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San Diego Region Closes Water Year With Supplies for 2017, Beyond: County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority reiterated Friday that the region has sufficient supply to meet expected demand next year and beyond, but efficient water use by customers remains essential.The agency, which distributes water to 24 cities and water districts in the county, previously stated in filings with state water authorities that there would be enough supply for the next three years, even if they were dry. The status was confirmed at a media briefing Friday, one day before the traditional start of the water year.

Risk Of Big Earthquake on San Andreas Fault Rises After Quake Swarm at Salton Sea

The rumbling started Monday morning deep under the Salton Sea. A rapid succession of small earthquakes — three measuring above magnitude 4.0 — began rupturing near Bombay Beach, continuing for more than 24 hours. Before the swarm started to fade, more than 200 earthquakes had been recorded. The temblors were not felt over a very large area, but they have garnered intense interest — and concern — among seismologists. It marked only the third time since earthquake sensors were installed there in 1932 that the area had seen such a swarm, and this one had more earthquakes than the events of 2001 and 2009.

 

 

Water Year forecast highly uncertain

California is also suffering a ‘snow drought’.

The State Department of Water Resources says that while 60 percent of the state is in a severe or extreme drought, the water content of the Sierra snowpack also comes up short.

Record warm temperatures have created an early and below-average runoff from melting snow that was in large part absorbed by parched soil before ever reaching California’s reservoirs.

The forecast for Water Year 2017 is uncertain since La Nina has replaced the rain-bearing El Nino.

One Word to Describe The Last Water Year? Dry

There were high hopes going into water year 2016. To hear some forecasters and scientists tell it, El Niño was coming to save California. With a little luck and a lot of rain, the drought might finally recede in its fifth year — or at least loosen its grip on the state.The weather phenomenon did show up, fueling some storms in Northern California. But it fell far short of the lofty expectations. On Friday, water year 2016 ended with a whimper.

New Water Plant Site Upsets Senior Neighbors

Escondido’s latest plan to build a recycled water treatment plant in the center of the city is drawing protests from residents in a nearby retirement home and other neighbors. The new site, at the southwest corner of Washington Avenue and Ash Street, is surrounded by mostly commercial properties, but is right next door to a retirement facility called The Springs of Escondido, where dozens of residents have signed a petition objecting to the city’s plans.

San Diego County Water Authority: Water Use Down 18-Percent

The San Diego County Water Authority reiterated Friday that the region has sufficient supply to meet expected demand next year and beyond, but efficient water use by customers remains essential. The agency, which distributes water to 24 cities and water districts in the county, previously stated in filings with state water authorities that there would be enough supply for the next three years, even if they were dry. The status was confirmed at a media briefing today, one day before the traditional start of the water year.

With Colorado River Dwindling, Author Finds Reasons to be Optimistic

With Lake Mead receding year after year and the threat of a shortage looming, the overallocated Colorado River seems to be approaching a breaking point.

But John Fleck argues this crisis doesn’t necessarily mean we’re headed for a future in which conflicts flare and communities run dry. In his new book “Water is for Fighting Over,” Fleck focuses on success stories, including multiple examples of cities and farms reducing water use, and a deal that briefly revitalized the parched Colorado River Delta in 2014 during an event called the “pulse flow.”

I’m Running Because I’m a Farmer and My Greatest Expense is Water

Bob Polito, a longtime citrus grower in Valley Center, is running for another term on the Valley Center Municipal Water District board, Division 1. Polito has served on the board almost 30 years, since 1988. He is a citrus and avocado farmer in Valley Center with 55 acres. He came to VC in the winter of 1981 and took over operation of Polito Family farmers. Before that he was a diesel heavy equipment mechanic in Seattle. Polito told The Roadrunner: “I’m running because I’m a farmer and by far my greatest expense in farming is water.

$16 Billion Delta Tunnels May Hit Taxpayers

A plan to build two huge tunnels to shunt fresh water around the Sacramento Delta is supposed to be funded entirely by the people who receive the water. But taxpayers may end up paying a substantial amount of the tab. That’s according to documents obtained by the Stockton-based environmental group Restore the Delta that discuss the cost of the California WaterFix project, which is projected to cost at least $16 billion to build.

OPINION: Why San Diegans Must Invest in Delta Solutions

Although we have made impressive investments to develop local water supplies, most of San Diego’s water continues to come from far away. In fact, more than 80 percent of our county’s water supply is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. And this heavy reliance on imported water is expected to continue for decades to come, even with much needed local investments in conservation, desalination and recycling. Soon, Southern California will be asked to make an important decision related to its north state supply.