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Opinion: A Week of Rain is Nice, but Does Virtually Nothing to Help L.A.’s Water Issues

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times by The Times Editorial Board

Southern California’s March rain is a welcome relief, coming as it does after a mostly dry January and an absolutely desiccated February. Los Angeles, like much of the rest of the state, had been in drought and was getting by without severe conservation measures only because of reservoirs still brimming from the soaking winter of 2017 and a succession of moderately wet follow-ups.

We have a name for late winter storms that come at the end of mostly failed rainy seasons. We call them March Miracles. The granddaddy of them all came in 1991, when California was facing a desperate water shortage only to be hit by a late-March Sierra blizzard that packed a whole season’s worth of moisture into three days.

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Tijuana River Sewage Pollution Shutters Beaches as far North as Coronado

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Joshua Emerson Smith

Beaches were closed on Tuesday from the Mexico border to Coronado as rain flushed sewage-contaminated runoff from Tijuana into the San Diego region.

Millions of gallons of polluted water have been regularly flowing over the border through the Tijuana River for months. The southern shoreline in Imperial Beach has been closed since November as a result.

“Things have gotten worse than ever,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina. “Over the last three months, the levels of pollution are astronomical. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Ten High School Photographers Honored by Helix Water District

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Ten East County high school students were honored for their winning photos in the 2020 Helix Water District High School Photo Contest. The winning photographers were recognized at the February 26 board of directors meeting.

This year’s photo contest challenged high school photographers to highlight the importance and beauty of water in our everyday lives. Entrants were asked to show how water is used in homes and landscapes, in local businesses, for irrigating public spaces and parks, producing the goods we use and foods we eat, street cleaning, and firefighting.

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San Diego County Received Heavy Rain Overnight, Will Get More Tuesday

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Gary Robbins

A Pacific storm that is tapping into moisture from the sub-tropics dropped substantial amounts of rain across San Diego County before dawn on Tuesday, and more showers are expected as the system shuffles off to the east, according to the National Weather Service.

 

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Leaders Come Together to Tour Public Health Crisis at Salton Sea

/in , , /by /NBC Palm Springs by Nico Payne

State and federal leaders came together to tour the Salton Sea and understand the impending health issues the public continues to face. NBC Palm Springs joined officials to get a glimpse of what is being done to help restore an area that was once a relaxing summer destination.

The Salton Sea was once a hip and happening spot for locals to enjoy the sun and have fun in the water. Today the Salton Sea is a place where fish go to rot and is considered a public health crisis. federal and state leaders are partnering up to hopefully change that.

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Cross Border Sewage Flow Inundating San Diego’s South County

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

San Diego’s border region is being pummeled every day by massive cross-border flows of sewage-tainted water.

Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina looked at the river flowing through a South County valley on a recent morning.

“This should be dry — dry weather. This should be dry,” Dedina said as he looked at the flowing water. “There should be a pump station on.”

The water flowing in the Tijuana River Valley comes from Mexico and it is on its way to the ocean. On this day, 27 million gallons of sewage-tainted water, which also carries a slurry of toxic chemicals, runs untreated into the United States.

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

/in , , /by /AccuWeather by Brandon Buckingham

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.

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Guest Column: Taking Steps to Resolve Water Lawsuits

/in , , /by /Pomerado Newsby Jim Madaffer Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

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.

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Implementing Solutions for Tijuana River to Meet Clean Water Act Requirements

/in , , /by /KUSI Newsby Dan Plante

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.”

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Grass or Artificial Turf? Oceanside Weighs Pros and Cons

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

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.

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