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Pwd Is Doubling Down on Water Conservation Efforts

/in , , /by /Valley Pressby Allison Gatlin

 Looking to bolster its water reserves during a historic drought, the Palmdale Water District, on Monday, continued its request that customers conserve water by 15% and also agreed to purchase water from another State Water Project contractor.

The Board of Directors reaffirmed the voluntary water conservation program by implementing Stage Two of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan.

The District, in June, adopted an updated Water Shortage Contingency Plan, in which the requested 15% reduction falls under Stage Two instead of Stage One, as it was in the previous plan.

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Lafco Presents Options for Ramona to Gain Local Control With a Community Services District

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

A proposal to transition Ramona from an unincorporated town run by the county into a community overseen by a Community Services District is being explored by the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission.

Priscilla Allen, a LAFCO analyst, introduced Ramona Community Planning Group members to the idea at the group’s Aug. 5 meeting. The plan is based on Ramona’s growing population and trend toward urbanization, Allen said.

The creation of a Community Services District is included in 14 recommendations being submitted by LAFCO staff to the San Diego LAFCO Commission.

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L.A. Water Recycling Imperiled After Beach Sewage Spill, Hurting Drought Conservation

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Robert J. Lopez

Problems at a Los Angeles sewage treatment plant that caused a massive spill into Santa Monica Bay last month have severely reduced the region’s water recycling ability, forcing officials to divert millions of gallons of clean drinking water at a time of worsening drought conditions, The Times has learned.

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Opinion: With Climate Imperiled, the Salton Sea Needs Us

/in , , /by /The Press-Enterpriseby Conchita Pozar |

California’s Coachella Valley is my home, made complete by the proximity and awe of the stunning Salton Sea. My community is proud of the traditions, unique desert landscape and vibrant culture that make our valley a special place. Yet as years pass and our leaders fail to act, the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, is dying and people are getting sick. For decades, we have lived under a cloud of dangerous pollutants from the Salton Sea’s drying lakebed.

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San Diego Sending Customers Notice on Proposed Water, Wastewater Rate Increases

/in , , /by /San Diego County Newsby SDCNEWS

San Diegans will have many opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback regarding proposed water and wastewater rate increases.

This week, all city water and wastewater customers will receive a Proposition 218 notice in the mail offering information about the proposed rate increases and an upcoming public hearing on Sept. 21. The notice is available in multiple languages online.

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Pure Water Oceanside Project to Receive $1.7 Million Federal Grant

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by City News Service Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Secretary of the Interior will be recommending a $1.7 million grant award for construction of the Pure Water Oceanside project, it was announced Friday.

The funding will be awarded via the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART: Title XVI WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects funding opportunity. Oceanside is one of 11 applicants named in the federal appropriations process for this funding.

“We are excited to continue working with the Bureau of Reclamation on Pure Water Oceanside,” said Cari Dale, Oceanside’s water utilities director. “Their continued support along with multiple grant, loan and incentive programs through the EPA, the Department of Water Resources as well as Metropolitan Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority continue to make local water supply development affordable for the city of Oceanside customers.”

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Salton Sea Priorities Laid Out By Supervisor Perez

/in , /by /Patch.comby Toni McAllister

As the new president of the Salton Sea Authority board of directors, Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez says he will guide “continued efforts to advance habitat and dust suppression projects” at the Sea, and he has laid out his priorities.

At the June meeting of the Salton Sea Authority board of directors, Perez was elected by a unanimous vote to a one-year term as board president beginning July 1.

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IID’s New Coachella Valley Energy Commission Tackles Energy, Water Divide

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Janet Wilson

Seeking to stave off legislation that would force Riverside County representation on its board of directors, the Imperial Irrigation District on Thursday convened the first meeting of its new Coachella Valley Energy Commission.

Undera long-term agreement with the Coachella Valley Water District, IID provides electrical power to 100,000 Coachella Valley residents. That pact expires in 2033, and the new commission’s overarching goal is to hammer out a way forward for those customers.

“As we approach the end of a 99-year arrangement … we must work together and adapt to changing circumstances and plan for a future of mutual benefit,” said IID Board of Directors Vice President J.B. Hamby, who chairs the new commission. “That’s not just overcoming perceived differences between Coachella and Imperial Valleys, but within the Coachella Valley as well. Our task is to overcome geography, wealth, backgrounds, and past differences as we plan our shared future.”

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Gary Bousquet Named Engineering Head of San Diego County Water Authority

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by City News Service Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Gary Bousquet has been appointed director of engineering for the San Diego County Water Authority as the agency begins the development of a major energy storage project intended to provide substantial long-term benefits for the region, it was announced Thursday.

Bousquet fills the position vacated by the retirement of Jerry Reed, whose 26-year career with the water authority included the past six years as engineering department director.

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EPA Considers Projects To Fix Cross-Border Pollution Flows

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

Federal officials are getting closer to identifying how they plan to control persistent cross-border sewage flows which routinely foul the San Diego ocean.

They talked publicly on Friday about ongoing efforts to fix a persistent problem, sewage coming from Tijuana which fouls a sensitive estuary in the United States and also contaminates the ocean.

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