You are now in Media Coverage San Diego County category.

OPINION: Water The West: Changes To Our Water Usage

/in , /by /Ramona Home Journalby Beth Prinz Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Gov. Brown declared the five-year drought ended in 2017. However, water conservation never stopped being important. Hotter weather for longer periods and less precipitation have created conditions calling for unprecedented lifestyle changes. Water levels are dropping above-ground and underground, and rain and snow pack are diminishing in frequency and depth. As temperatures increase, the elevations of snow pack increase. Mountains get smaller at the pinnacle, so there is less surface area for snow pack. Higher temperatures mean less snow and, theoretically, more rain, but has received little of either in recent years.

Full Story

Water Agencies Increase Incentives To Replace Turf

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

Residents in San Diego County now can receive $2.75 per square foot for replacing turf with sustainable landscaping features as part of a new Landscape Transformation Program launched this week across Southern California. The new program includes a partnership by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to boost the per-square-foot incentive amount available in the water authority’s service area and streamline the application process.

Full Story

OPINION: Why Understanding Oceans Is Vital To Economy, Security

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Margaret Leinen

Meteorologists and oceanographers still love to talk about the 2015-16 El Niño that wasn’t. It was the weather event that was meant to deliver California from the horrible drought that had afflicted the state for four years. Emergency officials braced for widespread flooding usually associated with El Niño as Eastern Pacific Ocean temperatures jumped nearly 4 degrees Fahrenheit in the months leading up to that winter, just as they had during the great El Niños of the past. It was supposed to be, as one researcher predicted, the “Godzilla” El Niño.

Full Story

Water Authority Offers Homeowners $2.75 A Foot To Replace Grass Lawns

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County homeowners can receive $2.75 per square foot to replace their water-wasting turf lawns with sustainable landscaping under a new program in Southern California. The new Landscape Transformation Program was announced this week by both the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District. “Over the past few years, the water authority has helped foster sustainable landscaping through financial incentives, a demonstration garden, hands-on classes and publication of a detailed guidebook,” said Mark Muir, chair of the water authority’s board.

Full Story

San Diego Program Offering Money To Remove Lawns Is Back, With Changes

/in , /by /KPBSby Matt Hoffman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

This week the San Diego County Water Authority launched it’s popular landscape transformation program. In partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the program gives people a rebate to remove their lawns. Residents can get up to $2.75 per square foot of grass they replace with sustainable landscaping. The offer is good for lawns up to 1,500 square feet.  Joni German, a water resource specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority, said before ripping up lawns — residents first have to apply for the program.

Full Story

Ramona Scenery Subject Of Photo Contest Winners

/in , /by /Ramona Home Journal Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority hosted its annual photo contest in May, entitled “Brought to You by Water.”  The contest aimed to highlight the importance of safe and reliable water supplies, and water lovers from across the region put their photography skills to the test. The Water Authority received nearly 80 entries, which included everything from flowers and waterfalls to wildlife and children. The photographers used their images to describe ways in which water plays a vital role in their favorite activities and quality of life.

Full Story

State Issues $500,000 Grant To Expand Air Monitoring Program Near Salton Sea

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Alena Maschke

The Comite Civico del Valle, an organization providing services to disadvantaged communities in the Imperial Valley, has received a $500,000 grant from the California Air Resource Board to expand its air monitoring program. With the grant, the organization is planning to expand their network of air monitors to the eastern Coachella Valley by adding 15 new monitors, in an effort to span the entirety of the Salton Sea Air Basin, which includes the Coachella Valley and parts of Imperial County.

Full Story

Gastelum Remains Barred From Committees Because Of Anti-Muslim Tweet

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gustavo Solis

Hector Gastelum won’t apologize. The Otay Water District board member didn’t apologize in April 2017 after sending a controversial tweet that drew outrage from the Muslim community and resulted in the district barring him from serving on sub-committees. And he didn’t apologize Wednesday when asking the district to reconsider its decision. “The thing that I never heard was a statement from Director Gastelum that he understood the damage that those comments and those things did, particularly to the Muslim community, at the time,” said Otay Water board member Mitch Thompson.

Full Story

City Water Department Resisted Oversight, Downplayed Smart Meter Problems

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

Shortly after Vic Bianes took over San Diego’s water department, he instructed his staff to hide information. Less than a month after he began leading the $1.1 billion Public Utilities Department in mid-October, Bianes emailed staffers who were preparing a presentation for one of the water department’s oversight bodies. Bianes said it’d be best to be “vague” and not give the Independent Rates Oversight Committee any specifics about how the department was handling ongoing customer service issues.

Full Story

Balboa Park Sustainability Efforts Set World-Class Standards

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

Most visitors know San Diego’s Balboa Park for its world-class museums, gardens, and performing arts venues. Behind the scenes lives a learning laboratory of environmental best practices. Aaron L. Boyles, sustainability manager for the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, describes an active, collaborative effort moving quickly to make Balboa Park the most sustainable urban park in the country. Conserving water is a critical component of this effort.

Full Story