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44 Percent of California, Including All of San Diego County, in Drought: US Drought Monitor

Much of Southern California is once again in a drought and there is little relief in sight, a report by the United States Drought Monitor revealed.  About 44 percent of California was in drought Thursday, up from 12 percent last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report. As of this week, all of San Diego County and most of Los Angeles County has been elevated from an “abnormally dry” category to a “moderate drought” category.

San Diego County Moves a Step Up in Drought Severity

The US Drought Monitor moved San Diego County up to the next level of severity Thursday.  It’s now at moderate, which is the second highest level of the five.  At the same time, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada was woefully low.“We’re around 27-percent of normal,” said San Diego County Water Authority Water Resources Specialist Jeff Stephenson.

‘Moderate Drought’ Declared Across San Diego County

A U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday shows all of San Diego County is now in a moderate drought. The Category 1 declaration comes a year after water officials declared the region’s drought was over. According to the Drought Monitor, a “moderate drought” means ongoing dry conditions could cause damage to crops, and a possibility of water shortages could develop.

City Councilmember Calls For Audit Of Water Department Billing

With more water billing complaints being heard and a city council member calling for an official audit of the Public Utilities Department’s billing procedures, NBC 7 Responds is looking into the committee formed years ago that was tasked with oversight of the water department.  “I’m paying $5,000 a year for water, that’s crazy,” Stephen Hanson out of Pacific Beach said about his water bills last year.

In Spite Of Dry December, Water Officials Don’t Foresee Shortage

Although California is experiencing a drier than normal winter so far, San Diego County has enough water to meet demand in 2018 and into next year, said local water officials. San Diego County has enough water to meet its needs due to a number of factors, said Jeff Stephenson, principal water resources specialist with the San Diego County Water Authority, the region’s water wholesaler.

Amid Record Heat And Dry Conditions, Fears Of Another Drought In California

It’s a repeat of the unusually hot, dry and windy weather that helped fuel huge brush fires in December. Since the end of last February, downtown Los Angeles has seen just 2.26 inches of rain — an anemic amount over an 11-month period. Los Angeles has seen just 28% of its average precipitation since October — with most of it coming from the rainstorm that caused the deadly mudslides in Santa Barbara County.

Flooding from Water Main Break Shuts Down Streets in Coronado

A broken water main flooded parts of Coronado Tuesday forcing hours-long closures of multiple streets, according to city officials. The flow of debris and water rushed dangerously close to businesses and transformer boxes. Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey tweeted that the flooding was due to a large 16-inch water main that broke on B Avenue. A sinkhole measuring approximately 200 square feet opened up.

Water Bill Investigation: Councilman Demands Answers from Water Department

News 8 continues to receive emails from viewers who are upset over water bills that are hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars higher than normal. San Diego District 6 Council Member Chris Cate said since News 8 launched its water investigation last week, his office has been inundated with calls. “This is just not explainable and we need to know what is happening. We have seen instances where we have seen 400 percent increases in a person’s water usage in one billing period,” said Cate.

Goldstein Investigation: Millions In LA DWP Ratepayer Money Going To Charity

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is giving away more than $1 million a year in ratepayer money to charities and nonprofits, an investigation by CBS2’s David Goldstein has uncovered. He also found money going to one non-profit that has a DWP executive sitting on the board.

California Pushes The Envelope on Energy Storage with New Pumped Hydro Proposal

If the blowup over President Trump’s new solar tariff proves anything, it proves that the renewable energy transition is inevitable. A new hydroelectricity project for the City of San Diego, California is a case in point. The city recently raised the level of an existing hydropower dam to hold more water, and now it is considering a massive new energy storage element that would help the grid support more wind and solar power.