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Agreement Will Pipe Treated Tijuana Water To Baja’s Wine Country

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michele Parente

Officials in Baja California’s drought-parched Valle de Guadalupe wine country are toasting a new agreement that will pipe in treated wastewater from Tijuana to irrigate the vineyards. A pact was signed in the Valle de Guadalupe on Sept. 13 between Baja’s governor, Francisco Vega de Lamadrid, and Fabián Yañez, who oversees operations in Latin America for ODIS Asversa, a private Israeli company that specializes in treating wastewater and recycling it for irrigation.

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One Of The Hottest Summers On Record Comes To An End This Week In San Diego

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

The final week of summer in San Diego will start out a little hotter than average, then cool off a bit, says the National Weather Service. But high temperatures and gusty winds will raise the risk of wildfires Tuesday through Thursday in the region’s mountains and deserts. The fall equinox occurs at 6:54 p.m. on Saturday. But for reporting purposes, the weather service defines summer as June, July and August. This year, the mean temperature during that period was 73.6 degrees — making it the third hottest summer on record in San Diego.

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Helix Water District Is Going Electric

/in , /by /Water News Network

Representatives from the Helix Water District, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa and Lemon Grove on September 12 celebrated Helix’s new electric vehicle charging stations in conjunction with National Drive Electric Week and Electric Vehicle Day on September 15. Helix installed 10 electric vehicle charging stations at the district’s operations center in El Cajon and 10 more at its administration office in La Mesa through SDG&E’s Power Your Drive program, which funded the equipment and installation. Installing electric vehicle charging stations at its operations center and administration office is the latest cost control initiative undertaken by the Helix Water District.

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Improvements Could Bring More Activities To Diamond Valley Lake Near Hemet

/in , /by /The Press-Enterprise (Riverside)by Craig Shultz

Road improvements and other efforts could lead to longer hours at Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet. “We’re making steps forward all the time. It’s another step,” said Linda Krupa, a Hemet City Councilwoman and chair of a committee looking to increase recreational activities around the drinking-water reservoir. Upgrades have been made to the main access road to protect local wildlife — which is more active at night. Metropolitan Water District, which operates the lake, installed 10 steel plates over concrete culverts on either side of the road to ensure animals can safely cross. It also added rumble strips and signs to slow traffic.

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House Of Representatives Passes Bill That Could Rescue California Desert Hydropower Project

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Sammy Roth

The companies trying to build a massive hydroelectric power plant on the doorstep of Joshua Tree National Park got one step closer to their objective last week. The House of Representatives unanimously approved America’s Water Infrastructure Act, a sprawling bill that would authorize and fund projects across the country, from bridge repairs to school drinking fountain replacements. The bill includes a provision that would allow federal regulators to throw a lifeline to the Eagle Mountain hydropower plant, which would be built in the open desert near Interstate 10, about an hour east of Palm Springs, on a property as close as 1.5 miles to Joshua Tree National Park.

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2 Years of Progress On Water Issues

/in , /by /The Coast News Quoted: Mark Muir

When I started my term as Board Chair of the San Diego County Water Authority in October 2016, California was mired in drought but the San Diego region had sufficient supplies regardless of the weather.

Thankfully, just a few months later, epic rain and snow significantly improved water supply conditions statewide, but not before validating our long-term strategy to develop a drought-resilient portfolio of water resources that protect the region during dry times. In fact, we had enough water to store 100,000 acre-feet of water for the future — a testament to regional foresight, coordination, hard work and investments by ratepayers.

Being able to assure residents and businesses that we had sufficient supplies to sustain our economy and quality of life was the biggest accomplishment of my two-year term as chair, which comes to an end on Sept. 30.

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Auditors Flag Troubling Water Department Hiring Practices

/in , /by /Ry Rivardby Voice of San Diego

City workers may have helped their friends and family get jobs in the city’s troubled water department, according to two recent investigations. But instead of immediately addressing the allegations when they were made over two years ago, the water department simply stopped hiring some new workers. This previously undisclosed hiring freeze may have contributed to poor customer service in the understaffed department.

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Audit Report: San Diego City Faces Growing Backlog Of Broken Water-Meter Cases

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

A growing backlog of broken water meter boxes and lids has plagued the San Diego Public Utilities Department — an agency still reeling from months of public outrage following spiking water bill throughout the city. That’s according to a recent report by the independent City Auditor’s Office, which found that agency “mismanagement” led to a backlog of more than 25,000 broken meter cases. The city has 281,500 such devices. The audit report stated: “We found that PUD’s delayed response to box and lid maintenance issues resulted from a lack of management oversight and accountability; a variety of process inefficiencies; and inadequate strategic planning.”

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Maintenance Men Bring Home The Hardware From National Contest

/in , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Two maintenance pros representing San Diego brought home awards from the 2018 American Public Works Association’s National Roadeo Skills Competition in Kansas City, Missouri , in late August. The San Diego County Water Authority’s Bobby Bond Jr. placed second in the backhoe/mini-excavator event, while John Brown, also of the Water Authority, placed third in the skid steer competition. They are the only winners from west of the Rockies, and the only two winners from a single agency nationwide. A record number of 86 participants competed in three categories of competition: the backhoe/mini-excavator, skid steer, and mechanics.

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Crowd Drinks In Water Fest In Santee

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

Several hundred residents poured into the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Project Visitor Center on Fanita Parkway on Saturday to learn about recycled water. The Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s first East County Water Festival celebrated water and showed visitors how it recycles waste and turns it into drinkable water. The free event included a tour of the facility that cleans and purifies wastewater plus educational booths, food, snow cones and iced coffee beverages made using purified recycled water. People planted succulents in small plastic cups they could take home, kids got their faces painted and families posed with water-related props in a photo booth at the event.

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