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San Vicente Reservoir to Open Sept. 22

The San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside will reopen for fishing and recreation Sept. 22 after a little more than eight years of being closed. The reservoir, owned by the city of San Diego, shut down to visitors Sept. 2, 2008, so the county Water Authority could raise the height of the reservoir’s concrete dam to increase its water storage. The dam is now at 337 feet. The Water Authority also constructed a new marina. San Vicente Dam, built between 1941 and 1943, originally stood at 220 feet and could store up to 90,000 acre-feet of water.

Does California’s Environmental Protection Law Impede Development? Five Things to Know About CEQA

A North Tustin senior housing project got derailed. Affordable housing for low-income residents in Orange was waylaid for several months. A water pipeline for south Orange County has been held up for four years. And a Santa Ana homeless shelter ended up going elsewhere. All four projects – serving the elderly, the poor, the homeless and the thirsty – ended up in court facing accusations they were potential environmental threats. The would-be environmentalists in these cases included neighboring businesses, neighborhood associations and a mining company serving the oil and gas industry.

FPUD Adopts 2016-17 Budget and Rates

The Fallbrook Public Utility District adopted its 2016-17 budget and FPUD’s new rates. One 5-0 FPUD board vote July 14 approved the final budget for the current fiscal year while a separate 5-0 vote amended FPUD’s Administrative Code to reflect the new rates. The water rates are on a calendar year basis and will take effect Jan. 1 while the fixed charges are on a fiscal year basis and took effect July 1. “They’re based upon a rigorous development of the budget and vetting by the board’s Fiscal Committee,” said FPUD general manager Brian Brady.

Region’s Water-Supply Answer is All of The Above: Guest Commentary

Just a year ago, California drought conditions were at their worst. The Sierra snowpack was at a historic low, we experienced record-high temperatures, and our state encountered its first-ever mandatory conservation measures issued by Gov. Jerry Brown. Earlier this year, while rainfall and snowpack in Northern California helped to replenish state reservoirs, the much anticipated El Niño presented a disappointing outcome by bringing minimal drought relief to Southern California. Because we rely on importing water from hundreds of miles away for almost two-thirds of our water supply, our water supplies are vulnerable to water shortages that may occur elsewhere.

San Fernando Valley Will Soon Store 5 Billion Gallons of Stormwater

The Tujunga Spreading Grounds may look like a vast, barren plot of dirt. But it’s what’s beneath the dirt that matters. Earlier this week, officials brandished shiny shovels to break ground on a project there that they say will play a key role in bolstering the region’s water supply and protecting against future droughts. The spreading grounds, a 150-acre tract of porous soil in the northeast San Fernando Valley, capture stormwater that falls from the sky or runs off from nearby mountains and hills, and allows the water to filter into a vast aquifer that can be drawn down when the resource is in short supply.

OPINION: With New Climate Legislation, Gov. Brown Gets Even With The Oil Industry

Gov. Jerry Brown got mad and one year later has gotten even with the oil lobby. It’s a textbook example of what can happen in a representative democracy when a leader is willing to settle for realistic goals. It’s what results when one doesn’t get too greedy and agrees to compromise. It’s also symptomatic of one-party control. Dominant Democrats in Sacramento hang together more often than not, and that produces victories when only a simple majority vote is required. And that’s usually. Republicans these days are mostly irrelevant in California’s Capitol.

Hearing on Huntington Beach Desalination Plant Postponed

Last week, Poseidon Water agreed to postpone the hearing on its proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project and work with state regulators on a process that will ensure a rigorous review of the project. Orange County Coastkeeper says this is good news for residents and ratepayers because the review process is designed to protect the county’s valuable coastline, clean air and water and ensure proposed desalination projects serve the public interest.

Rosarito Beach Desalination Project Moves Forward

 

San Vicente Reservoir Reopening for Boating, Fishing After 8 Years

The San Vicente Reservoir, closed for eight years, will reopen Sept. 22, and boating and fishing permits are scheduled to go on sale this evening, according to the city of San Diego. The permits, which will go on sale on the Ticketmaster website at 7 p.m. Pacific Time, will allow for water activities Sept. 22-26 at the facility. Permits are $8 for adults to fish and $7 for boat launches, plus Ticketmaster processing fees. The reservoir has been closed since September 2008 to allow the San Diego County Water Authority to raise the dam 117 feet, creating more water storage capacity at the municipally owned facility.

L.A. Betting That Stormwater Can Help Ease California’s Drought

Five years of drought have struck different parts of California unevenly. Cities with multiple sources of water have weathered the crisis relatively well, even after important reservoirs have hit bottom. But residents of some small towns in the San Joaquin Valley and northern California, who depend on a single source of water, have had their daily routines upended when one important well or creek has run dry.