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OPINION: The State Knew Disaster Awaited The Salton Sea In 2018 And Didn’t Do Enough. That Has To Change

The Salton Sea is a natural wonder in deep trouble. And for the past 10-plus years, state officials have known this problem would grow worse if action was not taken by 2018. So while the Imperial Irrigation District honored its legal commitment to pour water into the shrinking Salton Sea until 2018, the state has backed away from its responsibility for funding for remediation. Now the water has stopped and more and more of the sea’s toxin-laden shoreline is being exposed.

OPINION: Seawater Desalination Is Water Independence For Orange County

Managing our existing water supplies and planning for future needs requires thoughtful deliberation. Significant fluctuations in the manifestation and intensity of seasonal weather conditions, symptoms of climate change, are becoming the new normal and there is no “one size fits all approach” to dealing with its effects. Consider that, in just this current decade, California has gone from its most severe drought to one of its wettest winters in recorded history, and now back to a below-average winter snowpack this year.

San Diego Officials Warn Against ‘Water Tax’

The Assembly this week passed a gun control measure that would let employers, co-workers and school employees seek gun violence restraining orders that could allow law enforcement to seize the guns of someone who’s exhibited threatening behavior. Two Republicans crossed the aisle to vote for the bill, Catherine Baker of Dublin and San Diego’s Brian Maienschein. Though Republicans generally oppose gun-control measures, Baker and Maienschein’s votes shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Examining Water Conservation, Availability And Security In South Orange County

Recently, unprecedented water shortages in the African metropolis of Cape Town, South Africa, have brought water security to international consciousness. According to a recent report by the United States Drought Monitoring agency at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln on May 17, the entirety of Orange County is still considered to be within what they call a “severe drought scenario.” According to that study, some areas of the Southwestern region’s precipitation (rainfall and snowpack are measured by the state of California by “water year,” which runs from Oct.1 to Sept. 30) was in the second percentile or lower.

Daily Business Report: Region Unites To Oppose $135 Million Per Year Water Tax Proposal

Nortek Security & Control LLC has moved its headquarters to a new, 82,000-square-foot building in the Atlas at Carlsbad complex in Carlsbad, where it operates its research, engineering, product development and executive offices. The company is a leader in smart connected devices and systems for residential smart home, security, access control, AV distribution, and digital health markets.

OPINION: Water Tax Proposal Poor Policy

Like a bad penny, a plan to tax water keeps turning up in Sacramento. That’s right: under two proposals circulating in the Capitol, California would start taxing the most fundamental resource on the planet. Such taxes would needlessly drive up costs for families already struggling to make ends meet and undermine the very goals that proponents profess.

Schools Find Lead In Filtered Water

San Diego Unified found lead in water where it definitely should not be: coming from faucets with water filters on them. Last year, San Diego Unified found 38 schools with elevated levels of lead in their water. The district began replacing plumbing and fixtures and, in some cases, installing new water filters designed to remove lead. Lead is unsafe at any level and is especially damaging to children’s brains. Recently, though, the district has gotten results that show lead in newly filtered water. Samer Naji, a spokesman for the school district, said the results are a “head-scratcher.”

Water Board Considers Budget For Coming Year

The Santa Fe Irrigation District board got a look on Thursday, May 17, at the water agency’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, a spending plan that calls for $30.8 million in operational costs and $10.4 million in capital projects. A public hearing is set for June 21 when the board can approve the final budget for the coming year. The budget anticipates an 8 percent increase in water sales, to 10,170 acre feet. The total includes 450 acre feet of recycled water. (An acre-foot is equivalent to 325,851 gallons).

City Councilmember Suggesting Changes To Water Department After High Water Bill Concerns

A San Diego City Councilmember is looking to build a bridge of trust over the troubled water meter controversy. This after hundreds of customers came forward, claiming they were overcharged, some by hundreds of dollars for water they never used. In addition to complaints, NBC 7 Responds obtained public records showing property owners who filed claims for damages from the city, stating they were overcharged for water services.

Environment Report: San Diego Searching For New Solar Sites

As it tries to find ways to get more green energy, San Diego is studying spots to install new solar arrays across the city. Clean Coalition, a Menlo Park-based nonprofit, is spending the next year and a half looking for places that can host “meaningfully-sized” solar projects. The effort is paid for by a federal grant meant to help the city reach its goal of receiving only clean energy by 2035. Environmentalists have argued that smaller, local solar projects can help the city wean itself off power from big companies with big projects, like San Diego Gas & Electric.