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San Diego Regional Water Agencies Help Fight Hunger During Pandemic

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An effort to bolster food bank supplies and fight hunger in San Diego County is getting a helping hand from the region’s public water agencies.

The San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies are supporting a virtual food drive in partnership with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. The campaign allows donors to select and purchase items such as canned meats, vegetables, fruits, peanut butter and oatmeal for distribution to needy residents. To donate, go to www.bit.ly/SDWaterAgencyFoodDrive.

The Water Authority Board leadership launched the effort for staff and Board members in late March, then expanded it by inviting 24 retail member agencies countywide to join the effort to fight hunger. So far, approximately $20,000 has been contributed through donation portals established by the Water Authority and member agencies.

Help fight hunger

In addition, water agencies have partnered with the Food Bank to inform its clients that it is unnecessary to purchase bottled water when convenient, clean drinking water is available 24/7 at the tap for about a penny a gallon.

“The region’s water industry is committed to sustaining our community in this time of acute need,” said Water Authority Board Chair Jim Madaffer. “The San Diego region has come together time and again to meet challenges such as wildfires, and we’re doing the same to provide hunger relief during this crisis.”

Demands for food increase during pandemic

The San Diego Food Bank typically helps feed 350,000 people each month at 200 distribution sites — and demands have skyrocketed as the economic impacts of coronavirus closures ripple across the region.

Donations to the San Diego Food Bank are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The San Diego Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Essential workers on the job

In response to the pandemic, the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have increased regional coordination and communication to ensure continued delivery of safe and reliable water service for San Diego County. Public water supplies in the region remain safe to drink due to numerous robust treatment processes used by local and regional water providers.

As essential workers, the region’s water and wastewater system employees will continue to work to ensure safe and reliable water services.

Water Costs Rise in Pandemic

/in , , /by /The Acorn (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)by Ian Bradley

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down many parts of life, but there are some things that can’t be put on hold, like the payment of utilities.

Both Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Triunfo Water and Sanitation District have tentative plans to increase their water rates by the end of the year. The rate hikes would cover an increase in the cost of wholesale water from the Metropolitan Water District, which provides local supplies.

Metropolitan’s board of directors approved a 3% rate increase effective Jan. 1, 2021, and a 4% increase effective Jan. 1, 2022.

 

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Mayoral Candidates Bry And Gloria On Fixing San Diego’s Massive Infrastructure Needs

/in , , /by /KPBSby Mary Plummer

One of many pressing challenges facing San Diego’s next mayor will be the city’s growing infrastructure funding gap – likely to worsen due to the economic fallout tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Water Authority Distributes Protective Masks to SoCal Water Agencies

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Ed Joyce Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority is distributing 25,000 cloth masks to water and wastewater agency employees in six Southern California counties as part of the national effort to ensure essential workers have enough protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The masks are available to public and private water and wastewater utilities in Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties. Water Authority staff created a drive-through operation to maintain physical distancing while handing out the facemasks.

“It’s a tall order, but one that leverages our core values of collaboration and communication on behalf of our community,” said Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl. “It’s part of our duty as water and wastewater professionals to continue ensuring a clean, safe, and reliable water supply for our region – and beyond.”

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Americans Are Told to Wash Hands to Fight Coronavirus. But Some Don’t Trust the Tap

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Frances Stead Sellers

For the Chavez family and many others in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, bottled water is the toilet paper of their coronavirus pandemic — an everyday necessity that vanished from supermarket shelves.

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Coronavirus Could Worsen Death Toll of Summer Heat Waves, Health Officials Warn

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Anna Phillips, Tony Barboza

As summer descends on the U.S., public health experts are warning that the coronavirus could make intense heat waves deadlier, adding to the devastating death toll the country has suffered.

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Double Trouble: San Diego’s Problematic Water Meter Program May Cost Twice as Much

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Consumer Bob, Tom Jones, Nicholas Kjeldgaard

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing the city of San Diego to make millions of dollars worth of budget cuts. One project that is not facing cuts is the city’s smart water meter program, or advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which instead has asked to nearly double its budget request.

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SCV Water Reminds Building Owners To Flush Water Systems Before Reopening

/in , , /by /KHTS Hometown Station

As businesses start operations after the “Safer at Home” order, the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency is reminding all building owners and managers of the importance of maintaining good water quality by flushing your water system before reopening, officials said Monday.

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Facemasks-COVID-19-coronavirus-Water Authority-May 2020

Water Authority Distributes Protective Masks to SoCal Water Agencies

/in , /by

The San Diego County Water Authority is distributing 25,000 cloth masks to water and wastewater agency employees in six Southern California counties as part of the national effort to ensure essential workers have enough protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The masks are available to public and private water and wastewater utilities in Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties. Water Authority staff created a drive-through operation to maintain physical distancing while handing out the facemasks.

“It’s a tall order, but one that leverages our core values of collaboration and communication on behalf of our community,” said Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl. “It’s part of our duty as water and wastewater professionals to continue ensuring a clean, safe, and reliable water supply for our region – and beyond.”

Protecting employees during pandemic

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have increased regional coordination, and taken precautionary measures to protect employees. Public water supplies in the region remain safe to drink due to numerous robust treatment processes used by local and regional water providers.

Protective Facemasks Distributed to SoCal Water Agencies by San Diego County Water Authority during COVID-19 pandemic.

San Diego County Water Authority Safety Officer Stephen Lee about to place a bag containing protective cloth masks in the front seat of the the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District truck as the District’s Steve Plyler waits in the driver’s seat. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Mask distribution

The mask distribution effort in San Diego County is part of a statewide distribution of 200,000 masks to water and wastewater industry staff. The masks are being dispersed nationwide to 16 different critical infrastructure sectors.

The masks were provided through a joint effort by FEMA, the U.S. EPA and the California Water & Wastewater Agency Response Network, or CalWARN, with assistance from the California-Nevada American Water Works Association and the California State Water Resources Control Board.

The EPA asked CalWARN to organize distribution of masks within the state. CalWARN asked the Water Authority to manage a distribution point. The distribution will continue until the masks are gone.

Water agencies are required to apply at CalWARN.org to receive the masks, free of charge. Once applications are approved, details regarding pickup dates, times, location, and quantity are sent to the applicants.

Plumbers Warn Small Business Owners to Run Water Before Reopening

/in , , /by /Fox 26 Newsby Jenna Liston

When small businesses are closed it means appliances haven’t been running inside; a problem that could be putting customer’s health at risk but also damaging the plumbing.

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