A Flex Alert was issued  and Schools across the county had minimum-day schedules Tuesday as the “unrelenting” heat wave that has sent temperatures soaring across San Diego County was expected to peak Tuesday. Record-setting temperatures are forecast in Chula Vista, Ramona and San Diego, with the high temperatures now expected to last into the end of the week, the NWS said. As a public safety measure, an excessive-heat warning for the county’s inland valleys, western foothills and deserts was extended through 10 p.m. Friday after it was initially slated to expire Wednesday.

Water officials in San Diego County have come out against a proposed state law that would impose a new monthly fee on all residential and commercial water users in California, to pay for programs that provide access to clean and safe drinking water in communities where water sources are contaminated. Opponents of the legislation have called the proposed fee a “water tax,” while supporters said it is “vitally needed” to deal with a state health crisis.

 

If you wonder why your water bill keeps rising, look no further than the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. More than half of the cost of our water at the San Diego County Water Authority is for paying MWD, whose water rates have doubled over the past decade. That has forced local water providers such as the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies (including the Padre Dam Municipal Water District) to raise their rates significantly.

The backyard of Megan and Don Lowe’s Carlsbad home was a large expanse of lawn that the kids loved. But the grass only looked great for a few months of the year, then dormant and brown the rest of the time. There were several motivations to give the yard a makeover, according to Megan. The kids were getting older and not using the lawn as much, and the Lowes discovered they could take advantage of rebates for turf removal.

Water conservation is already a way of life in San Diego County, and San Diego County Water Authority has a lot to do with that. But an op-ed in Water Deeply by Matt O’Malley of San Diego Coastkeeper didn’t give that impression. The truth is that Coastkeeper and the Water Authority share many goals, such as making our region more resilient to drought, but we sometimes disagree about the best way to accomplish them. Coastkeeper tends to support mandates by state regulators, whereas we advocate for decision-making at the local level to ensure alignment with local supply conditions and minimize unintended consequences.