The San Diego County Water Authority announced today that it transferred water out of Lake Hodges for the first time to create room to capture rain and runoff from storms expected to move into the region this week. Lake Hodges, in the North County roughly between Escondido and Rancho Bernardo, rose to nearly four feet of capacity from rains during a wet winter for the San Diego region.
The National Weather Service has a new report and video out on the extreme winter weather. It’s official – October 2016 to February 2017 was the wettest winter in California since 1900, with a whopping 27.81 inches of precipitation. The San Diego River crested at the third highest level ever recorded. Big Bear got over 60 inches of snow. Roads washed out and the Oroville Dam, the highest dam in the U.S., threatened to overflow, forcing use of a spillway that crumbled under the torrent.
Mayor Eric Garcetti proclaimed a state of emergency Monday, citing concerns that melting snowpack in the eastern Sierra Nevada could flood homes and highways in the Owens Valley and damage the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The proclamation, which takes effect immediately and lasts seven days, is designed to help the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power protect its pumps, pipes and reservoirs in the Owens Valley and surrounding areas.
A month after floods devastated a San Jose neighborhood, rain returned to the Bay Area, but no overflows are expected this time around, officials say. On Monday, rainfall was relatively light, but by Tuesday, the William Street area of San Jose will see its first significant rain since flood waters quickly overtook homes, cars, streets and parks after Coyote Creek overflowed. The good news this time: Flooding is not expected. The city, however, is moving forward in case another storm arises where it would need to warn people.
San Diegans will be able to get a financial break on water leak repairs this week from a San Diego County Water Authority program. From today through Sunday, participating plumbers will offer 10 percent discounts on products and services needed to fix leaks, up to $100. The program is a partnership between the Water Authority and Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association.
A Southern California brewery has successfully tested a beer using treated sewage water. Stone Brewing, a large craft brewing operation headquartered in Escondido, presented its Full Circle Pale Ale to curious customers at an event Thursday in San Diego. The new ale is made using recycled, treated sewage water and is part of San Diego’s plan, ‘Pure Water San Diego,’ to get a third of its water from recycled sources by 2021.
The drought is over, at least in the Santa Fe Irrigation District (SFID). At its meeting on Thursday, March 16, the district’s board voted unanimously to lift all restrictions on water use by its customers, essentially declaring that for the agency, which serves some 20,000 customers in Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch, the drought that has plagued California for the past five years is a thing of the past.
A 25-year-long, $1.5 billion effort to upgrade San Diego County’s water system was recognized Thursday with one of the worlds’ top civil engineering awards. The San Diego County Water Authority project beat out the iconic One World Trade Center in New York to receive the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Emergency and Carryover Storage Project was designed to ensure up to six months of water is available and can be moved around the San Diego region after a major earthquake or other emergency disrupts outside water supplies.
Miguel Gasca is the newest member of the Rainbow Municipal Water District (RMWD) board. A 4-0 board vote Feb. 28 selected Gasca to fill the Division 3 seat vacated after Tory Walker moved to Murrieta and resigned from the board. Gasca will fill the remainder of Walker’s term, which expires in December 2018. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to serve the community,” said Gasca. “He’ll be a good addition to the board,” said Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy.
San Diegans will be able to get a financial break on water leak repairs next week in a San Diego County Water Authority program. From Monday to March 26, participating plumbers will offer 10 percent discounts on products and services needed to fix leaks, up to $100. The program is a partnership between the Water Authority and Plumbing- Heating-Cooling Contractors Association.
