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$3 Million Earmarked For Three California Coastal Habitats By U.S. Department of the Interior

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Three California coastal wetlands habitats will each be receiving $1 million for restoration projects according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced last week that 11 coastal states will be sharing in a total of $20 million for 22 projects in 11 coastal states to protect, restore or enhance more than 7,000 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent upland habitats under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.

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Metropolitan Water District And Member Agencies Offering Upgraded Turf Replacement Program

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

With summer and its accompanying heat, you may be asking if you really want to pay for your increased water bill thanks to your thirsty lawn. Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California and its member agencies understand your concern and have returned with an upgraded rebate program for customers who remove grass from their yards and replace it with sustainable landscaping. The upgraded turf replacement program now offers $2 per square foot for the grass removal/ sustainable landscaping program which is double the rebate amount that was most recently offered. The last time MWD and its agencies offered a $2-per-square-foot incentive was during the drought of 2014/2015.

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Designated as State’s Medium Recycled Water Agency Of The Year

/in , , /by /California Water News Daily

Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) was recognized late last month as the medium-sized Agency of the Year by the WaterReuse Association of California. The award honors OMWD’s development of local and regional recycled water resources that conserve potable water, as well as its leadership and its outreach to legislators, regulators, and large irrigators. OMWD was previously recognized by the WaterReuse Association in 2005 as the small-sized Agency of the Year for having significantly expanded its recycled water distribution system. That system is currently generating 14 percent of the district’s demands with recycled water.

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U.S. Representatives Looking To Rebuild Whitter Narrows Dam Before Catastrophic Flood Occurs

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Citing the urgent need to repair the 62-year-old Whittier Narrows Dam, U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano, (D-32 District-El Monte) and U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez, (D-38th District-Norwalk) have written a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Resources requesting $100,405,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Construction Account’s Dam Safety and Seepage/Stability Correction Program. Within the letter the two representatives identify the Whittier dam’s dire status and the need to be a potential recipient of these federal funds: … Projects such as the Whittier Narrows Dam, CA, which has been recognized as one of the most critical dam safety projects in the nation, could compete for funding in this account.

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Twelve Bay Area Water Agencies Award Outstanding Student Projects In Water Disciplines

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Eleven Bay area water, wastewater and recycled water agencies have joined forces to form the Excellence in Water, Wastewater and Recycled Water Research award category at the annual Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair. The water division recognizes outstanding student projects in the disciplines of water.  The category is one of many as part of fair which was held at on March 14-16 at Los Medanos College in Pittsburgh, CA.

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Water Veteran Kirby Brill Appointed Interim GM For Inland Empire Utilities Agency

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

With more than 30 years in water resource management and planning, Kirby Brill has come out of retirement to serve as interim general manager at Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA). The IEUA Board of Directors unanimously appointed Brill to the agency’s top management position at the board’s Dec. 14 meeting. Brill retired in mid-2017 after having served for 17 years as general manager for Mojave Water Agency (MWA) based in Apple Valley. Although he began his career in the private sector he transitioned to the public sector when he took a position with the Orange County Water District (OCWD).

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Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant Celebrates Three Years, 40 Billion Gallons Of Water

/in , , /by /California Water News Daily Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

It was just three years ago that the nation’s largest, most technologically advanced and energy-efficient desalination plant came on line in Carlsbad. The plant provides San Diego County with more than 50 million gallons of high-quality, locally controlled, water every day. It is a foundational water supply for the county that helps to minimizes the region’s vulnerability to drought or other water supply emergencies.

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Halla Razak, Inland Empire Utilities Agency GM, Announces Resignation Effective Dec. 31

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Citing family circumstances, Inland Empire Utilities Agency’s (IEUA) General Manager Halla Razak, has tendered her resignation effective Dec. 31. Razak her served as IEUA’s general manager since Dec. 1 of last year. Razak joined IEUA after a 19-year tenure with the city of San Diego. Her last position with the city was as director of the city’s Public Utilities Department. She held the position of director with the Colorado River Program Director for the San Diego County Water Authority position with the city of San Diego. Razak is a registered professional civil engineer in California.

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Yazdan “Yaz” Emrani Sworn In As New Member Of Metropolitan Water District Board Of Directors

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Yazdan “Yaz” Emrani was recently sworn in as the newest member of the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California. Emrani is the director of Public Works for the city of San Fernando and is also the city’s engineer. His responsibilities as part of the MWD board includes serving on four Metropolitan boards including: Audit and Ethics Committee; Communications and Legislation Committee; Facilities Naming Ad Hoc Committee; and the Organization, Personnel and Technology Committee. Emrani is succeeding San Fernando Mayor Sylvia Ballin on the 38-member MWD board. Ballin had served on the MWD board since 2007.

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District Poised to Capture More Stormwater Thanks to Army Corps of Engineers

/in , /by /California Water News Daily

Historically the Orange County Water District (OCWD) has had to rely on Mother Nature for water. Although, due to climate change, that is no longer a realistic water strategy for OCWD. The agency has instead made significant investments in cutting-edge technology, such as water reuse, to help the region weather droughts. However, not taking advantage when large rain events take place is not something OCWD wants to miss out on and has found a way to capture more stormwater without having to spend tens of millions of dollars in new infrastructure.

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