More than half off all beaches in Southern California could disappear by the end of the century due to sea-level rise, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Geophysical Research. As a result of sea-level rise, up to 67 percent of beaches from Santa Barbara to San Diego could be completely eroded back to sea cliffs or coastal infrastructure by 2100, according to the report from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers will soon be able to recover their money from a landmark class-action settlement. Starting this week, ratepayers will receive packets in the mail that detail what types of refunds and damages may be claimed from the settlement. The DWP has been plagued by a faulty computer billing system launched in 2013 that overcharged tens of thousands of customers while failing to bill others at all. Ratepayers filed a class-action lawsuit against the utility and the city; all sides reached a tentative settlement that was approved in December.
Two fault zones that were thought to be separate actually make up one continuous fault system running through San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, according to new research. If all the offshore and onshore segments of the so-called Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault system were to rupture at once, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake could seize the region.
Local water officials working to better manage groundwater in the Santa Clarita Valley’s water basin, are also working to better manage the salt in that basin. Members of the Castaic Lake Water Agency board approved a recommendation Wednesday to pay their salt-studying consultants more money for extra work in light of new salt demands handed down recently by regional water regulators.
Rising seas are eating away at ocean-front sand at a pace that could leave Southern California with few usable beaches by the end of this century, scientists announced Monday. Research based on information from the U.S. Geological Survey’s newly created computer model, the Coastal Storm Modeling System, shows that with little human intervention up to 67 percent of the beaches in Southern California could erode completely in less than 100 years, according to a paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Local civic and business leaders have launched a “Stop the Spending” campaign when it comes to water rates. The agency is calling on one of its main suppliers – the Metropolitan Water District – to stop unnecessary water rate increases. San Diego gets 41 percent of its water from the Metropolitan Water District, but the city has been working on increasing local water supplies.
The decades-old Encina Power Station, site of a 400-foot-tall smokestack that looms over Carlsbad’s skyline, may not shut down operations by the end of this year after all. State officials are considering keeping the facility open through the end of 2018, when a new power station, the 500-megawatt Carlsbad Energy Center, is expected to be completed and replace the old Encina plant. Keeping Encina open means the controversial process called “once-through cooling” that kills marine life will continue for now.
Just because those on the Poway City Council recently eased local water restrictions doesn’t mean residents shouldn’t be mindful of their H20 use, officials said. “(It) isn’t an invitation to turn our backs on lessens learned during the drought,” a March 23 post on the community’s Facebook page said. “Learn what the current ‘Water Shortage Watch’ means and why you still need to turn off your sprinklers when it rains.” The message is in reference to a Poway City Council-adopted resolution earlier this month that lets up on outdoor watering restrictions for local customers.
Edna Ruiz saw her two-year-old daughter Estellah’s lips start to turn purple as the child gasped for air. She had asthma attacks before, but this was the worst. When they arrived in the emergency room of El Centro Regional Medical Center about 10 p.m. in January, Estellah had a temperature of 104 degrees. “It’s really scary to know when she’s coughing, she could stop breathing,” Ruiz said. The doctor confirmed Estellah’s asthma diagnosis and prescribed medications that helped her improve and return home.
A dog’s reluctance to drink from a bowl in a San Diego classroom led to the discovery of lead in the school’s water system, and testing of all pipes in the San Diego Unified School District will begin soon. According to a notice sent Friday to parents and staff members at Emerson-Bandini Elementary and San Diego Co-Operative Charter School 2, which share a single campus, a teacher at the charter school noticed her therapy dog would not drink from a bowl filled with water from the classroom sink on Jan. 26
