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San Diego Plants Act Like It’s Spring Again After August Drenching

Tropical Storm Hilary arrived in San Diego on Aug. 20. It rained all day, dropping at least two inches in most places.

 

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New California Law Bolsters Groundwater Recharge as Strategic Defense Against Climate Change

A new but little-known change in California law designating aquifers as “natural infrastructure” promises to unleash a flood of public funding for projects that increase the state’s supply of groundwater.

The change is buried in a sweeping state budget-related law, enacted in July, that also makes it easier for property owners and water managers to divert floodwater for storage underground.

The Colorado River is Significantly Declining Due to Climate Change

The Colorado River is an artery that pumps millions of gallons of water to tens of millions of people in the Southwestern United States. And as much as the river divides and segments the land it runs through, it also connects.

New California Law Bolsters Groundwater Recharge as Strategic Defense Against Climate Change

A new but little-known change in California law designating aquifers as “natural infrastructure” promises to unleash a flood of public funding for projects that increase the state’s supply of groundwater.

The change is buried in a sweeping state budget-related law, enacted in July, that also makes it easier for property owners and water managers to divert floodwater for storage underground.

One of 11 gunite bench sections along the Flume under construction in 1925. The Flume is the Vista Irrigation District’s main water conduit and has been indispensable in the area’s development. When water first flowed through the Flume, the District served a population of 337, compared to serving 134,000 customers today. Photo: Vista Irrigation District celebrates

Vista Irrigation District Celebrates 100 Years of Service

The Vista Irrigation District, one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

In the 1920s, citrus and avocado farming in the Vista area increased so quickly that the growing region faced the real danger of running out of water. Completing the Henshaw Dam in 1923 made it possible for the Vista community to receive a reliable water source instead of relying on well water.

The arrival of the new water source sparked discussion about forming a water district to secure additional imported water to make continued growth possible. On August 28, 1923, voters approved the formation of the Vista Irrigation District (VID) in a landslide: 104 votes to four votes in a 100% voter turnout.

Completion of the Henshaw Dam transformed the North County include the Vista area in the 1920s. Photo: Vista Irrigation District celebrates

Completion of the Henshaw Dam transformed North San Diego County, including the Vista area, in the 1920s. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

337 customers then, 134,000 customers now

In its first year, VID served 337 customers. Today, VID serves water to more than 134,000 customers in a diversified community and robust economy and is celebrating its 100th anniversary on August 28, 2023.

“Vista Irrigation District is proud of its accomplishments over the last century and looks forward to providing reliable water service to the residents and businesses it serves for years to come,” said Board President Jo MacKenzie.

Water builds new potential in Vista

The Vista community celebrated the arrival of the first water from Lake Henshaw on February 27, 1926. Following the arrival of water, crops of all kinds were planted in increasing numbers. The Vista area became known as the “Avocado Capital of the World,” with six avocado packing houses in the area.

In June 1946, after several years of negotiations, Vista Irrigation District purchased the San Diego County Water Company. Included in the purchase was the 43,000-acre Warner Ranch, a former Spanish Land Grant, which includes Henshaw Dam and Lake Henshaw. The deal was driven by the economic motivation to find another, less costly source of water for VID’s customers.

Members of the Vista Irrigation District board visit Lake Henshaw in 1951. Photo: Vista Irrigation District celebrates

Members of the Vista Irrigation District board visited Lake Henshaw in 1951. Photo: Vista Irrigation District

Drought conditions and population growth continued to press VID to seek additional sources of water. On February 16, 1954, the Vista Irrigation District became a member of the San Diego County Water Authority. It allowed VID to bring in water imported from the Colorado River and Northern California.

One year later, in 1955, Vista’s first suburban-style housing arrived in what had been an agricultural community. The Vista area began experiencing a decline in its avocado producing and packing due primarily to the industry’s economic decline and drought, which would continue into the 1960s. Many avocado groves were split into smaller parcels and sold to housing developers. The land was more valuable for homes.

A century of success

An overview of downtown Vista looking southeast circa 1928. The region began to flourish with the arrival of water. Photo: Vista Historical Society and Museum Vista Irrigation District celebrates

An overview of downtown Vista looking southeast circa 1928. The region began to flourish with the arrival of water. Photo: Vista Historical Society and Museum

The people’s vote in 1923 revolutionized the small rural settlement held back by a lack of water. Over the years, Vista transformed itself from its agricultural origins to a thriving community with a diversified economic base and a revitalized downtown.

Today, Vista is a thriving community that continues to grow and develop many new activities and attractions, such as its popular Moonlight Amphitheatre. Photo: City of Vista Irrigation District celebrates

Today, Vista is a thriving community that continues to grow and develop many new activities and attractions, such as its popular Moonlight Amphitheatre. Photo: City of Vista

Vista Irrigation District has demonstrated its ability to adapt to these ever-changing landscapes over time and looks forward to many more successful years of service to the community. Through a century of service and stewardship, the Vista Irrigation District can take credit for its solid track record over the last century to continue many more successful years of service to the community.

(Editor’s note: The Vista Irrigation District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region. The District is celebrating “A Century of Service and Stewardship” on Saturday, September 9, at its Vista headquarters. The public is invited to attend.)

California Considers Permanent Ban on Watering Grass at Businesses, Even in Non-Drought Years

California’s most-recent drought is over. Reservoirs are full. Ski season lasted until July.

But despite the wet winter, an effort is gaining momentum in the state capitol to add manicured green grass to the list of business trappings — like fax machines, pagers and typewriters — that have become obsolete in a changing world.

Central Valley Farmers Are Having a Climate Reckoning

Climate change — and changing political winds — are prompting shifts in strategy at California’s largest agricultural water district.

Westlands Water District, which occupies some 1,100 square miles of the arid San Joaquin Valley, is in the midst of an internal power struggle that will determine how water fights unfold across the state.

Warming is Shifting Napa’s Wine Growing Season

The start of wine grape growing season in California’s Napa Valley now comes nearly a month earlier than it used to because of the region’s warming climate, according to a new study from a team led by UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher Dan Cayan.

The research, published online in the International Journal of Climatology on June 29, is based on an analysis of local temperature records spanning 1958-2016 that charts the effects of natural climate variations such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the growing influence of human-caused climate change upon the seasonal rhythms and shorter term temperature extremes in Napa Valley.

I Love My Lawn. Can I Keep It Without Feeling Guilty?

Rip it all out, she said. Every blade of grass, frontyard and back. As soon as my wife heard the city was offering a rebate, she wanted to replace our lawns with bark mulch and bunchgrass.

Battle Rages Over ‘Sweetheart Deal’ Between Trump Administration and Giant Water District

Critics call it a “sweetheart deal” between the Trump administration and the Central Valley’s largest agricultural water district, and they claim it unfairly lines the pockets of major farm owners while imperiling California salmon and other fish species.