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.
1920s: Crouch Well, Emerald Hills Country Club
/in Features, From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalThe area which constitutes Emerald Hills in San Diego County was once a Kumeyaay Indian burial site. The modern neighborhood is named for the Emerald Hills Country Club and Golf Course, established in the area in 1929 by Art Cloninger, a well-known restauranteur of the era. The hilly area had a magnificent view of the […]
More About Mulch You Need To Know
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalWhen using mulch in your landscaping, how much mulch do you need? It depends on what job you want it to perform. To hold in moisture and keep down weeds: Use three to six inches of mulch on top of the soil. To maintain planting beds: Maintain two to four inches of mulch on beds […]
Vista Irrigation District Announces WaterSmart Landscape Contest Winner
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle Falkenthal /Vista Irrigation Districtby Vista Irrigation DistrictVista, Calif. – The Vista Irrigation District board of directors recognized one of its customers for their entry in the district’s WaterSmart Landscape Contest. The contest recognizes outstanding water-wise residential landscapes based on the criteria of overall attractiveness, appropriate plant selection, design, appropriate maintenance, and efficient methods of irrigation. Bill and Rachel Williams received the […]
1916: Record Rainfall Damages Dams, Causes Flooding
/in Features, From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalDespite the construction of magificent new dams, the San Diego region suffered from lack of water supplies due to a ten-year drought. Desperate for rain, the City of San Diego hired rainmaker Charles M. Hatfield in December 1915 for $10,000 with the promise he could fill the Morena Reservoir. From January 15 – 20, 1916, […]
Compost vs. Mulch: What’s the Difference?
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalCompost and mulch may seem like interchangeable terms for the same thing. But they are two different things with different uses in your landscaping. Compost is a soil amendment. It is made of organic matter such as food scraps, landscape debris, or livestock manure that have already been partially consumed and mostly decomposed by microorganism. […]
Regional Photo Contest Awards Top Prizes To Shots of Sunset Cliffs, Sutherland Reservoir
/in Achievements, Features /by Gayle Falkenthalby Water News Network StaffA beauty shot of an East County reservoir and a portrait of a young couple at Sunset Cliffs took the top prizes in the San Diego County Water Authority’s “Brought to You by Water” photo contest in honor of Water Awareness Month in May. Dozens of photographers from across the San Diego region putting their […]
1965: Outreach Efforts at the Del Mar Fair
/in From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalIn the summer of 1965, the San Diego County Water Authority held one of its first outreach events at the Del Mar Fair – long before it was called the San Diego County Fair and before the Water Authority had a formal public relations department. For the Fair’s summer run, a 2,500-gallon stainless steel tank […]
Take the Test: Use a Soil Probe
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle FalkenthalIf you want to create a healthy, thriving landscape full of beautiful plants, you need to know how to use an important soil management tool: a soil probe. Irrigation is essential to keep your landscaping green and growing. But to do so, you need to know as much as possible about your soils. One way […]
Helix Water District Names Winner of 2018 WaterSmart Landscape Contest
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle Falkenthalby Helix Water DistrictHelix Water District has named Carey Hultgren and Paul Geldbach of La Mesa as the winner of its 2018 WaterSmart Landscape Contest, an annual competition that recognizes outstanding water-wise residential landscapes based on design and overall attractiveness, appropriate plant selection and maintenance, and irrigation methods. This 1930s Spanish-style home on Dutton Lane sits on a […]
Everything in San Diego County is Brought to You by Water
/in Features, View From The Chair /by Gayle Falkenthal /San Diego County Water Authorityby Mark Muir, Board ChairWe’ve got a great thing going here in San Diego County, from the mountains to the coast and from the far northern reaches of our region to the international border. Our economy is strong – one of the largest in the nation – with everything from global giants to startups trying to make a splash. […]
1935: El Capitan Dam Dedication
/in Features, From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalIn its quest to supply water to its growing population, the City of San Diego claimed water rights to the San Diego River, and filed for a dam. A Mission Gorge site was first proposed on land owned by business leader Ed Fletcher. Another prominant business leader, John D. Spreckels lobbied for a dam farther […]
Backhoe the Perfect Ride for ‘Roadeo’ Champ
/in Achievements /by Andrea Moraby Water News Network StaffBobby Bond Jr. was born to run a backhoe. His father, Robert Sr., owns a backhoe dealership in Riverside County and put his son atop a backhoe as a toddler. At age 12, the younger Bond dug a septic tank and leach lines for a new home. He operated heavy equipment like a pro for […]
Gardening Like A Wise Old OWL
/in Conservation Corner, Features /by Gayle Falkenthalby Water News Network staffYour landscaping soil needs three things to feed the billions of microbes within it that can transform brick-hard, lifeless dirt into healthy, living soil: Oxygen, Water, and Life. Or in shorthand: OWL. Oxygen Lets Microbes Breathe Free Oxygen is needed by plant roots and soil organisms. Healthy soil has lots of tiny pockets of air. […]
2012: Lake Hodges Projects
/in Features, From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalWhile looking for ways to optimize the San Diego region’s water supply, San Diego County Water Authority engineers realized the potential to link the new Olivenhain Reservoir with the existing Lake Hodges just to its east. Not only would connecting the lakes by a pipeline facilitate movemnt of Lake Hodges’ water through the regional distribution […]
1947: Construction of the First San Diego Aqueduct
/in Features, From the Archives /by Gayle FalkenthalSan Diego became a hub of Naval Activity after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II in 1941. The city’s population doubled in two years, and water use also doubled. It was clear the city and the Navy would soon need water from the Colorado River. An aqueduct for […]