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As River Runs Dry, Desert Region is at a Crossroads

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Caleb Hampton

As early as midnight, scores of Mexicali residents with U.S. citizenship or legal status line up at the port of entry. They cross into Calexico, walking past darkened storefronts, and gather near a 24-hour donut shop. Before dawn, they board buses for fields across the Imperial Valley.

Every year, some 15,000 people legally cross the border to work on farms in the region. In the winter, they join local residents in harvesting as much as 90% of the nation’s vegetables.

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Rains Worsen San Diego’s Most Dangerous Dam

/in , /by /San Diego Readerby Sheila Pell Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Lake Hodges Dam has received the state’s worst possible safety rating, leaving the city with another delay in making repairs some say are decades overdue.

Last month, the state’s Division of Safety of Dams downgraded its condition from poor to unsatisfactory due to seismic issues, rating the hazard “extremely high.” The 105-year-old city dam is at the end of its lifespan.

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Santa Fe Irrigation Board Approves Water Rate Increases

/in , /by /Rancho Santa Fe Reviewby Karen Billing Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Santa Fe Irrigation District customers will see an increase in water rates this spring as the board voted on March 28 to approve the new rate hike. In the 4-1 vote, Director Sandy Johnson representing Rancho Santa Fe was opposed. The new rates went into effect on April 1 and customers will see the impacts on bi-monthly bills in June.

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San Elijo JPA Announces $18.3M Project for Water Treatment Upgrades

/in , /by /North County Current

A project announced by the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority on Monday, April 3, aims to capture more than 7 million gallons of stormwater per year and redirect pollutants from entering the San Elijo Lagoon, in addition to other water infrastructure improvements.

The $18.3 million project, recently approved by JPA directors, involves upgrades to drainage and water treatment infrastructure in Encinitas, according to a San Elijo JPA news release. Work is slated for 2024 and expected to take 10 months to complete.

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MWD Awards Contract to Rehabilitate Skinner Treatment Plant Ozone Contactor Walls

/in , /by /Valley Newsby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The walls of the ozone contactors at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Robert A. Skinner Water Treatment Plant are experiencing cracks, and the March 14 MWD board meeting included the award of a contract to rehabilitate the structure walls of two of the contactors.

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Otay Water District Opens 2023 Landscape Makeover Contest

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Otay Water District has launched its annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest as part of a continuing effort to encourage water conservation. Outdoor watering accounts for more than half of residential water use. The resident judged to have the most attractive, drought-toleranat garden receives a nursery gift card, among other prizes, and the title “Best in District.”

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Water Authority Holding Rate Study Workshop

/in , /by /The Star Newsby Albert Fulcher

Sweetwater Authority is hosting a Rate Study Workshop-Technical Session on April 19 from 3-4 p.m. The Authority is currently conducting a water rate cost of service study. The study will evaluate the Authority’s existing rates and rate structure for water charges and provide recommendations for updating the rates and/or rate structure. Members of the public are invited to attend the rate workshop to hear about the rate study from NBS, the Authority’s consultant performing the study, and to provide feedback and ask questions.

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Special Water Rates Program Reduces Costs for San Diego County Growers

/in , , /by Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority and 13 of its member agencies offer growers a special agricultural water rate program: providing lower-cost water in return for lower reliability.

The Water Authority’s Board of Directors approved the Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate Program (PSAWR) in 2020. It helps support commercial farms driving the economic engine of rural San Diego County. PSAWR gives farmers a choice of what level of water service works best for their operations.

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Sticker Shock: Thousands of San Diego Water Customers Getting Gigantic, Cumulative Bills

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick

More and more San Diego water customers are getting sticker shock from gigantic bills that force them to pay for many months of past service all at once.

The cumulative bills, which can be as high as several thousand dollars, aren’t the result of customers being irresponsible. They are being caused by severe staffing shortages and outdated meters that often malfunction, city officials say.

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Diversity, Inclusion Key Themes at Women in Water Symposium

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl delivered an inspiring keynote address at the 2023 Women in Water Symposium at Cuyamaca College. The conference was not held at the college in 2021 or 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. And Kerl’s address focused on the sixth annual conference theme, “Building Resilience In Post-Pandemic Times.”

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