You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

OPINION: No One Can Live On The 55-Gallons-A-Day Water Limit California Is Imposing

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Marie Waldron

So can you live on 55 gallons of water a day? No one can. But legislation just enacted broadens authority of the state Water Resources Control Board, an unelected, unaccountable board to require this. The new mandates establish an indoor water use budget of 55 gallons per day for all Californians until 2025, reduced to 50 gallons/day after 2030. Civil penalties apply to water districts that are unable to meet the new guidelines. I opposed both Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668, which created these regulations.

Full Story

Hike Highlights Progress Along The San Diego River, A Once-Beleaguered Waterway On The Rise

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

Environmental advocates led a hike along the San Diego River in Mission Valley on Sunday morning to build awareness about ongoing efforts to remove invasive species from its banks. The San Diego River Park Foundation hosted the hour-long jaunt, showing off a dramatically improved section of the river located in the 52-acre Mission Valley Preserve. About a dozen folks in wide-brimmed hats and toting water bottles listened as Marina Varano, outreach associate with the foundation, educated the crowd about efforts to restore the riparian habitat.

Full Story

Gary Griggs, Our Ocean Backyard: The Costs Of Desalination

/in , /by /Santa Cruz Sentinel Newsby Gary Griggs Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After 15 years of planning, design, environmental impact assessment and review, and final political approvals, the largest desalination plant in the U.S. went on line at Carlsbad in northern San Diego County in December of 2015. This is the most technologically advanced and energy-efficient desalination facility in the Western Hemisphere and taps the world’s largest reservoir of water, the Pacific Ocean. The Poseidon plant has the capacity to produce 50 million gallons of fresh water a day, which is about 7 to 10 percent of San Diego County’s total water usage. San Diego is an arid region and imports most of its water from somewhere else.

Full Story

Desalination Deal Draws Criticism From Groups Concerned About Water Affordability

/in , /by /Orange County Breeze

Last night, Orange County Water District voted 6-2 to approve terms for a new, non-binding agreement with privately-owned Poseidon Water for a Huntington Beach desalination project. If the District decides to move ahead with the deal once the plant is fully permitted, the agreement would commit Orange County ratepayers to buying Poseidon’s desalinated water for 30-35 years, while guaranteeing a significant profit for Poseidon’s investors. The billion-dollar desalination proposal has been widely opposed by local activists. Conservation and equity groups are concerned about its impact on water affordability, as well as its anticipated pollution of groundwater and ocean water, harm to sea life, and carbon emissions.

Full Story

O.C. Water District Approves Updated Terms For Buying Water From H.B. Desalination Plant If Poseidon Gets Final Permits

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Priscella Vega Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Despite pushback from about 80 environmentalists and other residents, the Orange County Water District board Wednesday approved an updated term sheet for buying water from the proposed Huntington Beach ocean desalination plant. The 6-2 vote established the terms for a contract if plant builder Poseidon Water receives final permits necessary from the Regional Water Quality Control Board this year and the California Coastal Commission next year. It also increased its project study budget from $320,000 to $370,000 to hire consultants to help evaluate different aspects of the proposal. Board members Roger Yoh and Bruce Whitaker dissented, James Vanderbilt abstained and Philip Anthony was absent.

Full Story

Experts To Gather To Address Salton Sea Issues In Cabazon

/in , /by /KESQ News Channel 3 (Thousand Palms, Calif.)

Water experts from across Southern California will convene in Cabazon today to discuss the next steps in resolving issues surrounding the Salton Sea’s receding shoreline, which is causing environmental and public health concerns for both residents and wildlife living in and around the lake. The noontime event at the Morongo Casino Convention Center is one of four major annual events concerning state water issues hosted by the Southern California Water Coalition.

Full Story

Otay Water District Announces 2018 WaterSmart Landscape Contest Winner

/in , /by /Water News Network

As part of the countywide WaterSmart Landscape Contest, the Otay Water District has selected water conservation class graduate and rebate recipient Rosalba Ponce of Chula Vista as the 2018 winner of its “Best in District” award. Each year, participating water agencies in San Diego County honor residential customers who showcase the best water-efficient features in their yards. This year’s contest committee from Otay determined that Ponce’s landscape best achieved overall attractiveness, a well thought-out design, efficient irrigation methods, and appropriate plant selection and maintenance.

Full Story

Desalination Plant Brings Relief To Ensenada Residents Struggling With Limited Water Supply

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Sandra Dibble

Baja California’s first utility-scale desalination plant has launched operations, supplying 5.7 million gallons a day of converted seawater to municipal water users in the port of Ensenada. The reverse-osmosis facility, which has the capacity to double in size, is seen as a critical piece of infrastructure for Ensenada, whose 390,000 residents have been almost entirely dependent on aquifers for their water supply.

Full Story

Heat To Build, Elevate Fire Danger In Southwestern US Next Week

/in , /by /Accuweatherby Renee Duff

Near-record heat will set the stage for a heightened risk of wildfires in the southwestern United States, including Southern California, next week. While the Southwest is no stranger to intense heat in the summer months, the upcoming pattern is likely to put several decades-old high temperature records to the test. The area of high pressure that has brought record-breaking temperatures to the South Central states will build westward from Sunday into the middle of next week, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark.

Full Story

OPINION: Why A Regional Power Grid Brings Energy Security

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Allan Zaremberg

Reliable energy infrastructure is a hallmark of a modern world, and affordable power is vital for economic development and social cohesion. Ensuring that electricity is both affordable and reliable are ultimately the responsibility of our state government leaders when they set the ground rules for how electricity is generated and how it is transmitted around the grid.

Full Story