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Short Film Highlights Decay, Beauty at the Salton Sea

Independent filmmaker, Franck Tabouring is trying to save the Salton Sea in his own way. Tabouring has created a short film filled with thought provoking images called, “The Useless Sea.”

“You’ll be surprised but I’ve talked to many people who’ve growed up in California have lived there their entire lives, and when I mention, ‘Have you heard of the Salton Sea?” They’ve never heard of it,” said Tabouring. Tabouring personally discovered the Salton Sea while scouting desert locations for another film project.

$90 Million Doheny Beach Desalination Plant Still in Works

A desalination plant proposed near San Juan Creek could produce as much as 15 million gallons of drinking water daily and create a reliable source for South County-area reserves in the wake of an earthquake or drought, officials said.

South Coast Water District officials said plans for the $90 million plant – studied for more than a decade – are moving forward despite the fact the district would be the sole agency building it. The plant – with a 2019 opening date – would likely provide 75 percent of the district’s water needs, district general manager Andrew Brunhart said.

Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Water Efficient Landscaping Bill Passes First Policy Committee

Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Water Efficient Landscaping Bill, AB 2525, passed the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee with a 9-3 vote. AB 2525 creates the California Water Efficient Landscaping (WEL) Program that encourages Californians to upgrade their landscape and irrigation equipment for more efficient ones. It also prioritizes participation of families that qualify for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

 

Water Districts Partner to Offer Free ‘WaterSmart’ Landscape Workshop

As part of its continued efforts to promote outdoor water-use efficiency, Olivenhain Municipal Water District is hosting a free landscape workshop on Tuesday, April 5, to assist residents in saving money on their water bills while maintaining a healthy landscape.

The workshop will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive in Encinitas.

 

San Diego Wins Legal Fees in Battle with Metropolitan Water District

The San Diego County Water Authority will have $8.9 million in legal fees paid following its successful lawsuit against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California over water rates.

The Los Angeles-based MWD now owes the San Diego authority more than $243 million, including damages, costs, interest and attorneys’ fees. “We are pleased that almost all of the attorneys’ fees and court costs incurred by the water authority to defend our water ratepayers will be recovered,” said Mark Weston, chair of the authority’s board of directors.

Saving Water an Ongoing Effort at Sycuan

The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation recently completed a major reduction in overall water usage through an aggressive conservation program, said Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez.

The program includes retrofitting irrigation equipment, removing and replacing water-dependent landscaping and increasing community awareness around the importance of water conservation. The program has reduced the Tribe’s reliance on groundwater at the golf course and resort by 25 percent, Martinez said. It has also allowed it to cut water use on properties within the Padre Dam and Otay municipal water districts by an average of 22 percent, he said.

Vallecitos Water District Receives Lower Conservation Mandate

Vallecitos Water District customers will receive some relief from the state’s water conservation targets, as the state lowered the district’s target from 24 percent to 16 percent, officials announced on March 25.

Districts across the region have been receiving conservation relief as a result of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant coming online. The desalination plant provides the region with a “drought proof” water source, thus reducing the need for imported water that is subject to the conservation mandates.

Records Show Moldy Classrooms, Torn Up Roads

Last year, public employees in San Diego County built fences with public money at prices that made them say, “Yikes!” They grappled with “screw ups” — including repaving a street scheduled to be dug up for utility work the following week.The San Diego Union-Tribune found these problems and others by sifting through tens of thousands of emails requested under the California Public Records Act from 107 government agencies throughout the county.

Two fence bids caused a “yikes” email, one at the Padre Dam Municipal Water District in Santee and one at the Olivenhain Water District in Encinitas.

April Weather Looks to be Warm and Dry in Southern California

On March 25, NOAA released its outlooks for temperature and precipitation for the month of April. These outlooks were put together keeping in mind ongoing strong El Niño conditions — which were supposed to be highly favorable for breaking the back of the California drought, or at least refilling reservoirs to above cracked-mudflat levels.

While the country east of the Rockies will be grumbling about colder than normal temperatures, Southern California will continue to be warm and sunny. Sea surface temperatures will be warmer than average — so surfing and diving and general beach activity should attract crowds to the coast.

California’s Largest Reservoir Filling too Fast Thanks to El Niño, Must Release More Water

The El Niño-fueled storms that have swept through Northern California in recent weeks have swelled some of the state’s largest reservoirs to encouraging levels even as the state’s drought persists.

One of the biggest beneficiaries has been Lake Shasta, a keystone reservoir of the Central Valley project, which serves California growers. To make room in Shasta for water from last weekend’s storms, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation ramped up releases from 5,000 cubic feet per second to 20,000 cubic feet per second on March 18.