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Chevron Spills 800,000 Gallons Of Oil, Water In California

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Don Thompson

Officials began to clean up a massive oil spill Friday that dumped nearly 800,000 gallons of oil and water into a California canyon, making it larger — if less devastating — than the state’s last two major oil spills. The newly revealed spill has been flowing off and on since May and has again stopped, Chevron spokeswoman Veronica Flores-Paniagua said. She and California officials said the spill is not near any waterway and has not significantly affected wildlife. The last flow was Tuesday.

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Oceanside Drinking Water Is Safe

/in , /by /The Coast Newsby Samantha Taylor Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The city wants residents to know its drinking water is more than safe, according to its recently released 2018 Water Quality Report. According to the report, the city didn’t detect lead in its drinking water and is compliant with federal and state lead regulations. The report lists all detected substances in the city’s drinking water, broken down by each of its three sources. The city tests for more than 90 different substances throughout the year. According to Water Utilities Director Cari Dale, the city closely monitors its drinking water to “ensure the highest quality of water is delivered” to customers.

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Changes To Operations Of Sweetwater Authority Raise Some Concerns

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Hernandez

A series of changes related to the operations of the Sweetwater Authority has given rise to concerns that the South Bay water agency’s governing board has ceded too much power to the general manager and diminished transparency. Among the set of revisions to policies that govern the water agency and its governing board: directors are no longer allowed to seek information from staff without the general manager’s knowledge, the Sweetwater Authority is no longer required to keep minutes of meetings when directors on committees convene and the general manager is now allowed to spend up to $75,000 without board approval.

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Audit Reveals Major Lack Of Planning On Multimillion-Dollar ‘Smart Meter’ Project

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

The city of San Diego’s plan to replace every water meter in the city is more than two years behind schedule, millions of dollars over budget and probably won’t be finished for at least another three years, according to a city audit released Thursday. The audit, prompted in part by a Voice of San Diego and NBC 7 Responds investigation, gives new insight into the city’s outrageous lack of planning for a multimillion-dollar project involving one of the most basic municipal services: water. For years, the city has wanted to install over a quarter-million new “smart” water meters, which are supposed to increase billing accuracy, provide real-time data on water use and eliminate the need for city employees to go to homes and offices across the city to read each meter.

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East County Advanced Water Purification Program Gets $9.4M In Interim Funding

/in , /by /Water World

The East County Advanced Water Purification Program progressed closer to completion with its program’s partner agencies — Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the City of El Cajon, Helix Water District and the County of San Diego — approving an Interim Funding Agreement (IFA). The IFA will ensure that the program can move forward with funding for the next year. The IFA states each agency will commit $2.35 million ($9.4 million total) towards the program that aims to create a new, local, sustainable and drought-proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify East San Diego County’s recycled water.

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California American Water Makes Rate Increase Request

/in , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Daily Transcript Staff Report

San Diego-based California American Water filed an application to set new rates in each of its service areas for 2021 through 2023. If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the new rates will take effect Jan. 1, 2021.

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USD Installs Second Wind and Solar ‘Nanogrid’ Tower on its Campus

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

The University of San Diego dedicated on Wednesday the second free-standing solar and wind energy tower installed on its campus by a local startup.

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California Legislature Passes Safe Drinking Water Fund

/in , /by /Water News Networkby Staff

The state Assembly and Senate passed legislation to provide $130 million to provide safe drinking water for Californians lacking access to healthy water.

The state Senate approved the bill 38-1 Monday. The Assembly passed the bill 68-0 on July 5.

The legislation now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.

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Local Water Providers Have Racked Up Dozens of Violations

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard

In theory, because water is hard to come by in the arid West, it should be well taken care of.

But the West sometimes squanders its limited water. We have contaminated creeks, polluted rivers, broken bays, fouled beaches and, even today, hundreds of thousands of people across California who lack reliably safe drinking water.

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Smart Irrigation Month Highlights Water-Efficient Technology

/in , /by /Water News Networkby Staff

San Diego regional water agencies are sharing water-efficiency tips during “Smart Irrigation Month.”

July is traditionally the month of peak demand for outdoor water use and the reason it was chosen as Smart Irrigation Month when it started in 2005. The month celebrates the social, economic, and environmental benefits of efficient irrigation for landscapes, recreation and agriculture.

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