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Why SDG&E’s Rates are Higher than Other California Utilities

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

For more than a few San Diego Gas & Electric customers, a summer of discontent has just wrapped up. Record heat in the San Diego area resulted in some residents seeing their monthly bills balloon and their complaints were compounded by a “high usage charge” the California Public Utilities Commission recently put in place. But that’s not the only issue. A year-over-year review by the Union-Tribune of electricity rate charges by the three investor-owned utilities shows SDG&E’s rates are not only higher than their cohorts but they have also been rising faster.

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Hemet Sues Dow Chemical And Shell Oil Over Contaminated Drinking Water

/in , , /by /The Press-Enterprise (Riverside)by Johnny Bender

Hemet has filed a federal lawsuit against Dow Chemical and Shell Oil seeking reimbursement for the cost of removing a cancer-causing chemical from the city’s water wells. According to its Sept. 21 suit, the contaminated wells have been tainted by TCP, a “highly toxic substance” used until the 1980s to fumigate soil where crops were grown. The solvent’s chemical name is “1,2,3-trichloropropane.” Hemet Mayor Michael Perciful said low levels of the chemical were discovered in two wells during routine tests at least six months ago.

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Water Supplies Sufficient For 2019 Demands Despite Hot, Dry Weather

/in , , /by /Water News Network

At the start of the 2019 water year, the combination of diversified water supplies and water-use efficiency means the San Diego region has enough water for 2019 and the foreseeable future despite historically low rainfall over the past 12 months. “It has been very hot and dry, but we have invested wisely in infrastructure and regional water-use remains well below where it was at the start of the last drought,” said Jeff Stephenson, a principal water resources specialist with the Water Authority.

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All Hope Dries Up

/in , , /by /California Ag Todayby Patrick Cavanaugh

Again, it came down to fish, specifically Chinook salmon, that forced the proposed Temperance Flat Dam out of the race for Proposition 1 funding for building new water storage projects. For more than 20 years, the Temperance Flat Dam proposal was passionately advocated with unwavering support by Central Valley cities and the San Joaquin Valley Infrastructure Authority (SJVIA) who were behind the application. Temperance Flat came crumbling down Wednesday at the California Water Commission (CWC) meeting in Sacramento on the second day of discussion.

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