Conditions have improved in a small swath of Southern California that was one of the last areas of severe drought still standing during a wet winter for the record books. Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties are no longer under severe drought, according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report. Recent rainfall improved the outlook for groundwater in the region, accounting for the improvement, the Monitor report said.

 

Just before the Oroville Dam became daily front page news, during what turned out to be a brief lull in this winter’s storms, one of my neighbors asked if I thought the drought was over. “Nope, just an interlude,” I said. Then, within the week, more rain came – rain and snow, depending on where you reside in this great state. But as far as I can tell, we still live in a continuing drought. These storms are just a brief interruption. After so much rain, and massive, record-setting snow, why do I say that?

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography on Tuesday raised the attention level for two earthquake faults, saying they’re actually a single system that could produce devastating temblors affecting Tijuana to the Los Angeles region. If offshore segments of the Newport-Inglewood and Rose Canyon fault system ruptured, they could generate a magnitude 7.3 quake capable of damaging much of the Southern California coastline, according to the scientists at Scripps, which is part of UC San Diego.

Some 700,000 Californians are currently being exposed to contaminated water at home or at school, according to the latest data from California’s Water Resources Control Board. NBC 7 discovered more than 3,000 of those residents are living in the San Diego region, often in poorer, rural communities located within areas of Potrero, Pauma Valley and Borrego Springs.

 

The appointment of Mike Obermiller as Poway’s public works director was announced Tuesday by City Manager Tina White. Obermiller started with the city in August 2014 as the department’s assistant director. During his tenure, he served as the city’s liaison with several regional groups including the Metro Wastewater Joint Powers Authority and San Diego County Water Authority. Prior to joining the city, Obermiller served 20 years in the US Navy as a Civil Engineer Corps officer, leading comprehensive public works and construction management organizations in Japan, Iraq, Mississippi and California.