Chula Vista, Calif. – On May 2, the Sweetwater Authority’s Governing Board kicked off the start of the agency’s first project of its five-year capital improvement plan with a commemorative pipe-signing at its Board meeting.
Encinitas, Calif. – Olivenhain Municipal Water District and the Escondido Creek Conservancy invite amateur photographers of all ages to Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve for the thirteeth annual amateur photography contest, which launched on Saturday, April 21, and will conclude on Monday, September 3.
Encinitas, Calif. – OMWD’s 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility received the “Small Safety Plant of the Year” award from the California Water Environment Association during the statewide awards ceremony on April 20. In addition, as the highest rated California facility in the Safety Category, the Water Environment Federation also presented OMWD with its coveted George W. Burke Award.
San Diego, Calif. – Sharing images that highlight the importance of safe and reliable water supplies in San Diego County will win valuable prizes for dozens of participants during a social media contest that spans Water Awareness Month in May.
San Diego County has secured sufficient water supplies for 2018 and beyond despite below-average, low snowpack in the Sierra Nevada at the start of April when the snowpack typically peaks.
The April 2 survey by the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program showed water content in the snowpack statewide increased from 23 percent of average on March 1 to 54 percent of the historical average at the start of April. The early-April snow survey is deemed the most important for forecasting supplies from the State Water Project, which provides about 15 percent of the San Diego region’s water supplies.
“That’s a big improvement over last month, and there are still storms moving through the Sierra,” Alexi Schnell, a water resources specialist for the Water Authority, told the agency’s Board on April 12.
Water Use Drops Nearly 50 Percent
In San Diego County, ratepayers have invested heavily in drought-resilient supplies from water recycling, seawater desalination and conservation-and-transfer agreements for high-priority supplies from the Colorado River.
At the same time, the region’s per capita potable water use dropped by 47 percent between fiscal years 1990 and 2017 due to numerous conservation programs coupled with a strong commitment by residents and businesses countywide to “Live WaterSmart.”
In addition to the State Water Project, the San Diego region’s water supplies come from local sources such as the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Colorado River, which accounts for roughly three quarters of local supplies. Late March conditions in the Upper Colorado River Basin were better than the Sierra at 72 percent of normal snowpack – though the basin remains in a long-term drought.
Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, left, Cindy Messer, Chief Deputy Director (DWR), center, assists Frank Gehrke, Chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, with the fourth snow survey of 2018 at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The survey site is approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Photo:
Dale Kolke / California Department of Water Resources
On the home front, Lindbergh Field and the Ramona Airport have reported only 33 percent and 40 percent of normal rainfall respectively since the start of the water year in October.
In addition, the local hot streak persisted through late-winter, with average daily maximum temperatures at Lindbergh Field remaining above normal into early April. Over the past four years, only two months have been cooler than normal.
San Marcos, Calif. – On April 4, the Vallecitos Water District was honored for achieving re-accreditation as a “District of Distinction” by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF). The accreditation is designed as a way for districts to highlight their prudent fiscal practices along with other areas important to effectively operate and govern a special district. California SDLF public affairs field coordinator Chris Palmer was on hand to recognize Vallecitos for completing the essential governance requirements. This is the second time Vallecitos has received this biannual accreditation.
San Diego, Calif. – As part of its pioneering approach to pipeline asset management, the San Diego County Water Authority is co-sponsoring a nationwide contest to advance leak- and corrosion-detection technologies for large-diameter pipelines. Leaks and corrosion are major problems across the country, resulting in billions of gallons of water wasted annually – enough to fill more than three million Olympic-sized swimming pools – along with disruptions in water service and costly repairs. The competition runs through May 8 and includes a $75,000 purse provided by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the nation’s largest water provider and the operator of more than 20,000 miles of buried water pipelines.
San Diego, Calif. – The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors voted to endorse Proposition 68, a state bond measure that would fund projects important to the San Diego region and allocate more than $1 billion for water-related initiatives statewide. If passed by California voters on June 5, the bond would provide $200 million to Salton Sea restoration activities and $12 million for the San Diego River Conservancy as part of a $4 billion package to address natural resource issues across California.
California voters overwhelmingly oppose state legislation that would create a new tax on drinking water, according to a recent poll of likely 2018 voters around the state.
In all, 73 percent said they opposed Senate legislation that would impose a tax on residential customers across the state in order to fund safe drinking water for disadvantaged communities living in areas with groundwater contamination. Over half said they “strongly opposed” the measure, while just 8 percent said they “strongly supported” it.
When asked their preference, three out of four voters preferred using existing state funds for providing safe drinking water to low-income communities in need, rather than establishing a new tax on drinking water. Just one in five voters chose a new tax on drinking water. Five percent said they didn’t know.
The results cross party and demographic lines, and preferences held firm even as respondents learned more about the tax proposal and its aims to provide safe drinking water to low-income communities.
“Clearly, voters want elected officials in Sacramento to use existing resources such as the state’s general fund, available federal funds, voter-approved water bonds and agricultural assessments intended for this purpose to fund the objective of this policy,” according to Tulchin Research, which conducted the poll of 1,000 likely voters in late January. The poll was commissioned by the Association of California Water Agencies and has a 3.1 percent margin of error.
The legislation in question, Senate Bill 623 by Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel, proposes taxing fertilizer, dairy products and water customers around the state to address groundwater pollution largely related to farming.
The bill is opposed by water agencies, including the San Diego County Water Authority, as well as their industry organizations such as the Association of California Water Agencies and California Municipal Utilities Association.
Opponents of the bill say the bill violates the California principle of “polluter pays” by putting the onus of cleanup on urban ratepayers. They say a greater portion of the funding for drinking water pollution cleanup should come from the agricultural and dairy industries, whose assessments make up just 15 percent of the anticipated revenue. Poll respondents agreed overwhelmingly that ratepaying customers should not be stuck with the bill.
Agriculture is a rich part of San Diego County’s heritage and foundational piece of the region’s economy, but it’s not easy to make a go of farming here given the hilly terrain, uneven soils and limited natural water supplies.
That’s where the San Diego County Water Authority comes in. The wholesale water agency has funded more than 2,300 free irrigation system evaluations for farmers since 1991 by partnering with the Fallbrook-based Mission Resource Conservation District. Those efforts can save farmers hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year, while stretching the region’s most valuable natural resource and improving crop performance.
And this year, the Water Authority is taking its agricultural assistance program to a new level by leveraging more than $1.5 million from a variety of sources to help improve irrigation efficiency at local farms with an enhanced package of services. By sharing costs with farmers, those funds will be stretched through 2021 to offer additional site evaluations and testing, soil mapping, water conservation planning, soil moisture sensors and technical assistance.
“I don’t think a lot of people really realize how important agriculture is to our economy,” says Michele Shumate, a water resources specialist at the Water Authority. “By improving water efficiency, we’re also supporting a large economy.”
These dual benefits explain why the Water Authority helped to secure funding for expanded agricultural water efficiency efforts over the next three years. In addition to the Water Authority, the program partners are USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Mission Resource Conservation District, San Diego County Farm Bureau, and 10 Water Authority member agencies – Carlsbad, Escondido, Fallbrook, Oceanside, Rainbow, Rincon del Diablo, San Dieguito, Vallecitos, Valley Center and Yuima.
“The purpose of the funding is to address three related natural resource issues – water quantity, water quality and soil health,” said Shumate. “Making the most of our water supplies, reducing runoff and enhancing crop productivity benefit farmers and the region at large.”
San Diego County is home to approximately 5,700 farms – more than any other county in the nation – and they benefit from the region’s nearly perfect weather. But they also must contend with intermittent rain, hilly terrain and bedrock that can sit just a few feet below the surface – all of which makes irrigation efficiency both challenging and critical.
Irrigation evaluations typically begin with a conversation about current practices – when farmers irrigate, for how long and how many zones are in the irrigation system. Lance Andersen, who performs farm water-use evaluations as agricultural program director for the conservation district, then measures flow rates at sprinklers and water pressure at the risers. He produces a written report with recommendations for improving irrigation efficiency and offers a follow-up evaluation.
Easy fixes typically include adjusting water pressure throughout irrigation systems and replacing faulty pressure regulators. Regulating pressure on hilly terrain can be tricky, and Andersen often finds that water pressure in flat areas is too high, which results in overwatering. Ensuring that all emitters are of the same size and type is another easy adjustment for farmers.
It can be more challenging to adjust irrigation rates to account for soil type and depth. “Everybody kind of knows that we don’t have deep soil, but they don’t irrigate that way,” Andersen says.
Sweetwater Authority Logo 2019