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Polluted Stormwater is Fouling L.A. Beaches. Little Has Been Done About It, Report Finds

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Colleen Shalby

California’s storms do plenty of good, including replenishing the state’s water supply by filling its reservoirs and dampening the risk of wildfires. But the rainwater runoff also carries heavy pollutants that wash directly onto the shore, creating a toxic mix that’s unsafe for beachgoers. Anyone who’s visited a beach after it rains has encountered such stormwater pollution, the unfiltered trash that piles onto the sand after flowing from rooftops, sidewalks and streets, picking up a trail of pesticides, bacteria, oil and grease before traveling through the storm drains.

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Valley Center Reservoir Project ‘Exceptional’

/in , , /by /Water News Network by Ed Joyce Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Valley Center Municipal Water District has been advised by the California State Water Resources Control Board that its Cool Valley Reservoir Cover Replacement Project was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s new AQUARIUS Program as an “Exceptional Project,” among only 10 identified as such nationwide.

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IID Seeks Resolution Over Mitigation Water Delivered To Salton Sea In 2010

/in , , /by /California Ag Today

To focus its efforts on future Colorado River negotiations, the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors has authorized its general manager and management team to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to resolve a longstanding issue over the district’s 2010 pre-delivery of mitigation water to the Salton Sea.

Nearly a decade ago, to satisfy mitigation obligations for 2011 and part of 2012, to meet existing permit requirements in support of the Quantification Settlement Agreement and to avoid associated financial risk, the district pre-delivered 46,546 acre-feet of its consumptive use entitlement to the Salton Sea.

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Border Report: Region Re-Ups Pleas for Federal Help With Border Sewage

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diego by Maya Srikrishnan

San Diego officials are continuing to pressure the federal government to fix the border region’s sewage issues.

Last week, the cities of Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, Coronado and San Diego, as well as San Diego County, Port of San Diego, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California State Lands Commission, passed resolutions to recommend federal action on cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.

Tijuana is built into hillsides, where rainwater — or sewage when the wastewater system fails — naturally drains toward the U.S.-Mexico border and into the Pacific Ocean.

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San Diego Among Nation’s Innovation Hotbeds

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by Mike Freeman

San Diego ranked among the top five hotbeds for innovation nationally over a 12 year period, according to a new study that suggests tech clustering has contributed to a growing economic and political divide in the country.

The Case for Growth Cities report from Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation calls for a massive federal effort to transform eight to 10 “heartland” cities into tech hubs.

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Huntington Beach Desalination Plant Eyes Approval, But Foes Turn Out In Force

/in , /by /The Orange County Register by Martin Wisckol Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

With Poseidon Water’s plans for a Huntington Beach desalination plant approaching the homestretch, critics were as adamant as ever at a Friday workshop, where dozens complained the proposal is environmentally flawed, unneeded and would jack up water rates.

The meeting of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board was called to review a draft permit and solicit public comment in advance of a scheduled April 3 vote on the final permit.

Approval rides on whether the board determines the drought-proof project will “use the best available site, design, technology and mitigation measures feasible to minimize the intake and mortality of all forms of marine life.”

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Amid A Snow-Capped Backdrop, Southern California Will Dry Out This Week

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times by Alex Wigglesworth

Southern California will get a chance to dry out this week after a string of storms dumped rain and snow across the region over the last few weeks.

“Basically, we’ve got an area of high pressure moving in from the West, and it’s deflecting the storms to the north,” said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The weather is expected to stay dry through at least Sunday, forecasts show. Temperatures are also expected to warm up later in the week, with highs in the mid-60s to lower-70s on Friday and Saturday, according to the weather service.

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VCMWD Reservoir Project Receives National Recognition From EPA

/in , /by /Valley Roadrunnerby David Ross Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Valley Center Municipal Water District has been advised by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) that its Cool Valley Reservoir Cover Replacement Project was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s new AQUARIUS Program as an “Exceptional Project,” among only 10 identified as such nationwide.

Each year, EPA’s Aquarius Program recognizes one Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) project from each of its 10 Regions nationwide for “exceptional focus on sustainability, protection of public health” while demonstrating a high level of innovation. 

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County Approves Special Agricultural Water Program

/in , , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Daily Transcript Staff Reporter Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority board recently approved a permanent, special agricultural water rate structure that offers lower rates to farmers in exchange for lower water supply reliability.

Unlike the current, temporary program, the new program will let new participants join as a way to strengthen the region’s multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry.

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Baja California Water Supplies Remain at Critical Levels

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Wendy Fry

Tijuana and Rosarito residents may have gotten a brief reprieve from scheduled water shut-offs, but the delivery of water throughout Baja California is a vulnerable system in need of urgent repairs, state and water officials stressed this week.
Like San Diego, Tijuana gets most of its water supply — at least 95 percent — from the Colorado River. It’s delivered through a single aqueduct that carries the water all the way across the state, including up and over La Rumorosa, a mountain pass more than 4,000 feet above sea level.

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