Despite this two-day rain storm that’s wrapping up, overall, we’ve had a very dry fall and winter. Jeff Stephenson, a principal water resources specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority, spoke with Morning Extra about the impact the recent rain will have and how the water supply for 2018 is looking. Visit WaterSmartSD.org for information about low-water landscaping classes, rebate offers, a home water-use calculator and other resources.
In the mountains above coastal Santa Barbara County, the vegetation is typically so deep and lush that it can soak up a half-inch of rainwater before it flows downhill. But that was before the Thomas fire swept through in December, burning those trees and brush to the ground. Now, the rain has no buffer, and that is cause for alarm.
A strong Pacific storm that will hit Southern California early this week could bring up to 1½ inches of rain to San Diego and a dusting of snow to local mountains Tuesday. Forecasters say the storm system will arrive late tonight with a few light showers and increasing winds, with heavier rain, strong winds and snow in mountain areas above the 5,000-foot level by Tuesday.
Officials across the region are preparing for the first major storm of the winter, which could cause significant flooding and property damage and snarl morning and evening rush-hour commutes. The National Weather Service predicted that up to an inch of rain along the coast, and roughly twice that in the mountains, would soak the region starting late Monday night into this morning. Foothill communities above 5,000 feet could see light snow flurries.
After a record setting dry start to our water year, heavy rain is back in SoCal this week. Light rain is falling for the Monday morning commute, with heavier and more widespread showers hitting the region as the day progresses. A flash flood watch goes into effect Monday at 4 p.m. and going though Tuesday night.
Below the streets of La Mesa, a big project is taking place. San Diego’s Water Authority is in the process of relining four miles of pipes that have been around for nearly 60 years. News 8’s Shawn Styles goes underground to give you a closer look at the work.
Businesses and restaurants in Little Italy are asking the city of San Diego for money after a water main break last year. On July 30, 2017, a 16-inch concrete main broke at Kettner Boulevard and Juniper Street in Little Italy. “This was a pretty horrendous water break,” said Marco Li Mandri with the Little Italy Association of San Diego. Water flooded streets for hours. Normally busy restaurants and businesses were forced to close. “Kettner was shut down the entire day and you obviously can’t do any food service without water.”
Water customers across the city of San Diego have contacted NBC 7 Responds with complaints they are being charged by the city for more water than they actually used. These customers are not talking about their water rates, rather homeowners say their water use suddenly skyrocketed in one or more billing periods, leading to hundreds of dollars in higher charges.
San Diego’s weather, year after year, is more apt to be abnormal than “normal.” It’ll be wet one year, dry the next, dry the next, dry the next and then super wet the next. What San Diego really has is an average (10.34 inches of rain annually) that is a blend of the majority dry years and the occasional wet ones. No one would apply the word “normal” – or “average” – to 2017. It was both super wet and super dry at times, although consistently warm.
The water is back on now for the more than 60 businesses that were without water after a water main break in National City. It all started around 6 a.m. Thursday, when residents saw water running down West 16th Street and Coolidge Avenue. Water could be seen flooding several yards, but there was no damage to any property, just an inconvenience with no water for morning commuters. The Sweetwater Authority closed the affected area and forced drivers to find a way around the mess, while crews continued to fix the pipe and figure out what caused it to break.
