Tag Archive for: City of Oceanside

The 2025 Landscape Makeover Contest winner for the City of Oceanside prioritizes sustainability without sacrificing style. Photo: City of Oceanside

Bold Color Wins 2025 Oceanside Landscape Makeover Contest

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The 2025 winner of the City of Oceanside’s annual Landscape Makeover Contest proves that a beautiful garden does not need to sacrifice a lush look with plenty of color to be water-efficient.

Oceanside resident Helmut Igel entered the contest on behalf of his wife, Julie Igel. She didn’t know he had entered the competition on her behalf. He intended it as a surprise and hoped to surprise her on her birthday if she was named the winner. Mission accomplished!

The Igel home before its landscaping transformation by Julie Igel. Photo: City of Oceanside

The Igel home before its landscaping transformation by Julie Igel. Photo: City of Oceanside

Emyle Rogers, City of Oceanside Management Analyst in the Water Efficiency program, said the Igels were excited to learn Julie was the winner. “Julie is very dedicated to her garden and wants to give back and provide habitat for wildlife,” said Rogers. Helmut presented Julie with her winner’s certificate as part of her birthday celebration.

The goal for the landscape makeover was to create a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects both beauty and responsibility.

Sustainability and Conservation Without Sacrificing Color

The new landscaping is full of colorful, water wise plants with flowers that attract pollinators. Photo: City of Oceanside

The new landscaping is full of colorful, water wise plants with flowers that attract pollinators. Photo: City of Oceanside

Because the Igels’ garden covers a large area, they made water conservation a top priority. Instead of a traditional lawn, the Igels selected low-water plants well-suited to thrive in the San Diego regional climate while still delivering bold color, texture, and year-round interest.

Plants selected for the landscape include California Poppy, Pride of Madera, Purple Sage, Calendula, and Sweet Alyssum. Choices are favorites of pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

For help choosing beautiful low-water use plants for your landscaping project, refer to the Water Authority's "Happy 100" plant list for help. Photo: City of Oceanside

For help choosing beautiful low-water use plants for your landscaping project, refer to the Water Authority’s “Happy 100” plant list for help. Photo: City of Oceanside

The winning result is a water-efficient garden that’s anything but boring. It proves that a lush, colorful landscape doesn’t have to come at the cost of excess water use.

Homeowners undertaking a similar landscape makeover can take advantage of free tools to help them get started.  Online or in-person landscape classes cover topics including native landscapes, turf transformation, and irrigation systems.  Learn more on the regional website.

They can also review the San Diego County Water Authority’s “Happy 100” plant list to choose annuals, perennials, groundcovers, shrubs, and trees that provide color and thrive in our climate and soils with a minimal amount of irrigation. Find the list on the Water Authority website.

California poppies are stars in the landscape. Photo: City of Oceanside

California poppies are stars in the landscape. Photo: City of Oceanside

Tom Weese, son of Robert and Bessie Weese and historian Kristie Hawthorne perform the ribbon cutting at the new location of the Weese Oceanside History Center with members of the Oceanside Historical Society. Photo: Zach Cordner/The Osider.

Oceanside History Center’s New Home Named After Water Pioneer

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The Oceanside Historical Society opened the Weese Oceanside History Center at its new permanent home with a ribbon-cutting on August 29. It is now located at 510 Civic Center Drive next to The Star Theatre.

The Weese Oceanside History Center is named in honor of Robert and Bessie Weese. Robert Weese dedicated more than 40 years of service to the City of Oceanside Water Department and to the San Diego region as a San Diego County Water Authority board member. He was known as “Mr. Water” for his expertise.

Weese Honored For 40 Years of Water Industry Service

Robert A. Weese worked for the City of Oceanside water department for 40 years. Photo: City of Oceanside

Robert A. Weese worked for the City of Oceanside water department for 40 years. Photo: City of Oceanside

Weese, a native of Ontario, Canada, came to the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen after serving in the Canadian Army as a teenager. He drove an ambulance in England during World War I.

He joined the U.S. Navy in 1924 and was stationed on the USS Arizona based in San Diego. After meeting and marrying his wife Bessie, he was discharged from the Navy and went to work for the Oceanside Water Department as a meter reader, beginning a life of service in the water industry.

Weese gained a firsthand knowledge of the water system by reading and repairing every water meter in Oceanside, and through weekly checks of the city’s wells and the water table. In 1935, the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a new pumping station and reservoir at Buddy Todd Park, where Weese would chlorinate the water.

In 1938, Weese was appointed Oceanside’s Water Superintendent, a position he held until his retirement in 1968.

Weese had the foresight to divert sewer effluent away from the Pacific Ocean into Whelan Lake. He also proposed an underground barrier at the mouth of the San Luis Rey River as a means of holding back the ocean during periods when the water table was pumped below sea level.

Tom Weese, son of Robert and Bessie Weese, in front of an exhibit honoring his parents at the Reese Oceanside History Center. Photo: Zach Cordner/The Osider.

Tom Weese, son of Robert and Bessie Weese, in front of an exhibit honoring his parents at the Weese Oceanside History Center. Photo: Zach Cordner/The Osider.

Weese wrote a history of the water department, which was published in the Oceanside Blade Tribune newspaper. He oversaw the building of the Fire Mountain Reservoir in 1955.

In addition to serving as chairman of the Water Authority’s Engineering and Operations Committee, Weese was a member of the State Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Feather River Project Association, the American Water Works Association, and other water-related organizations. Weese also served as a director of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.

Oceanside’s water treatment plant, built in 1983, was named the Robert A. Weese Filtration Plant.

New Exhibit Space Includes Weese Papers

Tom Weese, son of Robert and Bessie Weese, speaks at the August 29 ribbon cutting event for the relocated Reese Oceanside History Center as historian Kristi Hawthorne looks on. Photo: Zach Cordner/The Osider.

Tom Weese, son of Robert and Bessie Weese, speaks at the August 29 ribbon-cutting event for the relocated Weese Oceanside History Center as historian Kristi Hawthorne looks on. Photo: Zach Cordner/The Osider.

The new location of the Weese Oceanside History Center has more than 3,000 square feet of exhibits spanning a century from the 1880s to the 1980s. Among the exhibits is a collection of Weese’s personal and professional papers, donated by his son Thomas Weese in 2022.

Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission to the history center is free.

 

 

Regional Agriculture Program Expands to San Diego and Riverside Counties

/in , , /by /Village News

In a move set to transform regional agriculture, the Regional CropSWAP program, originally initiated by the Rancho California Water District, announced its expansion into neighboring counties with the partnership of Fallbrook Public Utility District, Rainbow Municipal Water District, city of Oceanside, Valley Center Municipal Water District and city of Escondido.

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Rainbow Water Appoints New Board Member to Division 3

/in , , /by /Village News

The Rainbow Municipal Water District Board of Directors announced the appointment of Cari Dale to the Division 3 vacancy. Dale, a resident of Fallbrook since 2001 with 30 years of management experience in water and wastewater utilities, was sworn into office at the Tuesday, Feb. 27, board meeting.

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Water, Sewer, Trash Rates Heading Up in Oceanside

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Oceanside residents will see a trifecta of utility rate hikes in 2024 under water, sewer and trash fee increases approved unanimously Wednesday by the Oceanside City Council.

Water rates will go up 6 percent on Jan. 1, 2024, and another 6 percent in January 2025. The hike reflects higher rates passed along by the Metropolitan Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority, who import the supply to Oceanside, and higher costs for labor, materials, supplies and utilities.

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City of Oceanside Awarded $201,000 for Water Recycling and Desalination Planning Project

/in , /by /North County Daily Star by NC Daily Star Staff

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded the City of Oceanside $201,000 for the City’s Water Recycling and Desalination Planning Project. The City received the award after applying for WaterSMART funding to investigate expanding water reuse and increasing water recharge.

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Oceanside Gets Grant for Water Recycling, Desalination Project

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie L. Sklar

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded Oceanside $201,000 for the city’s Water Recycling and Desalination Planning Project, it was announced Wednesday.

Oceanside received the award after applying for WaterSMART funding to investigate expanding water reuse and increasing water recharge, according to the city’s water utilities department.

The federal funding will be used to evaluate the expanded use of treated effluent at the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility to produce recycled water, and expansion of the Advanced Water Purification Facility for groundwater recharge and higher quality recycled water and seawater desalination, according to the city.

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Water Rates Could Climb 12% in Two Years for Oceanside

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Oceanside’s water rates could climb 6 percent in 2024 and another 6 percent in 2025 under a proposal outlined this week by the city’s water utilities director.

The increases are the result of rate hikes by the Metropolitan Water District, Southern California’s biggest water wholesaler, and the San Diego County Water Authority, which buys water from Metropolitan and sells it to local agencies.

“We are directly passing through those rates,” Oceanside Water Utilities Director Lindsay Leahy said Tuesday in a presentation to the city’s Water Utilities Commission. The proposal is scheduled to go to the Oceanside City Council for approval Nov. 15.

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Mary Matava of Oceanside is the San Diego County Farm Bureau 2022 Farmer of the Year. Photo: San Diego County Farm Bureau

Mary Matava Named 2022 San Diego County Farmer of the Year

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The San Diego County Farm Bureau named Mary Matava as its 2022 Farmer of the Year. Matava, involved in the region’s agriculture industry for 45 years, was recognized for her achievement at an awards dinner September 7 at the Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo.

The Farmer of the Year award is presented to an active or retired farmer who has had a positive impact on the agriculture industry, is active in the community beyond agriculture, and has represented the agricultural industry publicly on behalf of farming interests.

Matava is a trained agronomist with 40 years of experience and a leading expert in soil assessment and amendments, green waste recycling, facility management, and avocado farming.

Agronomy and recycling

According to the Farm Bureau, Matava’s work involves “assessing the agronomic suitability of Southern California soils.” For the last 25 years, Matava’s company has manufactured organic soil amendments used by farmers throughout Southern California.

Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation, soil management, and crop production.

Matava fights climate change through improved farming technology

Matava has spent much of her career studying local soils to determine what kind of nutrients are present and beneficial for crops while also finding more efficient ways to use water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The California Air Resources Board reports 20% of the methane emissions in California come from landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency cites methane from landfills as the third largest overall source of methane in the U.S.

Matava is the owner and operator of Agri Service, based in Oceanside, and employs 30 people. Agri Service operates compost facilities in Southern California, including the El Corazon Compost Facility in Oceanside.

Since 1995, the City of Oceanside has partnered with Agri Service, Inc. to develop an innovative public-private recycling program, reducing its landfill waste while creating beneficial soil amendments, and sharing the most up-to-date industry standards. Since its inception, the compost facility has processed over two million tons of green waste into high-quality soil amendments, mulch, and potting mixes while reducing methane emissions.

Video tour of the El Corazon Compost Facility

Agri Service also operates a compost facility in Otay Mesa, open to the public. Since it opened, Agri Service has processed more than 2.5 million tons of green waste products.

Matava represents the county’s farming professionals

Matava uses her own compost products on her family’s avocado farm in South Morro Hills, where she grows six varieties of avocados.

Her focus for the future is continuing to find ways to mitigate the effects of climate change and pollution, while also producing high-quality farming products. She previously served as president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau and in a variety of roles on the Farm Bureau’s board of directors.

Matava is the second straight Farmer of the Year Winner from Oceanside. Strawberry farmer Neil Nagata, the 2021 Farmer of the Year, is also from Oceanside.

The San Diego County Farm Bureau is a nonprofit organization supporting the more than 5,700 farms within the county. The mission of the Farm Bureau is to foster San Diego agriculture through education, public relations, and public policy advocacy in order to promote the economic viability, sustainability, and community building of agriculture.

(Editor’s note: The City of Oceanside is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.) 

Oceanside’s Landscape Management Balances Beauty and Water Conservation

/in , /by /Western Cityby Carolina Alban-Stoughton

Thousands of visitors descend on the beautiful city of Oceanside every week. They are in town to hit the beach, swim or surf, go boating or fishing, and visit the historic Mission San Luis Rey. They come in such numbers that Oceanside’s population can swell from just over 170,000 to nearly 200,000.

All these visitors bring a huge benefit to the local economy. Beautifying the local landscape makes sense for both the well-being of local residents and the increased attractiveness for visitors.

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