Tina Shields, the Water Department Manager of IID, speaks on the QSA, why it was implemented, and the contention between the state and IID as water was forced from agricultural communities to urban areas.
The city of Oceanside placed first in the 2021 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, it was announced today.
The annual competition was held during Earth Month to bring awareness to the importance of using water efficiently, especially as California moves into its second consecutive dry year.
Mayors nationwide participated in the competition by challenging their residents to pledge to conserve water, reduce carbon emissions, reduce waste, and take other sustainable actions on behalf of their communities.
“The Oceanside community has always been a leader when it comes to sustainability, and I am honored to be the mayor of the most water-wise city in the nation,” Mayor Esther Sanchez said. “Oceanside has proven that our residents know how to protect the environment, improve water efficiency, reduce waste, and continue to implement actions that will create a better future.”
A settlement between the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District is delivering a windfall of refunds to local water districts.
The SDCWA filed suits between 2010 and 2018 challenging how Los Angeles-based MWD set rates and imposed charges. SDCWA won several “critical issues” from 2011-14 and was awarded $44.3 million by a state court in January to refund rates and repay overcharges, according to a press release.
SDCWA is also entitled to attorney’s fees and costs for those cases, although the exact amount is to be determined.
The money has been reallocated to its member agencies, with most securing more than $1 million in refunded money.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, by way of written communication, has notified Imperial Irrigation District Board Vice President JB Hamby of his appointment to the State’s Colorado River Board, according to a recent IID press release.
“I am thankful to my colleagues on the IID Board for nominating me to serve as IID’s representative on the Colorado River Board of California,” said Director Hamby in the release. “In this role, I will have the opportunity to represent both IID as the largest user on the river and California as the largest State on the river.”
Alongside other cornerstone industries such as tourism and biotechnology, agriculture sustains the San Diego County’s economy with a farmgate value of nearly $2 billion a year, according to the most recent county assessment. Avocados – one of the county’s signature farm goods — account for $140 million of the farming total growth of 16% in 2019, county figures show.
And all the crops countywide are supported by reliable water supplied by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, which have invested strategically over the past three decades to ensure water availability even during dry years. The Water Authority has also created a special ag water program that offers lower-cost water in return for lower reliability so that farmers can choose the level of service that works best for them.
The city of Escondido is moving forward with plans to replace the Lake Wohlford dam, a structure built of earth and rock that has stood at its present location since 1895.
Lake Wohlford is about 5 miles northeast of downtown Escondido, just beyond city limits in the unincorporated area of San Diego County, and the dam is owned by the city. The lake has long served the city both as a recreational asset for boaters and fishing enthusiasts, and as an emergency storage reservoir to supply drinking water in case of a drought.
When Sierra snow seeps into the ground or evaporates before it can flow downstream into reservoirs, you know California is facing a severe drought. It’s happening this spring up and down the mountain range that is a primary water source for the state. Water from snowmelt that hydrologists had expected only a few weeks ago to replenish foothill reservoirs is vanishing. It’s being absorbed by the parched soil or dissipating into the thin mountain air.
A new county office will focus on areas of San Diego most affected by pollution, health disparities and the effects of climate change, the County Board of Supervisors decided Wednesday.
In a unanimous vote, the board agreed to create an office of climate and environmental justice within its land use and environmental group. It will work with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District and other agencies to address air pollutants, toxics, hazardous waste and other risks to sensitive populations.
Eight North San Diego County high school seniors and three fourth-grade students were the winners of two separate Vista Irrigation District sponsored contests.
Kulpreet Chhoker from Mission Vista High School, Kylie Konyn from St. Joseph Academy, and Delanee Haskins from North County Trade Tech High School each received $2,000 as winners of the Vista Irrigation District 2021 scholarship contest.
Izak Bunda from Guajome Park Academy, Anthony Jones and Malia Leonard from Rancho Buena Vista High School, and Colby Rafail and Juan Ramirez from Vista High School each received $500 as runners-up in the scholarship contest.
Along the dusty shoreline of the Salton Sea, you could blink and you’d miss it: the Ski Inn, the only bar around the east side of the lake for 40 miles.
