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Opinion: A Safe and Healthy Water Supply and Our Commitment to You

Every time you turn on the tap to draw water to drink, cook or bathe, you expect that the water will be safe and healthy to use, and that’s what you should expect. That’s not true in every part of the World, or even in some parts of California, but it is true here in the Valley Center Municipal Water District service area.

We are confident in saying that our highest priority here at VCMWD is managing, monitoring and testing the water supply to ensure it meets all stringent federal and state drinking water standards.

Harris & Associates Given Rainbow MWD Design Contract for Pipeline Upgrades

Harris & Associates has been awarded the Rainbow Municipal Water District contract for the design portion of the district’s next pipeline upgrade project.

A 4-0 Rainbow board vote Jan. 28, with Helene Brazier absent, authorized Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy to execute a contract with Harris & Associates and appropriated the $399,540 Harris & Associates will be paid.

“This is the second phase of our ongoing effort to take care of our highest-priority pipelines,” Kennedy said.

Lake Jennings Hosts Kids Fishing Day

Hundreds of pounds of rainbow trout were biting for participants on Saturday during the sixth annual Kids Fishing Day at Lake Jennings in Lakeside.

The event started in 2015 has been an annual highlight ever since its inception. Kids ages 9 and under fished for free all day Saturday at the Kids Pond, which is a 20-by 20-foot cube within the lake.

Recreation Manager Kira Haley says Lake Jennings was stocked with 2,000 pounds rainbow trout from Wright’s Rainbows in Thatcher, Idaho the week of February 3. Eight hundred pounds went directly into the Kids Pond, which is then attached to the floating accessible fishing dock.

Southern California Climate Change Over 100,000 Years

Southern California is one of only a few places outside the Mediterranean Basin to enjoy a Mediterranean-like climate. Mild summers and wet winters have long supported some of the state’s (and the country’s) most bio diverse locations. But Southern California is warming faster than nearly anywhere else in the contiguous United States, and climate projections for the state forecast higher temperatures and increasingly erratic precipitation—conditions that could drive the Mediterranean region farther north and leave in its place a subtropical desert.

 

SCV Water to Remove Wells From Service Following State PFAS Guideline Changes

The State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water decided to lower its response level guidelines for two chemicals found in low concentrations in drinking water across the state, according to SCV Water.

On Feb. 6, Division of Drinking Water lowered its response levels to 10 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid and 40 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, two chemicals in a family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance.

Flood-Prevention Pump Installed in Normal Heights Keeping Neighbors Awake

Heavy rains bring along a noise nuisance for residents living in a cul de sac on Pananma Place in Normal Heights.

Neighbors claim the city of San Diego installed a pump to suck water out of a drain whenever it rains because the underground pipe serving the drain has collapsed. While the pump prevents a serious problem, it also creates another one: the sound of the pump’s generator is so loud some residents say they can’t sleep at night.

‘Baking Skills’ Used for Repair at Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Facility

You might not think ‘baking skills’ would come in handy to fix a recent problem at the Lake Hodges Hydroelectric and Pump Station Facility. But those skills, along with initiative and ingenuity, were demonstrated by San Diego County Water Authority staff as part of the creative and complex repair.

The facility connects the City of San Diego’s Hodges Reservoir with the Water Authority’s Olivenhain Reservoir. The connection provides the ability to store up to 20,000 acre-feet of water at Hodges for emergency use.

Jose Martinez Appointed General Manager of the Otay Water District

The Otay Water District Board of Directors February 6 voted unanimously to appoint Assistant Chief of Water Operations Jose Martinez as the new general manager of the District. The Board announced they will negotiate contract terms and vote on those terms at the March 11 Board meeting.

“Jose will be an asset to the District for many reasons,” said Board President Gary Croucher. “His experience as a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy and managing water utility and operations at the District, combined with his leadership on legislative bill AB 1588, will contribute to guiding and leading the District on its already strong path of providing exceptional service to our customers; he will also bring new and innovative ideas to continue enhancing operational practices.”

Unlikely Allies Got White House to Tackle Tijuana River Mess: How They Pulled it Off

For decades, millions of gallons of raw sewage and trash have flowed from the Tijuana River to the Pacific Ocean, fouling beaches, angering Southern Californians and getting worse by the year.

An estimated 143 million gallons of waste from Tijuana spilled into the river valley in 2017, overwhelming a treatment plant built by the United States and Mexico nearly 25 years ago. Last October, a corpse clogged a sewage intake screen, causing a backup and sending 14.5 million gallons of polluted water over the border and into the U.S.

Study: Toxic Elements Around Salton Sea Could Adversely Affect Nearby Residents

More than dust-filled air could be plaguing residents around the quickly evaporating Salton Sea in Imperial Valley. University of California, Riverside research shows toxic aerosols could also be filling the air. The problem has to do with agricultural fertilizer in the Salton Sea wetland area. UC Riverside toxicologist Sabbir Ahmed and first-author on the study says the fertilizer is rich in the element selenium, which is necessary for human body health, but not in excessive doses. Ahmed said plants in the area digest this mineral and release into the air as an aerosol, which is air filled with liquid or solid particles.