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Southern California Climate Change Over 100,000 Years

/in , , /by /Eos by Kate Wheeling

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.

 

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

/in , /by /Hometown Station (Santa Clarita, Calif.)by KHTS Newsroom

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.

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Flood-Prevention Pump Installed in Normal Heights Keeping Neighbors Awake

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diego by Rory Devine

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.

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

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Ed Joyce Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

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.

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Jose Martinez Appointed General Manager of the Otay Water District

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: Gary Croucher

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.”

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

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Anna M. Phillips and Jennifer Haberkorn

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.

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

/in , , /by /KPBSby Shalina Chatlani

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.

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FPUD Adds PFAS Treatment to Conjunctive Use Project work

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The Fallbrook Public Utility District has amended its design contract for the Santa Margarita River Conjunctive Use Project so that the groundwater treatment plant can also remove per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminants from the treated water. A 5-0 FPUD board vote Jan. 27 approved an amendment to the design contract with Infrastructure Engineering Corporation which will provide IEC with an additional $771,143 and which will provide FPUD with treatment process selection, design services, and construction administration for the additional facilities.

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State Officials Ask EPA for Action On Cross-Border Pollution

/in , /by /Fox 5

The State Lands Commission and State Controller pleaded with the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter Friday asking for immediate action to stop the flow of 50 million gallons per day of polluted water into the Tijuana River Valley. That polluted water flow has created significant and ongoing beach closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado. “The State Lands Commission is deeply concerned about the latest flows of untreated wastewater into the Tijuana River and the impacts of this pollution on community health and public lands,” said State Controller and State Lands Commission Chair Betty Yee.

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EPA Loans Coachella Valley Water District $59 Million for Stormwater Control

/in , /by /Desert Sun.by Mark Olalde

The Coachella Valley Water District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday signed an agreement for a $59.1 million loan to finance improvements to the district’s 134-mile stormwater system that drains into the Salton Sea. CVWD has 35 years to pay back the money, made available through the federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, which began doling out low-interest loans in 2017. The funding will help pay for two projects in the valley — one to increase the canal’s capacity between Coachella and Thermal and another that will build 3.3 miles of channel near Shadow Hills.

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