good news for ski resorts but it may lead to a healthy boost in hydroelectricity production in California this coming summer, which would help the state’s often-strained electric grid.

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Water News Network Top Stories of 2021

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

The Water News Network top stories of 2021 highlight how the region’s water providers ensured a safe, plentiful and reliable water supply, while also looking to the future. In the second year of a statewide drought, San Diegans stepped up their water conservation, proving once again, that “water conservation is a way of life in San Diego County.”

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