Attorneys for farmer Michael Abatti on Monday filed a petition requesting that the California Supreme Court take up a case against the Imperial Irrigation District, continuing the battle for control over California’s Colorado River water allotment.
This latest filing calls on the court to rule that Imperial Valley farmers have a right to water ownership, which currently resides with the district.
The San Diego County Water Authority announced Monday it is partnering with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego to better predict atmospheric rivers and improve water management before, during and after those seasonal storms. This month, Scripps’ Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes launched the Water Affiliates Group, which brings together science and hands-on water industry experience to enhance reservoir operations in light of the changing climate. The water authority has a long-running alliance with Scripps.
The waters off San Diego are home to the two largest kelp forests on the West Coast, and both are being closely watched by local experts who are concerned about the effects of climate change on the underwater groves.
The giant kelp forests off La Jolla and Point Loma are important to the ecosystem, said Ed Parnell, a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla whose studies focus on coastal ecosystems in Southern California.
The Vallecitos Water District is known for its sustainable practices in water and wastewater treatment processes, without any compromise in water quality. The district is now using a new ultrasound technology to address water quality at the Stanley A. Mahr Reservoir with a reduced need for chemical treatment. Mahr Reservoir was completed in 1981. Originally called La Costa Storage No. 1 Dam and Reservoir, it was renamed after the district’s original founder 35-year board member Stanley A. Mahr.
Because San Diego County gets so little natural rainfall, most residents must artificially irrigate their landscaping. Rainfall becomes a welcome sight when it occurs. The County of San Diego’s Watershed Protection Program in the Department of Public Works has created a webpage with useful information and photos to educate the public and assist in preventing watershed damage.
The return of critical electrical shortages last weekend, prompting emergency rolling power cut-offs scattered throughout California, triggered a broad range of extraordinary responses in the ensuing days to bring the statewide grid back from the brink of being overloaded and overwhelmed, officials have revealed.
The Ramona Municipal Water District has received some inquiries from concerned customers regarding the impact of the SDG&E power outages on RMWD’s water system during fire season and COVID.
As many of us in Ramona are aware, RMWD purchases 100 percent of our water from the San Diego County Water Authority and the water is pumped nearly 1,000 feet “up the hill” to Ramona. During the last several years, RMWD has made several important investments in natural gas technology and emergency generators to provide a second source of power for pumping, improve water reliability, reduce pumping costs and protect Ramona in emergencies.
Programs to help renters facing eviction, additional homeless services, and new traffic signals are the additions that San Diego County supervisors are proposing for the budget for the new fiscal year. Supervisors recently heard two days of public testimony about the proposed $6.4 billion budget and are scheduled to deliberate and adopt the spending plan at their next meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Water agencies across San Diego County are doing their part to stabilize the state’s power grid during this week’s heatwave by generating hydropower and altering operations to trim electricity demands – and they are offering long-term solutions to reduce future energy shortages.
The California Independent System Operator issued a statewide Flex Alert from Sunday through Wednesday, calling for reduced electricity use in the afternoon and evening to limit power outages. Blackouts could affect hundreds of thousands of San Diego County residents, if extreme heat persists.
The San Diego County Water Authority said Tuesday production has been cut back at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant to conserve electricity and prevent rolling blackouts during the statewide heat wave.
