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Water Recycling Plant Renamed for Rep. Grace Napolitano, Longtime San Gabriel Valley Congresswoman

/in , , /by /San Gabriel Valley Tribune by City News Service

Hailing her as a champion for the environment and water recycling, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Thursday, Nov. 11, renamed the Pure Water Southern California demonstration plant after Rep. Grace Napolitano.

Napolitano, D-El Monte, who is retiring at the end of her term, was on hand for the dedication ceremony in Carson Thursday morning. The plant was officially renamed the Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center “for her unwavering dedication to water sustainability and reliability for all of Southern California,” according to a statement.

“What can be universally said about Congresswoman Napolitano is that she is the ultimate connector of people and creator of solutions,” MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. said. “Imagine her the needle and us the thread. She has banded us together to address our challenges — to clean up uranium tailings in Moab, Utah; to expand water recycling across the state; to increase water conservation in homes; and to develop water career training programs, ensuring we have the future workforce we need. This center for innovation in the science of water recycling can only have one name, and it is in honor of Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.”

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Relief for South Bay Beaches Could Be on the Horizon

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer

Water quality data shows bacteria levels in the ocean along South Bay beaches have been hundreds of times over what’s considered safe for human health this past week. The culprit, per usual, is sewage flowing from Mexico into the Tijuana River which empties into the Pacific Ocean just south of San Diego’s southernmost cities. But the people who manage wastewater infrastructure in the U.S.-Mexico border say respite is nigh.

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How Imperial Valley Spends San Diego’s Cash for Water

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

I traveled to Imperial County last month to see what this desert farming community built with the cash San Diegans pay for some of its water.

The latest thing is a small lake, eight times the length of an Olympic lap pool, built into the harsh, flat landscape. The hot wind whipped at the new reservoir’s surface so hard, waves of it almost breached the bare dirt rims of its chamber.

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Rain Barrel Rebates Timed for Rainy Season

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

With climatologists predicting the potential for above-average precipitation in the months ahead due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, it’s an ideal time to take advantage of the County of San Diego’s upcoming rainwater harvesting workshops and rain barrel rebates.

The County’s Waterscape Rebate Program will host free rainwater harvesting workshops in Fall and Winter 2023.

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Assistance Available for Residents Who Need to Keep the Water On

/in , , /by /KTLA 5by Cameron Kiszla

Californians who need help paying their water bills can benefit from a state-administered program.

The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, which is administered by the state Department of Community Service and Development, is available to both renters and homeowners.

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Opinion: Underground Water Storage is Needed in California

/in , , /by /The Orange County Registerby Editorial Board

Despite an unusually wet season last year and predictions for a boisterous rainy season this year, California continues to struggle to store enough water to meet the needs of its population and farms. We’ve experienced two particularly grueling droughts in the last decade, with state officials repeatedly blaming climate change for the challenges.

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Some South OC Residents’ Water Rates Double

/in , , /by /Voice of OCby Noah Biesiada

Water bills are about to double over the next five years for over 13,000 Orange County residents after the Trabuco Canyon Water District increased their rates this year.

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Santa Margarita, City Celebrate Restoration of Groundwater Plant’s Clearwell Tank

/in , /by /The Capistrano Dispatchby Shawn Raymundo

It was this past January when the roof support of the clearwell water tank at San Juan Capistrano’s Groundwater Recovery Plant gave way, requiring local officials to take it offline.

“Why is that important?” asked Laura Freese, a member of Santa Margarita Water District’s governing board. “Well, this is the way we get our water from the aquifer, our local water, our groundwater, and so we needed to get it back up really fast.”

Santa Margarita, which operates the plant as the town’s water utility agency, spent the next six months and roughly $1.8 million conducting repairs to the reservoir tank that holds about 320,000 gallons of drinking water.

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San Diego County Water Authority Planning for Pipeline Work in Rancho Bernardo, Poway

/in , , /by /Poway News Chieftainby Elizabeth Marie Himchak Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority will begin aqueduct maintenance next spring, with the $66 million project expected to be complete in summer 2026. The project area will include pipelines that run through Rancho Bernardo and Poway.

The Southern First Aqueduct Facilities Improvement Project will focus on 99 aqueduct support structures in streets, along access roads and within utility easements. There are two 48-inch- and 54-inch-diameter critical regional pipelines involved, officials said.

The plan is for one pipeline to be taken offline at a time, according to engineering manager Brent Fountain, who spoke at the Rancho Bernardo Planning Board’s Oct. 19 meeting. The project is “very proactive” because it will be replacing some of the concrete vault structures and doing other infrastructure work to components, such as air vents and pump wells, before it becomes absolutely necessary, Fountain said.

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California’s Young ‘Water Buffalo’ JB Hamby Spurs United Colorado River Rescue, For Now

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sun (via Yahoo News)by Janet Wilson

It was a rough debut. JB Hamby, 26 years old, had rocketed to the innermost circle of state and federal officials charged with saving the Colorado River from collapse. In mid-January, he was elected to chair California’s river board, representing Imperial Irrigation District, by far the biggest recipient of the overused river’s supply.

Federal officials had bluntly threatened to impose mandatory cuts across the region if huge voluntary reductions weren’t made.

But 12 days later, after contentious closed-door talks, he watched in dismay as media outlets across the U.S. published stories about six states releasing a joint plan to save the river, with only his state, California, refusing to sign on.

It was a baptism by near drowning for the youngest “water buffalo,” as negotiators of Colorado River agreements have historically called themselves. But Hamby didn’t respond angrily or publicly. Instead he wrote individual thank-you notes to top negotiators in every other state, and asked if he could meet with each to discuss mutual solutions.
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