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Water Authority Bill Aims To Boost Water Industry Jobs For Veterans

/in , /by /Water News Network

A new bill in the California Legislature would provide a path for veterans transitioning to civilian employment to receive credit for their military experience and education toward certifications in the water industry. Assembly Bill 1588 was introduced February 22 by San Diego Assemblymember Todd Gloria and Central Valley Assemblymember Adam Gray. The bill, which may be heard in committee this month, is co-sponsored by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Otay Water District in hopes of helping the state’s industry replace a wave of retiring Baby Boomers.

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Environment Report: The Wet Weather Is In San Diego’s DNA

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

San Diego has been gloomy — cold, cloudy and rainy — pretty much since Christmas Day. Communities in North County — Vista and Ramona — just had their coldest February on record, according to the National Weather Service. So far, it’s rained three inches more than normal for this time of year in San Diego. “People who are doing construction are sending me text messages saying, ‘When is it going to stop?’” said Alex Tardy, a weather service meteorologist.

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California Agencies Dispute Colorado River Drought Plan

/in , /by /The Associated Press by Felicia Fonseca and Jonathan J. Cooper

A major Southern California water agency is trying to push the state through a final hurdle in joining a larger plan to preserve a key river in the U.S. West that serves 40 million people. Most of the seven states that get water from the Colorado River have signed off on plans to keep the waterway from crashing amid a prolonged drought, climate change and increased demands. But California and Arizona have not, missing deadlines from the federal government.

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Local Agencies Respond Faster Than Federal Agencies To Request For Public Records

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Lauryn Schroeder Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

While some public agencies in San Diego County delay or outright fail to turn over public documents, a San Diego Union-Tribune review found they’re far more responsive than federal agencies, which have more freedom to delay or under weaker public records laws. In January U-T Watchdog sought six months’ worth of email records that contained four phrases — “off the record,” “off record,” “on background” and “deep background” — from nearly 100 public agencies. The phrases refer to reporters’ and sources’ agreements to confidentially share information.

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A Wet Winter Will Likely Lead To A Whale Of A Year For Hydro In California

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

Plenty of snow in the Sierra and lots of rain just about everywhere else in California have helped alleviate drought conditions across the state. But there’s also another positive byproduct of the wet winter — a likely boost in the amount of hydroelectricity in California’s energy mix. “I’m looking at the reservoirs in the state and I see almost all of them at the historical average in terms of storage,” said Ghassan Alqaser, chief of the State Water Project Power and Risk Office at the California Department of Water Resources. “With that, we expect an above average hydro year.”

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Rain Brings 2nd California Super Bloom In 2 Years

/in , /by /AP News by Julie Watson

It started with the desert lilies in December. Since then a wave of wildflower blooms has been crescendoing across Southern California’s Anza-Borrego desert in a burst of color so vivid it can be seen from mountain tops thousands of feet above. Two years after steady rains followed by warm temperatures caused seeds dormant for decades under the desert floor to burst open and produce a spectacular display dubbed the “super bloom,” another winter soaking this year is expected to create possibly an even better show by Mother Nature.

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Top Fed Backs IID Push For Salton Sea Farm Bill Clean-Up Funds, With No Linkage To Drought Plan

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

As promised, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman on Friday wrote a letter of support to the Imperial Irrigation District, backing efforts to win substantial Farm Bill funds to restore the dwindling Salton Sea. But she stopped short of linking a pledge of funds to the seven-state Colorado River drought package that she is pushing to complete in two weeks. Instead, she said adopting the drought plan was the single biggest step to both preserving drinking water across the West and to preserving the Salton Sea.

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OPINION: Excellent News On The California Water Front — But Long-Term Picture Is Grim

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

A Bay Area News Group report this week laid out great news on the California water front: Less than 1 percent of the state — a remote area near the Oregon border — is in drought status, the best showing since 2011. What’s more, the Sierra Nevada snowpack — a crucial source of water — is at 161 percent of its historic average, and supplies at every major reservoir are in good condition or better. But local and state governments and residents need to continue the good habits and smart practices they established during the lengthy drought that led then-Gov. Jerry Brown to declare an emergency in 2014. Lawmakers need to fund more water storage facilities.

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As One Storm Moves Out Of Southern California, Two More Are Moving In

/in , /by /The Orange County Register

This week’s storm, which drew added moisture from an atmospheric river out of Hawaii, doused L.A. County valley areas early Thursday but is on its way out of the region, forecasters said. “After the spectacular lightning show early Wednesday morning and the periods of heavy rain that lingered into Wednesday afternoon, the weather across Southwestern California has quieted down quite a bit in most areas,” noted an NWS statement.

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Historic Rainfall Wipes Out Drought For Most Of California

/in , /by /KUSI News San Diegoby Ginger Jeffries

The latest report on California’s water conditions has been released and the drought monitor shows some encouraging news about our drought levels. Experts say it has very little impact on our local supply. KUSI’s Ginger Jeffries explains.

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