Officials on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, failed to test base water for radiation over the final two quarters of 2017, according to a water report obtained by Military.com. Although never considered at an unsafe level, the base’s water supply had been found to contain radiation levels three points above the acceptable contaminant level in early 2017, an official with the state Water Boards told Military.com.
The Sweetwater Authority governing board next month will consider increases to its water rates under a proposal that would create three separate fees for customers. The charges would include a fee to cover the cost to purchase water from the San Diego County Water Authority and two separate fees to cover costs from the Metropolitan Water District for purchased water. The costs from the outside agencies are embedded in the Sweetwater Authority’s current water rates.
San Diego reveled in “Goldilocks” weather Wednesday — the Fourth of July. A sea breeze made temperatures “just right” countywide, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to parks and beaches for fireworks shows that were set to begin at nightfall. But there’s about to be abrupt change in a county that’s quickly falling into drought.
An Inland Empire water wholesaler is poised to get a boost in state funding for its effort to create a new local water supply that would provide ecological benefits in Northern California. The California Water Commission has tentatively approved nearly $207 million in Prop. 1 water bond funds for the Inland Empire Utilities Agency’s Chino Basin Conjunctive Use Environmental Water Storage/Exchange Program.
An outbreak of blue-green algae will keep Diamond Valley Lake closed until at least Friday, July 6. The algal bloom has turned the water green and is releasing cyanotoxins, which in high concentrations can be harmful to humans and animals, especially when ingested. “Cyanotoxin levels continue to improve, however in part of the lake they remain above levels we would like to see to reopen the lake to recreation,” Metropolitan Water District spokeswoman Rebecca Kimitch wrote in a message Tuesday, July 3.
The Deputy Director for the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department has announced his retirement. Michael Vogl will be retiring from the city after more than 28 years of employment, a city spokesperson told NBC 7 Responds. “The City was made aware of his retirement plans in advance, allowing for appropriate transition of knowledge and responsibilities,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The water authority’s board last week approved a 0.9 percent increase in the wholesale rate it will charge 24 member agencies, including the City of San Diego, for treated water in 2019. The authority noted that it’s own supplies from the Colorado River are now less expensive that the water it buys from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District.
Why is water is such a contentious issue? Water is a scarce resource, especially in California where rainfall is so inconsistent. Compounding capricious hydrological cycles, the southern part of the state gets very little precipitation. This means that nearly all water must be pumped in from Northern California or the Colorado River. Controlling that water is big business. There seems to be an endless stream of litigation concerning water rights and the cost of transporting supplies. It’s important to remember that water is not only crucial for taking showers and doing dishes.
If the most powerful water officials in San Diego get their way, the county will ratchet down to a trickle one of its cheapest sources of water in the next two decades. Local officials say ongoing efforts to secure alternatives to the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — known as the Met — have safeguarded businesses and residents against crippling cuts triggered during prolonged drought. However, the strategy of the San Diego County Water Authority to move away from Southern California’s largest wholesaler has come with a cost.
A classic summer heat wave will develop in San Diego County on Friday and Saturday with temperatures hitting 80 degrees at-or-near the coast and the upper 90s and low 100s across inland valleys, says the National Weather Service. “The week will start out mild, with temperatures going up a degree or two each day,” said James Brotherton, a weather service forecaster. “The big warmup will come right after the Fourth of July, with Friday and Saturday being the warmest days.”
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
