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UCSD Reports ‘Unprecedented’ Spike in COVID Virus in San Diego Wastewater

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

An “unprecedented” spike in COVID-19 viral load in wastewater collected from San Diego County’s primary wastewater treatment facility was reported Saturday by UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers.

The amount of COVID-19 virus detected in wastewater has predicted the region’s COVID-19 caseload up to three weeks ahead of clinical diagnostic reports, the researchers said. Since people with COVID-19 shed the virus in their stool even before they experience symptoms, wastewater screening acts as an early warning system.

“The wastewater screening results reported on Friday are unlike any the team has seen before,” said Jackie Carr of UC San Diego Health. Both Delta and Omicron variants of the virus were detected in the wastewater.

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What Fallbrook and Rainbow’s Revolt Says About San Diego’s Skyrocketing Water Rates

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

To understand why water agencies in Fallbrook and Rainbow are in revolt, consider the squeeze faced by Ismael Resendiz and the 250-acre cut-flower farm where he grows Protea, Pincushions and Banksia.

Resendiz said his flowers are barely getting the water they need to thrive. He said he’s had to cut irrigation in half over the last two years because of soaring rates. Over the last five years, his monthly bill has jumped from about $25,000 to $30,000 a month.

Now he’s considering dramatically shrinking his crop.

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Manchester Avenue Pipeline Replacement Project Underway in Encinitas

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

Work is progressing toward completion on the first of two pipeline replacement projects in Encinitas by Olivenhain Municipal Water District.

Replacement of an existing drinking water pipeline is wrapping up at Rancho Santa Fe Road and Encinitas Boulevard, with completion expected in early 2022. The original pipeline was installed in 1961 and was approaching the end of its lifespan. Proactively replacing aging water pipelines prevents leaks and avoids emergency shutdowns.

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RMWD Adds Cultural and Tribal Monitoring Consultant Tasks to Rice Canyon Pipeline Project

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The Rainbow Municipal Water District’s Rice Canyon Pipeline project will have cultural and tribal monitoring during construction.

The official Rainbow board action Dec. 7, which was approved on a 4-0 vote with Pam Moss absent, approves a change order to the as-needed consulting services contract the district has with Helix Environmental Planning. The board also appropriated an additional $115,000 to cover the cost of the cultural and tribal consulting work.

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Opinion: San Diego, Los Angeles Water Agencies Frame Water Sale as an End to Hostilities

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As heavy rain swept across Southern California on Tuesday, another rare water event was taking place. The Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California agreed to buy thousands of acre-feet of water from the San Diego County Water Authority.

Usually, water sales go in the other direction.

The transaction is significant on a number of fronts. The water should help some of MWD’s member agencies that are in dire straights due to drought and severe cutbacks from the State Water Project. Also, the deal again underscores that the Water Authority, which also is a member under Metropolitan’s umbrella, has for years moved to diversify and stockpile water supplies to become more resilient during drought conditions.

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LAFCO Begins Public Review of Draft MSR Updates for FPUD, RMWD, NCFPD, CSA No. 81

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

San Diego County’s Local Agency Formation Commission has released the draft municipal service review updates of Fallbrook special districts for public review. Discussion on updating the municipal service review information for the Fallbrook Public Utility District, the Rainbow Municipal Water District, the North County Fire Protection District, and County Service Area No. 81 was part of the Dec. 6 LAFCO board meeting although releasing the report for public review did not require a vote.

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Rainbow Adopts Resolution of Necessity for 7 Parcels

/in , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The Rainbow Municipal Water District adopted a Resolution of Necessity for seven legal parcels which will be needed for Rainbow’s Lift Station No. 1 replacement project including temporary construction easements.

Rainbow’s board voted 4-0 Dec. 7, with Pam Moss absent, to adopt a Resolution of Necessity for the seven parcels with three different ownerships and to authorize Rainbow General Manager Tom Kennedy to proceed with actions necessary to acquire the interests in the properties.

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New Uniforms for IID Field Personnel

/in , /by /The Desert Review

Starting this week, approximately 500 Imperial Irrigation District employees who work primarily out in the field will begin wearing new uniforms, according to an IID press release. These workers include those required to enter customer properties such as meter readers and service representatives.

Uniforms will transition from the traditional blue shirts to tan colored apparel featuring a larger embroidered IID logo that will help employees be more easily identified by the public.

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Tuesday’s Storm Helps in the Short Term, But There’s No Doubt San Diego Needs More Rain

/in , /by /NBC7 San Diegoby Omari Fleming Quoted: San Diegoi County Water Authority

NBC 7’s Omari Fleming spoke to Goldy Herbon with the San Diego Water Authority about the impact Tuesday’s storm had on our drought conditions.

Goldy Herbon-Omari Fleming-Storm-Drought-NBC7 San Diego

NBC 7’s Omari Fleming (R) spoke to Goldy Herbon with the San Diego Water Authority about the impact the Tuesday, Dec. 14 storm had on our drought conditions. (Screenshot Courtesy NBC7 San Diego)

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Water Authority Earns Climate Registered Gold Status for Climate Initiative

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

The San Diego County Water Authority has earned Climate Registered gold status from The Climate Registry for verifying and publicly reporting its greenhouse gas emissions. The effort fosters transparency for the agency’s climate mitigation initiatives and will help the Water Authority track and validate emissions reductions in the future.

The Climate Registry operates North America’s largest voluntary registry for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Water Authority’s 2019 and 2020 inventories were verified and published in The Climate Registry’s public database in November, earning the agency gold status for both years.

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