Last winter was a bountiful one in terms of water supply for California, but it’s still too early to tell whether 2020 will be as generous. The 2018-19 winter was one for the record books, with above-average precipitation. Snow continued to fall in late-spring, with several inches or more in the Sierra Nevada and the Southern California mountains. Ski seasons were extended into May and June, delighting skiers and resort operators.
Starting Monday, authorities in Tijuana and Rosarito will ration water for the next two months because of a limited supply, according to the Baja California Public Service Commission. Roughly 140,000 households and businesses in the border cities will go without water service for up to 36 hours every four days. The service disruptions will be spread throughout seven districts. Customers will receive a 24-hour notice whenever water services are shut off in their district, officials said.
Since the days of the Kumeyaay, survival in San Diego has depended on the availability of water. While blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, the fact remains we must rely upon outside sources to meet our water needs. The level of this dependency, however, is more a matter of resolve rather than circumstance. In the late 1990s, this situation reached a critical point when San Diego County found itself importing more than 90 percent of our water, and our primary supplier, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) in Los Angeles, was taking action that could reduce our water allocation by up to 50 percent.
Mayors of cities along the U.S.-Mexico border are meeting in San Diego this week to strengthen binational ties and address issues such as immigration, cross-border sewage, and new trade agreements. This level of binational cooperation was a stark contrast from the divisive rhetoric and partisan fighting coming from each nation’s capital. “Part of the challenge that we have in border towns is basically convincing Washington and Mexico City to work like we are working here in this region,” said Tijuana Mayor Arturo Gonzalez Cruz.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors, who are also the board members of the San Diego County Sanitation District, approved a joint powers agreement for the East County Advanced Water Purification Program. The supervisors’ 5-0 vote October 30 also appointed Supervisor Dianne Jacob as the sanitation district’s representative on the Joint Powers Authority board which will also include representatives from the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the Helix Water District, and the City of El Cajon.
Imperial County is doubling down on its efforts to wrest help from state and federal officials to clean up raw sewage and other pollutants flowing into the New River, and to tamp down lung-clogging dust along the fast-drying Salton Sea.
Two weeks after county supervisors declared a local air pollution emergency at the sea, they voted unanimously again this week to proclaim a local emergency at the New River due to the discharge of raw sewage and other pollutants that cause “extreme peril to the health, safety, and welfare of people and properties near and around the river.”
Rep. Mike Levin said California’s innovations and investments in water supply reliability and renewable energy are a model for the nation – and that the state’s efforts protect the environment while growing the economy at the same time.
Levin, an attorney and congressman from San Juan Capistrano, represents the 49th District, which includes, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside and a portion of southern Orange County.
He made his remarks November 6 during a Legislative Roundtable at the San Diego County Water Authority attended by water agency board members and staff, local civic and business leaders and Citizens Water Academy graduates.
San Diego took key legal steps Tuesday aimed at reviving efforts to construct the city’s $4 billion Pure Water pipeline, which was abruptly halted this summer by a legal dispute over the use of unionized construction workers.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove pro-union language from contracts for Pure Water, a recycling system that would purify treated sewage into drinking water and supply one-third of San Diego’s water supply by 2035.
The pro-union language had prompted a judge to issue an injunction halting the project. Council members said Tuesday they hope removing it will persuade the judge to let city officials resume awarding construction contracts.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diego County farmers are finding innovative solutions to problems brought on by climate change. “It’s getting hotter and drier, and we’re in longer, more frequent droughts,” says Al Stehly, who manages 15 farms in the North County. “So we have to use the water we do have better.” Stehly says water is the biggest concern as temperatures rise. “It’s just going to get hotter and drier,” he says. “So we’ve got to squeeze everything out of that sponge that we can without depleting the resource.”
Jaime Bonilla was sworn into office Friday as governor of California’s neighboring Mexican state. As a member of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party, his election marks the first time in 30 years that the PAN party hasn’t held power in Baja. In his first major speech since taking office, Governor Bonilla promised to address poverty, public safety issues and end cross-border sewage flows within six months. Bonilla, a dual U.S.-Mexico citizen, formerly served as an elected member of the Otay Water District in Chula Vista.
