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Opinion: We Must Focus on the Most Viable Solutions for the Ailing Salton Sea

/in , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.)by Alexander Schriener Jr.,

Talk about the Salton Sea, its possible effects on the surrounding communities, and solutions is ofttimes heavy in emotion but lacking a grounding in fact and science.

Here are a few facts that are often missed:

The Salton Sea lake is going through the natural evolution of a landlocked body of water, with minimal inflow, located in an arid environment. These lakes turn into salty lakes (think Great Salt Lake) and eventually turn into a salt flat or playa (think Bonneville Salt Flat).

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IID Approves Controversial Land Deal Near Salton Sea for Construction of ‘Inland Port’

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olaide

The Imperial Irrigation District board of directors voted this week to approve an option to sell 2,880 acres near Niland and Calipatria to a Moreno Valley-based developer for the construction of an “inland port.”

The board postponed action on the deal in December and called for more information and new terms, which IID staff presented before Tuesday’s vote. By a 4-1 vote, the board approved the amended deal, with President Norma Sierra Galindo as the lone vote in opposition.

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Opinion: Cross-Border Sewage Spills Are an Emergency – It’s Time for the County to Treat Them Like One

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Rafael Castellanos

We all know what rolls downhill and smells bad. Nowhere is it more true than in the Tijuana River Valley in southern San Diego County, where for years toxic cross-border sewage spills have created the biggest ongoing water pollution and environmental justice crisis in the United States. While some progress has been made in recent negotiations with Mexico to fund solutions, it could take years to realize significant improvements.

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Water District Elects Officers, Approves Million-Dollar Contracts

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

A new slate of officers were ushered in to the Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) Jan. 14 just before its board of directors approved two construction contracts estimated to cost more than $1 million apiece.

RMWD Board President Jim Robinson was an easy choice to serve a second term as the board’s president. He quickly received unanimous support among the four directors present, with Vice President Jim Hickle absent.

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California Needs Clean Energy After Sundown. Geothermal Could be the Answer

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

After years of playing third fiddle to solar and wind power, geothermal energy is poised to start growing again in California.

Three local energy providers have signed contracts this month for electricity from new geothermal power plants, one in Imperial County near the Salton Sea and the other in Mono County along the Eastern Sierra. The new plants will be the first geothermal facilities built in California in nearly a decade — potentially marking a long-awaited turning point for a technology that could play a critical role in the state’s transition to cleaner energy sources.

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Wildlife Protected for New Underground Reservoir Project

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Kristiene Gong Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

One by one, small mammals and amphibians living within a construction zone in Mission Trails Regional Park are being relocated to safe areas. Protecting sensitive species is one part of the Mission Trails Project.

A team of biologists from the San Diego County Water Authority, AECOM, and the San Diego Natural History Museum began surveying for and relocating the wildlife in preparation for a new underground reservoir. The reservoir will be constructed in the western portion of the park. The habitat surveys and wildlife relocation program span 15 acres of the park and are designed to protect sensitive species in the project area from construction activities.

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Not Sports Podcast: San Diego Water Authority Board Chair Jim Madaffer

/in , /by /KOGO-AM 600 (Not Sports Podcast)by Jack Cronin and Darren Smith Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Darren Smith: Joining us now in studio is San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Jim Madaffer.

Smith: “I think some of us we just turn on the shower in the morning and we use the faucet in our home and we never give a second thought as to what it’s coming and where it’s coming from, yet you have all the answers to these questions, don’t you?”

Jim Madaffer: “People do just turn on the faucet, the garden hose and they expect water to come out but yet a lot of folks don’t realize the incredible journey those molecules took to get to that faucet and what it takes to make sure they’re being delivered safe potable quality water and that it’s always reliable and at the best price possible.”

(“Not Sports” podcast with Darren Smith and Jack Cronin is a nightly look at stories that affect San Diego and the greater Southern California region.)

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History of Helix Water District on Tap Jan. 25

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

More than 130 years of local history will be shared as part of the Helix Water District’s behind-the-scenes “Water Talk” this month.

Helix customers will hear from the jurisdiction’s personnel how the need for a robust water infrastructure played in the development of East County and how the water district was formed in 1889 to meet that need.

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Santa Fe Irrigation Approves Rate Increases, Protest Level Not Reached

/in , /by /Rancho Santa Fe Reviewby Karen Billing

The Santa Fe Irrigation District approved three percent water rate increases for the next three years at a Jan. 16 hearing. The first bills will go out to customers on April 1 using a new five-tier residential rate structure that differentiates between meter sizes in higher tiers.

The rate increases aim to help meet the district’s objectives to ensure equity across customer classes, encourage conservation and maintain financial stability as it faces challenges such as the rising costs of imported water.

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Courting Grebes an Amazing Sight at Lake Hodges

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Ernie Cowan

It’s a tough gig being a western grebe during this water bird’s courtship season. To get noticed these birds must literally walk on water.

This elaborate courtship ritual, known as rushing, is now happening at Lake Hodges near Escondido where huge numbers of Clark’s and western grebes flock during the winter and spring breeding season.

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