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A rebate program that will make already discounted rain barrels even less expensive for area residents will be available through the end of this year, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Monday. The 50-gallon barrels will be available at the Solana Center for $90, discounted from $149, according to the water authority. Until Dec. 31, purchasers can also get a $75 rebate through the SoCalWaterSmart program. The offer will be reduced to $35 on Jan. 1, according to the agency. “Water stored in rain barrels can gradually be released into landscapes between rains,” said Joni German, water resources specialist for the water authority.

In recent weeks, the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has launched a PR campaign in San Diego County to advocate for a $17 billion plan to build twin tunnels for carrying water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. Then, the MWD dismissed a request by the San Diego County Water Authority for details about how the MWD will pay its share of the bill, which probably will exceed $4 billion.

The premise that Californians should be conserving at the same level as 2015 and that anything less is “backsliding” is ill-conceived. The reality is that our water supply picture — especially in Northern California — is not “precarious” as suggested by State Water Board staff. (“Water conservation improved in September but is still worse than in 2015,” Nov. 1) Conditions improved significantly in 2016, leading the State Water Board to the sound decision to lift mandated conservation for those water suppliers that demonstrated adequate supplies. This allowed local water providers to match their levels of conservation to the reliability of their water supplies.

The city of Carlsbad Nov. 1 celebrated the expansion of its water recycling plant, a project the city says will increase water reliability by enabling companies, schools, HOAs and other large water users to conserve limited drinking water supplies by utilizing recycled water for irrigation and other non-drinking uses. Recycled water is wastewater that has been treated to a level suitable for irrigation, industrial processing and other non-drinking uses. The city has more than doubled its recycled water consumption in the last 10 years and has more recycled water meters than any other water district in San Diego County.

 

Governor Jerry Brown will be in San Diego making his voice heard over Proposition 53. He’s meeting with public safety and local leaders to oppose the initiative. Prop 53 requires a state-wide vote on bond projects costing more than $2 billion. The governor says Prop 53 erodes local control by forcing everyone in California to approve projects first. The California Professional Firefighters Association, first responders and sheriffs are also against the measure.