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Bipartisan San Diego Water Bill Introduced By Representatives Hunter, Davis, and Peters

San Diego Congressional members Scott Peters, Duncan Hunter and Susan Davis have introduced bipartisan federal legislation to simplify permit requirements to operate the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plan, with a goal of providing purified, recycled drinking water for the San Diego region and reducing ocean pollution.

The bill, H.R. 4611, the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II, was introduced in the House on October 4, 2019.

Imperial County Declares Salton Sea Emergency, Demands California Take Action

Imperial County has had enough. That was the message from the county board of supervisors on Tuesday as they voted unanimously to declare a local state of emergency at the Salton Sea.

And that may not be all: In addition to the action on the state’s largest lake, supervisors said they will seek another emergency declaration on the badly polluted New River — which flows into the Salton Sea — in two weeks.

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

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.

Padre Dam Water District Set To Raise Rates – Twice

Residents and businesses in Santee and Alpine who are under the auspices of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District will see two rate increases in the coming months.

The rate increases are scheduled for November and January.

In 2017, the district’s Board of Directors approved a comprehensive cost-of-service study, then approved a five-year plan and budget that showed rate hikes scheduled yearly through 2021-22. The district had frozen rates last year for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

For an average Padre Dam water customer in a single-family house in the western part of the district, such as Santee, bills are expected to go up by nearly $3.50 per month, to $115.75 starting on Nov. 1.

See And Learn How Water Is Delivered To Your Home

This Saturday, October 26, Helix Water District is hosting Helix Water Talks, a behind-the-scenes look at how their field operations crews maintain the vast water distribution system that delivers water from their treatment plant in Lakeside to 276,000 people in El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and Spring Valley.

The free event begins 8:30 a.m. at 1233 Vernon Way in El Cajon with coffee and bagels and includes a 2-hour walking tour of their operations center in El Cajon. Participants will see and learn how the district repairs broken water mains, installs service lines to homes and maintains water meters.

SDCWA Chairman Is TERC Speaker Oct. 21

The Escondido Republican Club (TERC) will be holding its monthly lunchtime meeting on Monday, October 21, featuring guest speaker Jim Madaffer, board chairman for the San Diego County Water Authority.

Madaffer originally joined the Water Authority Board in November 2012. He is president of Madaffer Enterprises, which specializes in public policy and government relations.

Imperial County Seeks to Declare Salton Sea Crisis A Health Emergency; Wants State, Federal Disaster Funds

Imperial County is seeking to declare a public health emergency at the Salton Sea, The Desert Sun has learned, aiming to force Gov. Gavin Newsom and federal officials to free up emergency funds and take immediate action to tamp down dangerous dust.

County supervisors will vote Tuesday on an urgent action item to proclaim a local air pollution emergency due to airpollution at the state’s largest lake, which is rapidly shrinking and exposing shoreline that is potentially loaded with contaminants from decades of agricultural runoff and military testing.

West Basin Municipal Water District Presents El Segundo Desalination Plant to Manhattan Beach Leaders for the First Time

The final environmental study for a proposed desalination plant in El Segundo will soon be released, the City Council for adjacent Manhattan Beach learned this week, when it received its first formal presentation on the potential project — even though the West Basin Municipal Water District first pitched the plant in 2015.

If approved, the proposed $400 million plant — which would border El Porto, in El Segundo — would be capable of converting 20-to-60 million gallons of ocean water to drinkable water each day. District officials have said the plant is crucial to diversifying the region’s water supply, in case there’s an emergency or a severe drought.

Water Authority Celebrates 75 Years With Member Agencies

Ramona Municipal Water District is among the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that are recognizing CWA’s 75th anniversary.

Denise Vedder, director of public outreach and conservation for CWA, announced the milestone and thanked the RMWD representatives for their support at Oct. 8 district board meeting.

New California Law Creates Path to Water and Wastewater Industry For Military Vets

State legislation allowing veterans to receive credit for their military education and experience when applying for civilian water and wastewater system operator certifications in California was recently signed.

San Diego County Water Authority and the Otay Water District co-sponsored Assembly Bill 1588 to increase the number of military veterans entering the civilian water and wastewater industry at a time when many Baby Boomers are retiring.