You are now in San Diego County category.

Lab results show unusually high levels of lead were found at several schools in San Diego County during the school year, according to documents obtained Friday by NBC 7. Results for San Diego County from the State Water Resources Control Board show one sample recorded lead at three times the levels acceptable by the state. As schools test for lead in their drinking water, they are required by the state to fix problems if they discover lead in water at levels greater than 15 parts per billion (ppb).

 

Drive about 100 miles east-northeast of San Diego and you’ll come to the Salton Sea, a quasi-oasis whose surface is so glassy it reflects the sky in exquisite detail. Don’t be fooled by the serenity. You’re looking at a potential killer. Beneath the seafloor lie strands of the southern San Andreas fault, a 340-mile system that could rupture all the way to Monterey County. The result would be the “Big One,” an earthquake that experts said would collapse buildings, destroy freeways, warp rail lines and crack dams. Thousands of people could die.

The last drought’s behind us, which means the next one’s on the way. With summer here to remind Californians what it’s like to be hot and thirsty we fired three big questions at Bettina Boxall, the Los Angeles Times’ most experienced water reporter. She answers in these short videos.

A story on B1 June 5 about San Diego County Water Authority board meetings contained incorrect information about attendance stipends, expenses, and other payments for board members through March of this year. The amount paid collectively is $106,500.

The city of San Diego is creating the county’s first donation program to help low-income people pay their water and sewer bills, which have risen rapidly in recent years. The long-awaited program is expected to shrink the number of water shutoffs in the city and help some low-income seniors avoid having to choose between paying their water bill and buying medicines they need. In a typical month, about 500 of the city’s 275,000 ratepayers are deemed delinquent and in danger of having their service shut off, city officials said.