UC San Diego researchers say they have discovered an “explosion of plastics pollution” in the seafloor off Santa Barbara, in an area where little of the material appeared to exist before the end of World War II.
The university’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography says the surge may reflect the boom in plastics production that occurred worldwide after the war, largely for use in consumer products, ranging from bottles to clothing.
Did you know that outside landscaping consumes around 50-70 percent of water used at a single property? Not only does that take precious resources, but it also costs you, the homeowner, money. You may qualify for a rebate program that pays to save! Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are offering a rebate program for removing grass turf and replacing it with a water-wise yard.
Six water professionals from the Helix Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District spent one week in August assisting the Paradise Irrigation District with disaster recovery in the wake of the devastating Camp Fire.
The Camp Fire burned through the town of Paradise, California in November 2018. CAL FIRE reported the fire burned 153,336 acres, destroyed 18,804 structures and resulted in 85 civilian fatalities and several firefighter injuries. The Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history, according to CAL FIRE.
The utility is looking to raise its monthly minimum utility charge from $10 to $38 under the premise that distributed solar customers represent a “cost shift” to other utility customers.
Customers of San Diego Gas and electric (SDG&E) could soon see a drastic increase in their monthly electric bills, as the utility has submitted to state regulators a proposal to raise the monthly minimum utility charge from $10 to $38.
The California Public Utilities Commission, is expected to make a decision on the proposal by spring of 2020.
Hot and muggy conditions are expected in most parts of San Diego County Tuesday and thunderstorms will be possible in the mountains and deserts.
A high-pressure system lingering over southern California will create a chance of thunderstorms in those two areas each afternoon through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in San Diego.
The chance of measurable precipitation is 40 percent in the mountains and 20 percent in the deserts.
Monsoonal moisture will remain in the region until Friday, when the high pressure system is expected to weaken and temperatures will drop through the weekend, forecasters said.
Back in January, the head of an obscure government agency that exists almost entirely to draw the boundary lines of other public agencies had gotten wind of something. Two rural water agencies wanted to bolt from the San Diego County Water Authority so they could start buying cheaper water from Riverside County.
Keene Simonds knew what was in store for his agency, the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees things like where a city’s limits end and where water districts can sell water.
This water thing, Simonds wrote in an email to a consultant, “could be a doozy.”
How much of a doozy is only now becoming clear.
Water customers in the City of San Diego will be seeing another increase on future bills, but not quite as high as it could have been. The increase will be a combination of the city rate increase that took effect Sunday, September 1st, and another increase from San Diego County.
In a letter reminding customers of the rate change, the City of San Diego said the 4.82% increase will pay for, among other things, infrastructure investments, water quality testing, and costs that are passed down from other agencies.
When many San Diegans think about native plants, it can bring up images of dry landscapes or prickly cacti. However, truly native plants can create a colorful landscape for Pacific Beach residents year-round.
This summer, at the Pacific Beach Taylor Library Community Room, Girl Scout Isabella Catanzaro held a workshop on how to create a beautiful landscape using only 30% of the water consumed by a typical lawn.
Under new water quality standards issued by the state, the Pico Rivera water supply is now considered tainted.
The city will soon be sending notices to all residents about high levels of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, more commonly referred to as PFOA and PFOS.
Dubbed “forever chemicals,” the two are “readily absorbed, but not readily eliminated from the human body,” according to the state’s Water Resources Control Board. Long-term exposure can damage an individual’s immune system, thyroid and liver. It can also cause cancer and harm developing fetuses and infants alike.
With the turn of 11 gleaming shovels, groundbreaking took place on August 22 for a $16.7 million project to renovate and improve indoor and outdoor classrooms and facilities for Cuyamaca College’s Ornamental Horticulture program. Thousands of students have graduated from the program since its launch in 1980. Many have gone on to careers in landscape design and sustainable landscaping, irrigation technology and turf management. The renovation will allow the program to provide a hands-on training experience reflecting current industry standards. “We are a career technical education discipline and we strive to help students get jobs, so it is very important that we are able to replicate what’s currently used in industry,” said Leah Rottke, program coordinator for the horticulture program.
