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Proposed Changes to County Landscape Ordinance Would Reduce Water Use by 40%

The County’s Planning & Development Services is preparing to release draft documents for public review this week related to the project called Water Efficiency Updates to the Landscape Ordinance.

This project will update the County’s Landscape Ordinance to codify requirements set forth by the County’s Climate Action Plan Measures W-1.2 and A-2.1. PDS began implementing these requirements upon approval of the CAP in 2018 through the CAP Development Checklist and existing landscape review process within PDS.

 One result of the ordinance will be to reduce outdoor water use in new and existing residential and non-residential landscaping 40% from 2014 levels.

Oceanside Breaks Ground on Advanced Water Purification Plant

OCEANSIDE (KUSI) – Oceanside officials broke ground Wednesday on Pure Water Oceanside, a recycled-water purification plant billed as the first of its kind in the county.

The $67 million project will take water from Oceanside’s San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility and purify it to drinking water standards in a way project proponents describe as “clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound.”

The site’s technology will be used to replicate and accelerate the natural recycling process to provide 3 million to 5 million gallons of fresh water a day, more than 32% of Oceanside’s water supply.

Oceanside Breaks Ground on Water Recycling Project

The city of Oceanside broke ground Wednesday on a water recycling facility that it says will eventually provide 32%, or one-third, the city’s drinkable water supply.

City and state leaders were at the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility to unveil the plan and discuss the benefits for the city. Oceanside says it needs this facility because the cost of importing water from hundreds of miles away is too expensive. Also, a local aquifer is running out of water.

First Purewater Plant in San Diego County Breaks Ground in Oceanside

Oceanside is the first municipality in San Diego County to bring a pure water facility on line.

The city’s utility director Cari Dale officially broke ground the $71 million facility on Wednesday saying the plant will bolster the city’s drinking water supply.

City worker Sara Davis says the plant takes in recycled water, which is clean enough for lawns but not clean enough to drink.

Oceanside Breaks Ground for Recycling Plant That Will Provide 32% of City’s Water

Oceanside officially broke ground Wednesday on an innovative water recycling plant that will provide 32% of the city’s water supply in future years.

Although San Diego is working on a similar and larger project, Pure Water Oceanside will be the first operating advanced purification facility in the county.

The plan will use microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light to purify wastewater from the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility, reducing the city’s reliance on water imported from the Colorado River and Sacramento Bay Delta.

CVWD Offering Rebates for Washing Machines, Hot Water Pumps

Coachella Valley Water District is now offering two new water efficiency rebates for residential customers who install a new high-efficiency washing machine or a hot water recirculating pump in their home.

“We are excited to offer these new programs to our customers to increase their efficiency,” said Katie Evans, Director of Communications and Conservation at CVWD. “Many of our customers have already taken advantage of all of our existing programs and we pleased to offer them another way to reduce their use and help our community reach our sustainability goals.”

Kern County Water Industry is Ready to Discuss Water Concerns with President Trump

Water is essential for survival.

It’s just as true for you and me as it is for the Ag community of Kern County, which depends on water to grow all of its crops.

According to Gene Lundquist, president of the Water Association of Kern County, we use more than two million acre-feet to grow what feeds the entire country.

“We cannot do anything here in Kern County without water,” he said.

Lundquist said most of the water we use is groundwater.

The second-largest source is the state water project water, which comes from the California aqueduct.

Toxic Waste Still a Problem for El Cajon Neighborhoods

From 1963 to 1985, aerospace manufacturing company Senior Aerospace Ketema (formerly Am­etek) in El Cajon dumped thousands of pounds of a chemical degreaser into a shallow redwood-lined pit that sat on its property.

This resulted in a toxic groundwater plume of trichloroethylene, which travels through the soil by a process called soil vapor intrusion into the three large mobile home parks surrounding the facility — Greenfield, Starlight and Villa Cajon — as well as Magnolia Elementary School.

This caused related illnesses among residents and students alike. The air in one mobile home at the school had more than twice the amount that triggered an immediate closure of Magnolia El­ementary in the 2015-16 school year due to health concerns. TCE is known to cause a variety of cancers, cause re­productive harm, damage the immune system, and can cause dizziness, headaches, and confusion.

Water Agencies Team Up to Reduce Potable Water Use

The Olivenhain Municipal Water District and Leucadia Wastewater District are reducing potable water use by switching to recycled water to flush sewer lines in their service areas.

With the recent installation of new equipment by both agencies, recycled water is now available to Leucadia for sewer line maintenance in the Village Park neighborhood in Encinitas and in the La Costa neighborhood in Carlsbad.

City of Oceanside to Break Ground on Pure Water Oceanside

Marking a historic moment for the city of Oceanside and the region, city officials and water industry leaders will break ground on Pure Water Oceanside on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. at the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility. Scheduled to be completed before the end of 2021, Pure Water Oceanside will be on the map as the first operating recycled water project in San Diego County.

Pure Water Oceanside will purify recycled water using state-of-the-art purification technology that replicates and accelerate nature’s natural recycling process to create a new local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound. Pure Water Oceanside will lead the way in the region in providing a sustainable water supply for its residents, businesses and visitors. Once finished, the project will provide more than 32% of the city of Oceanside’s water supply, or 3-5 million gallons per day.

At the groundbreaking, Congressman Mike Levin, City of Oceanside Water Utilities Director Cari Dale, San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra Kerl, Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager Jack Simes and Metropolitan Water District Special Projects Manager Meena Westford will discuss the many benefits of the project – including reducing dependence on increasingly expensive imported water, safeguarding against drought and ensuring an exceptionally pure drinking water supply is available for future generations.