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Record-Breaking Storm Causes Flooding Countywide, Delays Air Traffic; 7 School Districts Cancel Friday Classes

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins, Karen Kucher and Teri Figueroa

A Pacific storm supercharged by moisture from the subtropics slammed San Diego County on Thursday, flooding streets, snapping trees, closing schools, causing rock slides and delaying commercial airline traffic. The “atmospheric river” streamed ashore from east of Hawaii and dropped more than 10 inches of rain on Palomar Mountain, more than 6 inches in Julian and close to 3.5 inches in Oceanside. The system produced one of wettest winter days in decades, breaking daily rainfall records in seven communities, including Palomar. The mountain received 10.10 inches, snapping the record of 9.58 inches, set on Feb. 14, 1991. Ramona got 4.05 inches, nearly 2 inches higher than a record set in 1995.

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Highway ‘Washed Away’ After Heavy Rain Pounds Riverside County

/in , /by /CBS Los Angeles

Riverside County officials Thursday urged residents in Idyllwild and surrounding areas to shelter in place due to “unsafe” road conditions as torrential rain inundated Southern California, turning tunnels into lakes and streets into rivers. Anyone living in the areas of Idyllwild, Mountain Center, and Pine Cove were urged to shelter in place or head to Idylllwild School at 26700 Highway 243, according to Cal Fire. Highway 243 near Lake Fulmore, north of Idyllwild, was “washed away” by the storm, according to California Highway Patrol.

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Storm Drops 5.5 Inches Of Rain On Palomar, Floods Part Of Fashion Valley, And Buffets Jets With High Winds

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins and Karen Kucher

A big plume of moisture from the sub-tropics has dropped nearly 6 inches of rain on Palomar Mountain, caused flooding in the Fashion Valley Mall area, and generated strong winds that are shaking commercial jets during takeoffs and landings at San Diego International Airport. Through 6 a.m. Thursday, the winds had hit 37 mph at the airport, 48 mph at Scripps Pier and 69 mph on Palomar Mountain. SeaWord will remained closed throughout the day. The storm intensified before dawn and is unleashing heavy rain countywide, causing hazardous driving and bringing a regional flood advisory that will be in effect until 10:30 p.m.

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EPA Awards $614M Loan To Bolster San Diego Water Project

/in , /by /Construction Equipment Magazine (Arlington Heights, Ill.)

San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer joined the acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to officially accept a $614 million federal loan to help finance the first phase of Pure Water San Diego — an innovative water recycling program that will provide one-third of the city’s drinking supply by 2035. “This federal funding is validation that our Pure Water Program is cutting edge technology and a worthy investment for San Diego’s future water independence,” Faulconer said. “This is going to be one of the most significant infrastructure projects in San Diego history and will deliver clean, reliable water to our residents for decades to come.”

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Why L.A. Is Having Such A Wet Winter After Years Of Drought Conditions

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

With every storm this winter, climatologists and water managers have crossed their fingers, hoping for continued rain and snowfall to cushion the state’s water supply. So far, the streak has held. This week is expected to bring the heaviest rainfall of the season to date, adding to an already wet winter that has replenished reservoirs and created a healthy snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, a major source of California’s water supply. Climatologist Michael Anderson said that after hovering just below average precipitation levels, the state has now reached above-usual levels — with an average of 11.85 inches of precipitation across the state from October through January.

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A ‘Water Tax’ Is Looking Increasingly Likely

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

In the past five years, California voters have approved over $10 billion in statewide bonds to fund water projects, some in areas could not otherwise afford to improve their own water systems. Now, faced with perhaps several million Californians who still lack access to safe and affordable water, the Legislature looks increasingly likely to impose a statewide tax to fund more water projects. In a legislative hearing last week, Wade Crowfoot, the new director of the state’s Natural Resources Agency, said Gov. Gavin Newsom wants a solution this year to this “crisis” this year.

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Gov. Newsom Seeks To Scale Back Bullet Train, Delta Tunnels Projects

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday called for scaling back California’s two largest public works projects — the bullet train and delta water tunnels. In his first State of the State address in Sacramento, Newsom said the $77 billion bullet train project approved by voters should be canceled after the segment from Merced to Bakersfield is completed. “Right now, there simply isn’t a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A.,” he said. “I wish there were.” Newsom also called for only one of two massive tunnels to be built to connect the water systems in northern and southern California.

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Three New Directors Join Metropolitan Board

/in , /by /The Associated Press

Three new directors representing the cities of Fullerton and Santa Ana, and the Inland Empire Utilities Agency were seated today on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Adán Ortega, who owns a Fullerton-based public affairs firm, will represent Fullerton on Metropolitan’s 38-member board. He replaces Peter Beard, who served since July 2014. Santa Ana City Councilman Jose Solorio will represent the city, replacing Michele Martinez, who joined the board in March 2015. Jasmin A. Hall, a retired Southern California Edison employee of more than 27 years, will represent the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, succeeding Michael Camacho, who was named to the board in February 2011.

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Costs For Pure Water Project Are Rising – By Billions

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

It’s hard to pin down how many billions of dollars the city is planning to spend on a new water recycling system, but it’s clear costs are rising – by billions of dollars. Back in 2015, the city of San Diego expected it would get about a third of its drinking water from recycled sewage within 20 years and could do so for about $3 billion in construction costs. Now, the city is looking to spend no less than $4.8 billion and perhaps as much as $9 billion on the project, according to city financial documents, including previously undisclosed internal estimates from the Public Utilities Department.

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Report: Shorter Winters Could Impact Snowpack And Water Supply

/in , /by /Water News Network

New research shows shorter periods of winter weather are altering snowpack melt times, with potentially significant implications for water management and wildfires. Associate Professor Amato Evan at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography analyzed snowpack data from 1982 through 2017, publishing his analysis in the December Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, and presenting his findings at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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