You are now in San Diego County category.

You never know what kind of bold, bizarre and humanity-benefitting concepts the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) will yield. After all, the LAGI is the force behind a biannual design competition — motto: “Renewable Energy Can Be Beautiful” — that in 2014 introduced the world to Energy Duck, a semi-terrifying, solar panel-clad bird-monster roughly the size of a tugboat. Like in years past, LAGI 2016 aims to solicit “human-centered solutions” that marry site-specific public art with sustainable energy infrastructure.

The country’s largest desalination plant is in the ground at Carlsbad and its water is in our pipes, but the debate over whether it was a wise or economical investment continues.The ability to turn salty ocean water into drinking water creates a dependable water supply for 3 million people in San Diego County. Even without a drought continuing across California, the ability to constantly sip from the ocean seems like an obvious plus. There are downsides, though: The desalination process is energy-intensive and its water is currently far more expensive than our other water supplies.

Since the Carlsbad Desalination Plant went online last December, you have probably noticed the difference in your water bill. Well, that extra cash is going back into paying for the project.This project was in development for 16 years and even though it’s extremely expensive, more agencies are looking to build similar plants up and down California.The water at the Claude Bud Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant is flowing about 10 billion gallons of fresh drinking water since it went online at the end of last year.

California water suppliers can begin warning and fining residential users for excessive water use during drought emergencies under a bill signed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown. California’s more than 400 urban water suppliers will be tasked with creating a scheme that identifies water-guzzling water homeowners drought emergencies as well as implementing a system to hand out warnings and potential fines. Senate Bill 814 takes effect Jan. 1 and gives suppliers the authority to create new rate structures for high-volume water offenders. The law also authorizes fines of $500 per each 748 gallons used above the district’s maximum threshold.

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.