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4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility Wins State Award

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Elizabeth Marie Himchak

Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility has won a statewide award. It was named the California Water Environment Association’s 2019 “Small Plant of the Year” at the association’s annual conference on April 12. “OMWD is gratified to have CWEA confirm what we’ve known for years, our 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility is second to none,” said Christy Guerin, the district’s director. “The facility produces over a million gallons of recycled water each day through advance treatment processes. Almost every drop of wastewater is reclaimed and converted into a drought-resilient, sustainable water supply.”

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Former Utilities Department Leader Says City Diverted Ratepayer Funds To Unrelated Services

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Lauryn Schroeder

A former Public Utilities Department leader is accusing the city of San Diego of illegally diverting $1 million in water and wastewater funds to other city services and firing her for refusing to conceal the activity, according to a claim she filed with the city on Monday. Susan LaNier, a former deputy director and internal auditor for the utilities department, was one of five utility leaders the city fired in February, following public outcry over billing errors and accusations of mismanagement within the department.

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Poseidon Desalination Would Hurt Low Income Ratepayers

/in , /by /The Orange County Breeze

Today Azul released a new report conducted by UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation that looked at potential impacts of Poseidon’s proposed desalination project on disadvantaged households in Orange County. The expert analysis confirmed what equity groups like Azul, Oakview ComUNIDAD and OC Earth Stewards have long asserted: that the plant’s billion dollar price tag would drive up water rates, harming low-income ratepayers without providing any benefit in terms of water reliability or quality.

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PWD Approves More Groundwater Tests

/in , /by /The Antelope Valley Pressby Allison Gatlin

To better understand if a proposed project to bolster the underlying groundwater basin with recycled water may work, the Palmdale Water District Board of Directors on Monday agreed to a contract amendment with its consulting firm to conduct more tests. The Palmdale Regional Groundwater Recharge and Recovery Project is planned near Avenue L and 100th Street East, where treated wastewater will be allowed to percolate into the ground to be stored. However, the district is still studying the area to ensure it is appropriate for the water recharge.

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45 Day Moratorium On Drilling Of Certain Oil Wells Passes

/in , , /by /Ventura County Starby Kathleen Wilson

County supervisors have outlawed drilling of certain new oil wells in the vicinity of a major aquifer for 45 days in light of water-safety questions. The decision Tuesday by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors came a couple of months after scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey reported that they had found petroleum-related gases in wells supplying irrigation water on the Oxnard Plain.The moratorium applies to the drilling of new wells and the re-drilling of existing ones near the Fox Canyon Aquifer, which is described as a major source of drinking quality groundwater.

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San Diego Ranks 6th Among Most Polluted Cities In US

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribune by Lauryn Schroeder

Greater San Diego has the sixth worst ozone pollution in the country for the fifth year in a row, a report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association says. Local officials said it’s time to take action and protect the communities most affected.San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and officials from the American Lung Association and local environmental groups held a press conference at Cesar Chavez Park in Barrio Logan to discuss the annual air quality report, which estimates more than 40 percent of Americans live with unhealthy air quality.

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Will San Diego Aquaculture Bring Back Abalone?

/in , /by /San Diego Readerby Sheila Pell

Port officials looking to expand local aquaculture heard some good news this month. A two-year project by federal scientists that mapped the potential for aquaculture in the U.S. found ample promise in San Diego. And zeroing in on those spots is getting easier. “We think this is the most exhaustive analysis ever done at the estuary scale in the U.S.,” said James Morris, a marine ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who presented the results to the Port.

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Cooperation Preserves Pauma Valley Groundwater

/in , /by /Water News Network

Instead of waiting for Yuima Valley’s precious groundwater supplies to dry up, the Yuima Municipal Water District and local farmers are working cooperatively to create a sustainable long-term strategy for maintaining the region’s economy and quality of life by proactively managing the valley’s aquifer. To the east in Borrego Springs, the chronically water-short community offers a warning about over-tapping groundwater. Borrego Springs expects to face a 75 percent reduction in water supplies by 2040. The current plan is to let 3,800 acres of agriculture go fallow because farms use 80 percent of the community’s groundwater. Yuima farmers also have relied on groundwater supplies for decades. Crops such as citrus and avocado flourish in the valley, nestled between Palomar Mountain and Valley Center.

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Spring Cleaning: Ways To Keep San Diego’s Water System Clean

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Ashley Matthews

All water leads to a recycling center so even it’s going down the drain, there are some things San Diegans can do to ensure our region’s water is as clean as possible. Water is always in high demand in California, so it’s necessary to take care of it in any way possible. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department says one easy thing to protect the county’s waterways is to avoid dumping perscription pills. Tossing prescription medication down the drain or toilet contaminates the water system, which can cause bigger problems when it drains back into the ocean and threatens the environment, SDSO said.

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Policies Earn RMWD A $78K Rebate

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinel by Julie Gallant

Keeping workers’ compensation claims and other staffing liabilities under control earned the Ramona Municipal Water District a $78,330 rebate from the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority, also known as the ACWA JPIA. RMWD Board President Jim Robinson accepted the rebate check on behalf of the district at the board’s April 9 meeting. The JPIA pools risks and premiums from water agencies in California in an effort to get them the best insurance rates for property, liability, workers’ compensation and employee benefits coverage. The JPIA is not an insurance agency or carrier, but a special district that enables water agencies to share the risks associated with purveying water.

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