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Aqueduct Shutdown Expected to Begin Nov. 4

/in , , /by /Village News (Fallbrook, Calif.)by Joe Naiman

The repair to the San Diego County Water Authority’s Pipeline 4 in Moosa Canyon will require a shutdown of the SDCWA aqueduct which is expected to begin Nov. 4, and the CWA’s actions also included a unanimous CWA board vote Oct. 24 to approve a change order in the CWA’s contract with Fibrwrap Construction Services, Inc.

The change order increases the contract by $140,409 to create a total contract amount of $1,011,751 while also amending the contract to increase the number of carbon fiber layers.

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San Diego Creates State’s First Water, Sewer ‘Capacity Bank’

/in , /by /WaterWorld

San Diego will create California’s first “capacity bank” for water and sewer, allowing breweries and biotech firms to cheaply buy excess water and sewer capacity from former factories.

The City Council unanimously approved the capacity bank this week, calling it an innovative idea that will create jobs and help the city avoid expensive expansions of its sewer and water infrastructure.

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Upgrade for Desalination Project As It Plans Private Note Placement

/in , , /by /The Bond Buyerby Keeley Webster Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Poseidon Resources received a one-notch upgrade to BBB from Fitch Ratings ahead of plans to privately place a $45 million note to finance construction of a new intake system for its desalination plant in Carlsbad, California.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch won the right to purchase the three-year note, expected to close in November, according to sources close to the deal.

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Doheny Desalination Plant Still On Track Despite Higher Cost Estimates

/in , , /by /Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

While projected cost increases to the proposed Doheny desalination plant drew concern from two South Coast Water District directors at a meeting Wednesday, the majority of the board took the updated analysis in stride and the district continues pursuit of the project.

The bottom line for the average residential customer is that the expected monthly bill increase is now $10 — a 9% hike — rather than the $5 to $7 estimated in a 2017 report. Three members of the five-member board appeared comfortable with the latest estimates.

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Water District’s Investments in Independent Power Pay Off

/in , , /by /Valley Roadrunner (Valley Center, Calif.)

The Valley Center Municipal Water District’s investments over the years in independent power sources paid off this week when parts of the district were cut off by San Diego Gas & Electric implementing its shutoff protocols, but all of VCMWD’s facilities stayed powered—although four large (70 kw to 400 Kw) portable power had to be brought in to power five pump stations. This involved placing one of the 150 KW units between two pump stations as needed.

“And with those investments, water/wastewater service was sustained throughout the District service area,” concluded VCMWD Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant.

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Upgrade For Desalination Project As It Plans Private Note Placement

/in , /by /The Bond Buyer (San Diego)by Keeley Webster

Poseidon Resources received a one-notch upgrade to BBB from Fitch Ratings ahead of plans to privately place a $45 million note to finance construction of a new intake system for its desalination plant in Carlsbad, California.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch won the right to purchase the three-year note, expected to close in November, according to sources close to the deal.

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Mexico Pledges To Fight Cross-border Sewage Spills

/in , , /by /The Recorder (Porterville, Calif.)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico says it will rehabilitate five pumping stations in the border city of Tijuana to prevent cross-border sewage spills that have angered U.S. communities in the San Diego area.

The Foreign Relations Department said Wednesday the two countries “are in talks to sign a bilateral agreement that will establish commitments” on the issue.

The department said both countries “will commit resources to address the issue in a coordinated manner.”

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Nursery Fined For Contaminating Nearby Creek

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diego by City News Service

The California State Water Resources Control Board announced Wednesday that a Fallbrook commercial nursery was fined $18,132 for violating local wastewater discharge requirements for commercial agriculture businesses.

The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, a regional partner agency of the state board, inspected Hines Growers Inc. in February, during which staff members observed waste with high quantities of nitrogen and phosphorous discharged into Rainbow Creek from a malfunctioning water recycling system.

Board inspectors also found violations of local waste discharge rules in the nursery’s water quality protection plan, which is required for commercial plant growers.

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Scripps Institution of Oceanography Gets $4.9M Grant to Find Cause of Deadly Algae Blooms

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Bradley J. Fikes

Harmful algae blooms periodically erupt off the West Coast, injuring or killing marine mammals and costing fisheries millions. To better understand and predict these blooms, UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been awarded a $4.9 million federal grant. The five-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was announced Monday. It’s intended to shed light on why algae in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia sometimes produce the neurotoxin domoic acid.

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Artwork From 4 Area Students to be Featured in 2020 ‘Water is Life’ Calendar

/in , /by /La Cañada Valley Sunby Valley Sun Staff

Four students living within the Foothill Municipal Water District service area were named finalists in this year’s “Water is Life” art contest. Their works made the final selection of 36 drawings that will be included in the 2020 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California calendar. Crescenta Valley High School ninth-grader Heidy Hur, La Cañada High School 7/8 student Jacqueline Lee, Paradise Canyon Elementary School second-grade student Reya Etman and La Cañada Elementary School first-grader Isabella McArthur wowed the judges with their creative works of art urging water conservation.

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