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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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Padre Dam’s Ambitious Drinking Water Recycling Project to Get Federal Funding

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

The Padre Dam Municipal Water District announced Tuesday that its East County Advanced Water Purification project was selected to apply for nearly $350 million in federal funding. The water purification project is expected to create a sustainable municipal water supply through purification of east San Diego County’s recycled water, according to district officials. The project is scheduled for completion in 2025 and could generate up to 11.5 million gallons of drinking water per day, roughly 30% of east county’s drinking water demand.

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Garamendi Water Infrastructure Bill Passes Committee

/in , /by /The Reporterby Nick Sestanovich

A bill by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, to support local wastewater treatment and water recycling infrastructure projects unanimously passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Tuesday. The bill is part of House Resolution 1497, which aims to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Garamendi’s bill aims to extend the maximum term for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System issued under the federal Clean Water Act from five to 10 years.

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Salton Sea Authority Honors Bruce Wilcox for Years of Service

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

The Salton Sea Authority honored out-going Assistant Secretary of Salton Sea Policy Bruce Wilcox during the Authority’s October 24 board meeting. Wilcox was at the meeting when the Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution recognizing his efforts to improve the Salton Sea.

He was appointed to serve as assistant secretary within the California Natural Resources Agency in 2015 and assigned to work on Salton Sea restoration efforts. His appointment followed the formation of the Salton Sea Task Force.

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Fitch Boosts Desalination Plant Bond Rating

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

Bonds from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and pipeline were upgraded to BBB and given a stable outlook in a new report from Fitch Ratings, affirming the project’s sound management and its ability to provide a stable, reliable source of drinking water to the San Diego region. As the largest, most technologically advanced and energy-efficient plant of its kind in the nation, the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant’s stability stems from an effective collaboration between Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Authority.

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Here’s What You Can (And Can’t) Do About PFAS Contamination In Your Water

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times by Anna M. Phillips

After The Times reported last week that nearly 300 drinking water wells and other water sources in California had been contaminated with toxic chemicals linked to cancer, readers wanted to know what they could do. For many, it was the first time they had read about this class of chemicals, called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — or PFAS. We talked to industry experts, and the following are their best answers to some of the most often-asked questions we received.

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West Basin Water District Releases Final EIR For El Segundo Desalination Plant

/in , , , /by /The Beach Reporter (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)by David Rosenfeld

West Basin Municipal Water District released on Wednesday, Oct. 23, the final environmental impact report for an El Segundo desalination plant that would convert 20 million gallons per day of seawater into fresh drinking water.

The plant would sit on up to 13 acres next to the El Segundo Generating Station, at 301 Vista del Mar.

The final environmental report includes responses to more than 200 questions submitted during a 91-day public review period that ended June 25, 2018. The district board will consider certifying the report at a special board meeting at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Carson Event Center.

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Vallecitos Water District ‘Work We Do’ Videos Connect With Community

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

The Vallecitos Water District is moving beyond traditional bill mailers and tri-fold brochures to communicate with its customers in a more effective and dynamic way by using video.

Vallecitos Board President Hal Martin conceived the idea to create “Work We Do” videos to help customers see and understand first hand the complex work Vallecitos water professionals perform to ensure reliable water and wastewater services. Viewers see and hear from the workers in the field as they complete tasks such as replacing outdated equipment or using smoke testing to detect sewer leaks and protect the environment.

 

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‘Big Ideas’ Diversify San Diego Region’s Reliable Water Supply

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

Ensuring water for future generations requires investing and investigating big ideas, according to Sandy Kerl. Kerl, acting general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, shared some of those ideas today in San Diego, as she delivered the opening remarks at the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association annual fall conference, which runs through Thursday at the Town and Country Hotel Convention Center.

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