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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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Nature Can Soften Impacts Of Rising Seas—If We Let It

/in , /by /Long Beach Postby Jason Ruiz

By the end of the century, rising seas will force Long Beach to find ways to protect homes and businesses—or see some of them swallowed by the sea. While seawalls, breakwaters and other barriers are already deployed up and down portions East Coast and West Coast, not all solutions are made of concrete and stone. Some say the future of protecting California’s coasts, and the developments behind them, will include more natural solutions like restoring wetlands and other habitats so they can help slow storm surges and combat other effects of sea level rise.

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Wastewater Facility Renamed In Santa Barbara Because Many Uses Come From Site

/in , /by /KEYT-TV (Santa Barbara) by John Palminteri

The wastewater in Santa Barbara is becoming one of the area’s most valuable resources. It is being converted into several different uses when most people think it goes down the drain and into the ocean. The city has just renamed its water treatment facility and it will now be called the El Estero Water Resource Center. “It will be used for more projects than ever before,” said Santa Barbara Water Resources Manager Joshua Haggmark.

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Environment Report: Lawsuits Are A Weapon In Major Water Conflicts

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Ry Rivard Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In court, the California Environmental Quality Act is a familiar obstacle to projects large and small — housing developments, solar projects, even bike lanes. It’s also lately become a weapon in the state’s major water conflicts. Last week, the Imperial Irrigation District filed a CEQA lawsuit trying to block a deal among seven states that could lead to further rations of the Colorado River in the near future. Even though environmental law doesn’t apply outside of California, Imperial is the largest holder of Colorado water rights in the country — it has dibs on as much river water as Arizona and Nevada combined — and is suing other California agencies that have agreed to give up water if there’s a shortage.

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Lawsuits Are A Weapon In Major Water Conflicts

/in , , /by /The Voice of San Diego by Ry Rivard

In court, the California Environmental Quality Act is a familiar obstacle to projects large and small — housing developments, solar projects, even bike lanes. It’s also lately become a weapon in the state’s major water conflicts. Last week, the Imperial Irrigation District filed a CEQA lawsuit trying to block a deal among seven states that could lead to further rations of the Colorado River in the near future.

 

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