The next two years of leadership on the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors were cemented Thursday with the election of the agency’s board officers, whose terms will begin Oct. 1. Encinitas City Councilman Mark Muir, who represents the San Dieguito Water District on the Water Authority’s Board and has served as the board’s vice chair for two years, was elected the new chair of the 36-member board, which represents 24 retail member water agencies. Jim Madaffer, board secretary for the past two years as a representative from the city of San Diego, will serve as vice chair.

Most San Diegans are drinking water containing hexavalent chromium at levels higher than the goals set by California’s scientists, but that fall well below the state’s legal limits for the toxic metal, a new report by the Environmental Working Group found. The report, released Wednesday, seeks to draw attention to a chemical that’s ubiquitous in drinking water in more than 200 million Americans. It also highlights the tension between maximizing public health and setting limits that regulators deem practical.

Fishermen, water skiers and boating enthusiasts filled the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside Thursday morning, marking the grand re-opening of the popular recreation area after eight years. Some people were so eager, they camped out overnight outside at the front gate off Moreno Avenue. The reservoir, owned by the city of San Diego, shut down to visitors Sept. 2, 2008. It closed so the San Diego County Water Authority could raise the height of the reservoir’s concrete dam by more than 100 feet to increase its water storage. The dam is now at 337 feet.

California’s water problem is severe. Despite 2016 seeing a distinct improvement in precipitation over previous years, to almost average levels in many areas, much of the state is in extreme drought. As well as ordering mandatory water reductions, the state has also been looking to other solutions.

“Shade balls,” the 4-inch wide black plastic balls pictured above blanketing Los Angeles Reservoir, have been touted as one of those solutions. But they’re not. The primary purpose of the release, which went viral last year, was to obey Federal rules on covering drinking water. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) had previously used the balls in smaller reservoirs, and in the case of the Los Angeles Reservoir, says the balls helped the department save more than $250 million over installing a more permanent cover.