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Slow-Moving Storm Brings Much-Needed Rain to Southern California

In the wake of a storm that brought the first measurable rainfall to parts California in over a month, a second storm and much more efficient rain-producer will affect Southern California, southern Nevada and Arizona into Thursday.

“While the new storm will cause some trouble in in terms of isolated flash flooding, mudslides, severe thunderstorms and a major hassle for motorists, the storm will be very beneficial for drought and wildfire concerns,” according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

Guest Column: Taking Steps to Resolve Water Lawsuits

After securing more than $350 million for water supply projects in the San Diego region – along with other benefits – the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Feb. 27 voted to dismiss related claims against its Los Angeles-based supplier, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Implementing Solutions for Tijuana River to Meet Clean Water Act Requirements

Twenty-five to 35 million gallons of raw sewage is pouring into the ocean every day and could keep flowing all summer long. Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina tweeted Friday about the fluctuating flow rate of the Tijuana River, which could indicate that parts of Mexico are using the river as an open sewer. Dedina recently told KUSI “this could be the worst round of pollution we have ever seen coming at us. In 2017, we had 250 million gallons spilled, now we have 50 million gallons, a minimum of 50 million gallons every single day.”

Grass or Artificial Turf? Oceanside Weighs Pros and Cons

Artificial turf is not the way to squeeze more time out of Oceanside’s playing fields, members of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission said last week. Health concerns, maintenance costs, and the disposal of the worn-out plastic all need more study, said Commissioner Diane Strader. Several of the commissioners said the city should build more grass fields, not install fake turf on existing ones. The Oceanside City Council asked staffers on Dec. 4 to study the feasibility of using artificial turf at some parks as a way to get more play time on the existing fields. Parks and Recreation Division Manager Mark Olson presented a report to the commission last week and it’s tentatively set for a presentation at the council’s March 25 meeting.

California Scientists Study Climate Change at Bottom of the Ocean

California researchers have found that oxygen levels and water temperatures play a key role in the health of deep-sea fish populations. San Diego and Monterey Bay scientists studied fish on the floor of the Gulf of California.

“This is an example of some of the video that we are analyzing for this research,” said Natalya Gallo, a post-doctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

She pointed to footage taken along the seafloor on the Gulf of California near the Mexican coast. The pictures come from a remotely controlled submarine. Researchers use the underwater tool to gauge the impact of a warming ocean on fish.

San Diego Would Suffer Catastrophic Damage if Rose Canyon Fault Produces 6.9 Earthquake

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake on San Diego’s Rose Canyon Fault could damage 100,000 residences, cause widespread road and bridge failures, and make parts of Mission Bay sink about a foot, according to the most detailed disaster scenario ever done on the region.

Such a temblor could also cut gas and water service between La Jolla and the Silver Strand for months, collapse key municipal buildings, and close the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, says a report by the San Diego chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. Parts of the fault would rupture the Earth’s surface and shift the landscape 6 to 7 feet, damaging streets so badly it would make it hard for police, firefighters and paramedics to get around.

Opinion: Poseidon Desalination Would Worsen Environmental Injustice in Orange County

What would California be without the beach? I grew up in Irvine with an awareness of how fortunate we are to live near the ocean. As a child, my parents and babysitters took me and my brother to Corona Del Mar and Newport Beach frequently during the summer. I have many happy memories of enjoying the waves at “our beaches” while bodysurfing, building sandcastles, and seeing fish, anemones, sandcrabs, dolphins and jellyfish! We also took school field trips to Crystal Cove to learn about the ecosystem. These experiences taught me to respect the ocean and to understand that it is alive, a home for sea life and people.

That’s why it’s upsetting that our regional water board is moving closer to issuing permits for a project near my hometown that will harm our ocean, make us more vulnerable to climate change, and make our drinking water more expensive. The project is a massive ocean water desalination plant being proposed by a global corporation called Poseidon that has its sights on Huntington Beach.

San Diego’s Sutherland Reservoir in Ramona Reopening to Public on Friday

The city of San Diego’s Sutherland Reservoir will reopen for boating, fishing, hiking and picnicking three days each week beginning on Friday.

The reservoir, located 45 miles northeast of San Diego, will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from sunrise to sunset, and on the Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day holidays. It’s closed the third Friday of each month.

The recreation area has barbecues, picnic tables and restrooms. Dogs are allowed on leashes. Water activities including boating, canoeing, kayaking, sailboarding and float tubing are allowed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Projects Create Wetlands, Improve Water Quality in San Diego Region

Since 2005, the San Diego Integrated Regional Water Management Program has supported and funded water conservation, water quality and resource projects throughout San Diego County.

Program partners, including staff of the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies, the California Department of Water Resources, and regional water industry leaders, met at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College Monday to celebrate 15 years of achievements.

The program facilitates collaboration on water resources planning and projects in the region by water retailers, wastewater agencies, stormwater and flood managers, watershed groups, the business community, tribes, agriculture, and nonprofit stakeholders.

CWA Approves Shutdown Schedule for Pipeline 5 Work at Moosa Creek

In 2019, the San Diego County Water Authority repaired a leak to a pipeline in Moosa Canyon. That repair was followed by an assessment of the other two SDCWA pipelines in the area, and one of those was found to be at risk so the CWA will be making repairs to that pipeline.

A CWA board vote, Feb. 27, authorized CWA general manager Sandra Kerl to take the necessary contracting and other actions for the repairs on Pipeline 5 in Moosa Creek. The current schedule includes shutdowns March 30 through April 5 for the installation of isolation bulkheads and May 18 to May 24 for the removal of the bulkheads as well as carbon fiber lining work expected April 6 through May 15.

May 24 is the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and the actual shutdown schedule will likely be revised as the repair work progresses.