All Features
Behind-the-scenes stories about regional water issues, projects, and people.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
Hold Onto Your Hillsides and Slopes
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalMany San Diego County residents live near canyons, which are valuable natural resources. Native canyon hillsides should be not be disturbed. When planting in previously disturbed or built slopes and hillsides, low-water plants, trees, deep-rooted native plant species, and climate-appropriate plants with strong root structures should be selected. Their powerful root systems can help hold […]
Maintenance Men Bring Home the Hardware from National Contest
/in Achievements, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalTwo maintenance pros representing San Diego brought home awards from the 2018 American Public Works Association’s National Roadeo Skills Competition in Kansas City, Missouri , in late August. The San Diego County Water Authority’s Bobby Bond Jr. placed second in the backhoe/mini-excavator event, while John Brown, also of the Water Authority, placed third in the […]
Avoid ‘Takeover Artists’ in Your Landscaping
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalJust like people, many non-native plants love everything about San Diego County and choose to make it their home. They love it so much these invasive plants have moved in, stretched out, and are doing their best to take over. They do what they can to make room by hurting native plant species. They drain […]
Center for Water Studies Moves Into New Home at Cuyamaca College
/in Education, Features /by Gayle Falkenthalby Water News Network staffThe transformation of Cuyamaca College’s trailblazing Water and Wastewater Technology Program into the Center for Water Studies is all but complete. Among the premier water and wastewater training facilities in California, the Center for Water Studies relocated in late August to a renovated complex complete with new classrooms, a water quality analysis laboratory and a […]
Call On These Five Firefighting Plants
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalWildfire is a real and constant threat in San Diego County year-round, but particularly in the late summer and fall months. This is especially true in wildland interface areas where homes are right next to the backcountry. Landscape design, plant selection, and maintenance must be done in accordance with fire-safe guidelines. Wildfire is a real […]
Sustainable Landscapes Takes Root in San Diego
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle Falkenthalby Water News Network staffMore than 225 San Diego County homeowners have transformed their landscapes into beautiful, climate-appropriate mini-watersheds through the Sustainable Landscapes Incentive Program developed by the San Diego County Water Authority and its partners. Since the program launched in October 2016, more than 354,000 square feet of turf has been removed and replaced with sustainable landscaping. Approximately […]
1957: Second San Diego Aqueduct Approved To Support Growing Region
/in From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalAfter completion of Pipeline 2, in the First San Diego Aqueduct in 1954, it soon became clear additional water would be needed to sustain the growing region. On January 10, 1957, the Water Authority’s Board of Directors approved preliminary plans for the construction of the Second San Diego Aqueduct. The general manager was directed to […]
Great Groundcovers To Consider as Lawn Substitutes
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalYou may have decided to replace your thirsty traditional lawn in your new sustainable landscape. What options are available for some kind of natural plant element rather than covering the same area with hardscaping? Consider replacing the lawn with a groundcover type plant. There are many good choices that make good lawn substitutes and grow […]
Water Authority A Winner At Skills Competition
/in Achievements, Features, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Gayle FalkenthalTwo San Diego County Water Authority employees took home first place honors in the annual – and unusual – competition that tests the mettle of public works professionals with backhoes, wheelbarrows and other tools of the trade. And one Water Authority veteran – Bobby Bond Jr. – earned the title of 2018 Master Operator for […]
1954: Water Flows Freely Through Entire First Aqueduct
/in From the Archives /by Andrea Moraby Water News Network StaffOn Oct. 2, 1954, the Water Authority celebrated the completion of the San Diego Aqueduct. A dedication ceremony was held with the S.A. Healy Company, contractor of the last section of the aqueduct. During the ceremony, Captain C.W. Porter, representing the Commandant of the Eleventh Naval District of the U.S. Navy, presented a letter to […]
When It Comes To Lawns, Use it or Lose It
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalIf you have a desire and a need to retain turf as part of your landscaping, consider adopting the most efficient and organic maintenance plan possible. Lawns that are maintained organically and with efficient irrigation can offer a cool, practical surface for active recreation, or just hanging out with your family. Most lawns suffer from […]
1990s: Drought Prompts Supply Diversification Strategy
/in From the Archives /by Andrea Moraby Water News Network StaffIn the early 1990s, the Water Authority received 95 percent of its water from a single source — the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — making the region vulnerable to supply shortages. In February 1991, worsening drought conditions forced MWD to cut deliveries to the San Diego region by 31 percent. The cutbacks lasted […]
Historic Water Deal Provides Less Expensive, More Reliable Supplies
/in Features, View From The Chair /by Gayle Falkenthal /San Diego County Water Authorityby Mark Muir, Board ChairA historic achievement for the San Diego region passed almost unnoticed when the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors adopted new wholesale water rates in late June. The rate-setting process highlighted how the Water Authority’s independent water supplies from the Colorado River are now both less expensive and more reliable than supplies from […]
USS Midway: A History of Sustainable Water Management
/in Features /by Gayle FalkenthalThe USS Midway Museum, docked in San Diego, is the most popular naval warship museum in the United States and among the most visited museums in the country, with 1.4 million people annually coming aboard. Those visitors discover the Midway made its own fresh water while at sea, from the first day it was commissioned […]
2003: Colorado River Agreement Signed
/in Features, From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalIn 1995, the San Diego County Water Authority began negotiations with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) for the transfer of up to 500,000 acre-feet of water per year from the fertile farming area in the southeastern corner of California. In 1998, the Water Authority and IID signed an agreement that provided for the transfer of […]