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Tearing Out The Turf: 1 Million Square Feet Targeted For Removal

/in , /by /Water News Network

San Diego County residents have targeted more than 1 million square feet of turf grass for replacement with WaterSmart landscaping through free landscape makeover classes sponsored by the San Diego County Water Authority over the past five years. While not all the targeted turf has actually been removed, post-class surveys show that many participants end up taking out more turf than they initially planned after seeing the benefits of their work, said Joni German, who coordinates the Water Authority’s award-winning WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Series.

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Contract Change Order Approved For Erosion Control Project

/in , /by /Village News (Fallbrook) Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority approved a change order for their Moosa Canyon Erosion Control project. The CWA board approval Oct. 25, adds $351,000 to the contract amount and is the third change order associated with the dewatering system needed to address groundwater, which was encountered at a higher level than expected. The newest change order increases the total contract amount with Granite Construction from $1,445,889 to $1,806,889, while changing the contract end date from Oct. 31 to Dec. 31.

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Wild Santa Ana Winds Take A Toll — But Don’t Spread Wildfire In San Diego

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

Downed trees. Closed schools. Dead power lines. Dust-choked freeways. Frayed nerves. Pinched sinuses. The arid Santa Ana winds made life miserable across San Diego County for a second straight day on Tuesday. But by mid-afternoon, the region had escaped what it fears most: a major wildfire. And that was seen as something of a miracle by the National Weather Service.

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When Will It Rain, Clearing Out Smoke, Cutting California Fire Risk?

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Paul Rogers

For the past week, California has been locked in a tense, daily mix of choking thick smoke and dangerously dry, windy fire-weather conditions. But an end might be around the corner. Meteorologists said Tuesday that two storm systems appear to be developing over the Pacific Ocean, with rain increasingly likely next week for most of the state. “It looks like the storm door is going to open,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga.

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Woolsey Fire Impacts Water System; Agency Used Generators To Keep Water Flowing During Blaze

/in , /by /KCLU (Santa Barbara) by Lance Orozco

A water district which serves parts of the Conejo Valley suffered major damage during the Woolsey Fire, but officials say they were able to keep water supplies flowing in most spots as the blaze moved through the area. The Los Virgenes Municipal Water District suffered fire damage to its water filtration and composting facilities. Power outages affected the system, but managers were able to borrow generators from other water agencies to stay in operation.

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High Fire Danger Continues In Southern California Through Wednesday; Pattern Change May Increase Rain Chances Thanksgiving Week

/in , /by /The Weather Channelby Chris Dolce

Dangerous wildfire conditions will continue in Southern California into midweek as northern parts of the state see some improvement. Thanksgiving week, a pattern change may finally occur, and that could offer some good news in the form of increased rainfall chances. Firefighting conditions will remain hostile in Southern California through at least Wednesday. Critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions are expected Tuesday, according to NOAA’s fire weather outlook. That means a combination of gusty winds and low relative humidity will lead to the potential of rapid growth for any ongoing fires and any new fires that may erupt.

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City Spent Almost $2M More On Troubled ‘Smart’ Water Meter Program Than Authorized

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

The city water department spent $1.8 million more on its “smart meter” program between 2012 and 2015 than the City Council had approved. The kicker? The money went to buy meters from a company that has since told the city and investors about problems with its equipment. In the earliest days of the city’s “smart meter” program, the City Council gave water department officials approval to buy $2.1 million worth of new meters from one company over three years. In the first year of the contract, the water department spent $3 million. Over the next two years it spent another $1 million.

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Santa Ana Winds Hitting San Diego Hard For Second Straight Day, Over Wider Area

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

Five rural East County school districts will be closed on Tuesday and SDG&E turned off power to more of its customers due to a second straight day of powerful Santa Ana winds and an elevated risk of wildfires. Before dawn on Tuesday, the wind had already gusted to 86 mph at Sill Hill, an isolated peak in the Cuyamaca mountains, southwest of Julian. Alpine hit 65, mph Descanso reached 56 mph, Julian hit 42, mph and Carlsbad recorded gusts to 38 mph.

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Is California Going The Way Of Germany When It Comes To Energy?

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

One place possesses the fourth-largest economy in the world. Another is home to the fifth-largest. Both places have instituted ambitious energy and climate goals. But one — Germany — is struggling to meet those targets and its citizens pay some of the highest electricity prices in the industrialized world. Is the German experience a cautionary tale for the other place — California? It’s a question increasingly on the minds of some energy experts in the Golden State.

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Yazdan “Yaz” Emrani Sworn In As New Member Of Metropolitan Water District Board Of Directors

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Yazdan “Yaz” Emrani was recently sworn in as the newest member of the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California. Emrani is the director of Public Works for the city of San Fernando and is also the city’s engineer. His responsibilities as part of the MWD board includes serving on four Metropolitan boards including: Audit and Ethics Committee; Communications and Legislation Committee; Facilities Naming Ad Hoc Committee; and the Organization, Personnel and Technology Committee. Emrani is succeeding San Fernando Mayor Sylvia Ballin on the 38-member MWD board. Ballin had served on the MWD board since 2007.

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