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Morning Report: Fired Water Department Employee Says She Is A Scapegoat

/in , /by /Voice of San Diego

A former city water department official who was let go during a recent shakeup said she is the victim of retaliation for raising concerns about spending of ratepayer money. Susan LaNier, a former deputy director, was pushed out as part a housecleaning by Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s administration, which has been responding for over a year to problems with the department, problems that first bubbled up when customers began receiving unreasonably high water bills.

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Board Of Supervisors Divided Over SANDAG Transportation Proposal

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Charles T. Clark

A majority of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors rejected key parts of the San Diego Association of Governments’ new multibillion-dollar plan for regional transportation. The divided board voted 3-2 Tuesday for the county to oppose much of the new proposal, which would dramatically shift regional transportation priorities toward expanding public transit and away from building highways and roads. Supervisors Dianne Jacob, Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar voted for the measure, while Supervisors Greg Cox and Nathan Fletcher voted in opposition.

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Water Authority Attorney Helping Protect Ratepayers

/in , /by /The Daily Transcriptby Mark Armao

The San Diego County Water Authority annually delivers about 130 billion gallons of water to its member agencies, which in turn pump the water to ratepayers throughout the region. The movement of that much water  and the millions of dollars that propel it  brings with it certain legal implications. To handle its sometimes slippery legal matters, the independent agency calls on Mark J. Hattam, an attorney whose career started on a different track.

 

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Salton Sea Wetland Projects Access Agreement Afoot

/in , , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Janet Wilson

With the clock ticking, a major hurdle to restoring the southern edge of the fast-drying Salton Sea may finally be overcome. Imperial Irrigation District general manager Henry Martinez told the Desert Sun that he and California Natural Resources Secretary Wade  Crowfoot have reached an agreement in principle that the state — not the water district — will be responsible for construction and maintenance of more than 3,700 acres of wetlands aimed at controlling toxic dust and restoring wildlife habitat. In exchange, the water district will sign easements for access onto lands it owns that border California’s largest lake. The agreement could break a years-long impasse and find ways to get restoration projects moving.

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Study: Up To 15,000 Cancer Cases Could Stem From Chemicals In California Tap Water

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diego

A new study finds that drinking tap water in California over the course of a lifetime could increase the risk of cancer. Researchers from the environmental advocacy group Environmental Working Group estimated that the contaminants found in public water systems in California could contribute to about 15,500 cancer cases there over the course of a lifetime. These contaminants include chemicals such as arsenic, hexavalent chromium and radioactive elements such as uranium and radium. The study was published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Health.

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County Supervisors To Weigh In Tuesday On SANDAG Transit Expansion Proposal

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Charles T. Clark

The San Diego Board of Supervisors will consider on Tuesday whether or not to support a new multi-billion dollar plan by the San Diego Association of Governments that would dramatically shift that group’s regional transportation plan toward prioritizing public transit expansion over building highways and roads. The proposal, which SANDAG unveiled Friday at a special meeting, would better position the region to meet state mandates related to greenhouse gas emissions and would add hundreds of miles of high-speed transit lines throughout the county, as far east as Poway and as far north as Oceanside, supporters say.

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L.A. Mayor Garcetti’s ‘Green New Deal’ Would Phase Out Gas-Fueled Cars

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a sweeping plan for a more sustainable Los Angeles on Monday, calling for dramatic changes to the car culture, buildings and air quality of America’s second-largest city.
The mayor’s sustainability plan imagines a city where, by the mid-2030s, 80% of the cars run on electricity or zero-emission fuel, 80% of the electricity comes from renewable sources and Angelenos drive 2,000 fewer miles each year than they do now. It’s a far cry from today’s L.A., where gridlock, tailpipe pollution and smoggy air have come to define a way of life.

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Drones Offer Water Agencies Cost, Safety Benefits

/in , /by /Water News Network

Water agencies across San Diego County are saving time and money while improving employee safety with drones. Industry analysts say drone use by water agencies worldwide is growing. The Helix Water District, Otay Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority have embraced the technology, using drones to inspect and monitor facilities, and to map and survey inaccessible areas. Helix used a drone in February to check rooftop air vents on a water storage tank in El Cajon, rather than send employees high in the sky to do it. The agency determined it was too risky for employees – even with safety equipment – and too costly to have staff inspect the vents outside the 120-foot-high Fletcher Hills Combined Tank.

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NEPA looms over drought plan enthusiasm

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Jeremy P. Jacobs

Colorado River states cheered this month when President Trump signed swiftly passed legislation ratifying a drought plan for the waterway. But they could be in for a legal fight. Some lawyers say the Drought Contingency Plan, or DCP, may be built on shaky legal ground and could be vulnerable to litigation — depending on how the Bureau of Reclamation implements it.

 

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San Diego County Students Shape The Future of Water

/in , /by /Water News Network

On April 25, the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors honored the latest group of water-related award winners from the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair as part of the agency’s effort to inspire young people to pursue water industry careers. This year’s middle school and high school science and engineering projects displayed a wide range of innovative ways to solve a variety of water issues people face today. In the senior division, Alfred and Audrey Vargas won the first place award with the design of a new device to treat wastewater and generate electricity simultaneously using hydrogen fuel cell technology.

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