The City of San Diego Public Utilities Department’s wastewater monitoring of coronavirus has received recognition from two state agencies.
The City’s Public Utilities Department was one of five California utilities participating in the Center for Disease Control’s National Wastewater Surveillance System program in cooperation with the State Water Quality Control Board.
Two state agencies recognized the city’s Public Utilities Department for monitoring wastewater in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a city spokesman said Monday.
The Public Utilities Department was one of five California utilities that participated in the Center for Disease Control’s National Wastewater Surveillance System program, in cooperation with the state Water Quality Control Board.
The City of San Diego Public Utilities Department’s wastewater monitoring of coronavirus has received recognition from two state agencies.
The City’s Public Utilities Department was one of five California utilities participating in the Center for Disease Control’s National Wastewater Surveillance System program in cooperation with the State Water Quality Control Board.
The California Water Monitoring Council cited the City’s wastewater monitoring efforts, including its participation in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pilot studies to investigate the logistics of implementing wastewater-based epidemiology nationally.
“The monitoring of wastewater can provide key information that is helpful in understanding and preventing the spread of COVID-19,” said Shauna Lorance, Director of the Public Utilities Department. “We are very proud to continue providing assistance to state and federal agencies with these efforts.”
The California Water Monitoring Council cited the City’s wastewater monitoring efforts, including its participation in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pilot studies to investigate the logistics of implementing wastewater-based epidemiology nationally. Photo: City of San Diego
Multiple California agencies and institutions pioneered an approach to better assess the spread of COVID-19 through testing wastewater. This approach yields information about the prevalence of the disease in populations several days sooner than individual testing or hospitalization records, according to the California State Water Quality Control Board.
Both the Control Board and the California Water Monitoring Council expressed their appreciation for the City’s assistance in separate resolutions.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the City of San Diego has been voluntarily involved with multiple studies for COVID-19 monitoring of wastewater. City staff efforts began before the development of federal and state epidemiology programs. Data collected by City staff played a critical role in understanding the spread, movement, and control of the virus. The City will share information from the studies with the public when they are completed.
The City of San Diego processes wastewater at its Point Loma treatment plant. Photo: City of San Diego
The City participated in additional wastewater studies related to COVID-19, including those by San Diego State University, the University of Arizona, and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.
San Diego’s collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater are carefully monitored and meet all regulations ensuring the health and safety of its employees, community members, and the environment. While the presence and viability of COVID -19 in wastewater is still being examined by the scientific community, the City’s wastewater treatment process has proven to be very effective in removing other commonly found viruses and bacteria.
(Editor’s note: The City of San Diego is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
An “unprecedented” spike in COVID-19 viral load in wastewater collected from San Diego County’s primary wastewater treatment facility was reported Saturday by UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers.
The amount of COVID-19 virus detected in wastewater has predicted the region’s COVID-19 caseload up to three weeks ahead of clinical diagnostic reports, the researchers said. Since people with COVID-19 shed the virus in their stool even before they experience symptoms, wastewater screening acts as an early warning system.
“The wastewater screening results reported on Friday are unlike any the team has seen before,” said Jackie Carr of UC San Diego Health. Both Delta and Omicron variants of the virus were detected in the wastewater.
Sandra Kerl has been with the San Diego County Water Authority since 2009 and was appointed the general manager in November 2019. One of her first challenges as GM was leading the transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic for about three-quarters of the Water Authority’s 250 employees. Sandra recently sat down with Brown and Caldwell’s Wendy Broley, director of technical practices, and Mike Puccio, Southern California operations director, to talk about her experience dealing with unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and drought.
What is the most important leadership quality in dealing with the unprecedented challenges facing the industry?
Today’s leaders need to be inclusive, and focus on cooperation, engagement, and partnerships. The issues are so complex; the problem-solving that needs to happen requires many stakeholders. I think we have a lot more pressures regarding inclusivity, including issues related to water affordability. One challenge with engagement and inclusion is bringing in folks who haven’t necessarily been part of the water conversation before, both from a policy as well as an employment standpoint.
As a leader, one constant is knowing and admitting that you don’t know everything. You’re scanning the environment and you’re pivoting and reacting with information that is coming in real time.
The Water Authority has been making huge investments in supply reliability over the last several decades—improving storage and water supply diversification. How does that impact your leadership within the region during the current drought?
From our standpoint, we approach water as a statewide issue. We are all Californians working 24/7 to ensure access to water for everyone. We want to be part of the solution.
Our wake-up call to the changing availability of water was during the drought of the late ’80s and early ’90s. We invested heavily in new supplies and infrastructure, storage, piping to move water where it’s needed, asset management to ensure our pipelines aren’t leaking, and those sorts of things. And even compared to the drought of 2012 through ’16, we’re in a better position today because we have realized the full implementation of all of our new sources of supply. In addition, we’ve had such heavy conservation and water use efficiency. We use 50 percent less water today per capita than we did in 1990. And that is a big part of how we’ve met the challenge.
From a regional perspective, we’re not all the same within the state. We don’t have the same assets and issues. At the same time, the Water Authority is looking at how can we help other areas of the state. As an example, we have groundwater stored in the Central Valley and our board has approved working with any agency that is interested in that water and who can pipe the water to its destination, because we have reliable supplies without it.
The hard thing is, you have to really look at what’s going to move the needle. Is it going to move the needle if we save an acre-foot of water here in San Diego? Is that going to help Northern California? No, because we take very little water off the Bay Delta. But, if we could be able to take some of our water out of storage and provide that to another area of the state, or if we could get storage in Lake Mead so that the Colorado River is not as impacted—those are things we can do to help. I’d like to be able to focus in that area and continue to support the economy and the quality of life in San Diego County in a way that folks here have invested in for many years.
What are some of the strategies the Water Authority is deploying to address climate change resiliency and adaptation?
Because of the investments that we’ve made in raising the height of San Vicente Dam, it’s doubled the storage capacity there. The facility is owned by the City of San Diego, but the Water Authority did the dam raise. We’re partnering with the city to create a large storage hydroelectric facility there, which is closed loop and could provide up to 500MW of power and utilize renewables in a way that, when the sun goes down, the hydroelectric facility can be put on and we can utilize those resources. You might ask, “Why are you looking at that?” It’s because there’s an opportunity to monetize existing assets and create a revenue stream for the city and the Water Authority to help offset water costs, while helping to combat climate change. It also helps with the stability of the power grid. We had power outages in San Diego last August and if we had this project online, we wouldn’t have had those issues.
What are some of the obstacles you are facing in achieving the Water Authority’s desired level of resiliency and supply reliability?
In terms of the San Diego region, we have very high supply reliability. I think the biggest challenge for us is the affordability component and how to balance having those resources and ensuring the ability of folks to pay for it over the long-term. That is very challenging and concerning. We’re part of a new caucus at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) focused on disadvantaged communities and addressing how resources get allocated to disadvantaged communities. As an example, when there’s conservation funding available, how is that shared? And how can those communities take advantage of it?
Statewide, we are seeing benefits of greater regionalization while simultaneously an increase in the localization of supplies. Where do you think we need to be on that spectrum as a state to meet these incredible challenges? How do you think this applies to the San Diego region?
I think we as water managers do a better job when we look at the big picture as opposed to our space alone. The reality of implementing that big picture is very challenging. We see a microcosm of that here in the region, and we’re really looking at the One Water initiative at MWD and how we best connect with that.
There is a very different dynamic than 20 years ago when many local retail agencies weren’t looking at developing their own supplies. They were counting on the Water Authority to provide that reliability.
The next increment of water supply is coming from our member agencies, it’s not going to be the Water Authority’s projects. For example, acceptance for water reuse is a game changer. So is the possibility of regulation and legislation that would eliminate wastewater discharge. This has increased the interest in agencies wanting to do their own water reuse projects. We are recognizing this shift and taking into account when these projects are going to come online in our urban water management plan. It’s about how to find that balance and work cooperatively, and we’re at ground zero. I think other regions are going to be entering this conversation as time goes by, and I wonder what role the state is going to play in terms of overlaying policy that may usurp the local or regional planning processes, and how will that shape our investments?
Agencies are having to do so much more with so much less—that goes for water as well as funds. In many ways we need to look to innovation to fill that gap. How are you incorporating innovation in the culture of the Water Authority?
Innovation is critical to the Water Authority, and we have a formalized innovation program that engages every department. It’s really something that is a sense of pride for employees. They are encouraged and expected to think innovatively and assess how to do things differently. That kind of thinking includes things like how we communicate financial information to the departments at a level that’s very actionable as opposed to reams of spreadsheets. How do you get actionable data to our own crews developing tools to be able to assess the condition of 310 miles of large-diameter pipes in our system? The range of ideas is enormous.
Since COVID, so much has changed. What changes have you experienced or proactively planned to enhance your organization’s culture?
The one thing that I’m super proud of, and especially doing it during COVID, is evolving the nature of our culture as an organization by creating new values that resonated and reflected who we are today. This was done through a committee of employees at all different levels in the organization called a Values Discovery Team, and they were trained in appreciative inquiry, a strengths-based positive approach to leadership and organizational change.
They interviewed employees that they didn’t work with directly. Out of those interviews emerged stories of who we are at our best, and out of that came seven values. Previously, our values were very much focused on getting the work accomplished. With these updated values, the first four of the seven have a human element to them, which is a significant change in terms of the culture of this organization.
We still expect excellence, we still innovate, but we also hear different perspectives. We value diversity. We engage in the tough conversations. It just has a very different flavor. And I believe that’s what will keep this organization strong—that there’s a balance of both the human and the work.
More than 18 months into the pandemic, COVID-19 still reigns as the most pressing concern for California issuers.
During a panel discussion Tuesday at The Bond Buyer’s California Public Finance virtual conference, every discussion involved the pandemic in some way.
Helix Water District customers who have had trouble paying their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic will be spared having their water turned off by the La Mesa-based water providers.
The five-member Helix Water District Board of Directors unanimously voted on Wednesday to delay the resumption of shutoffs for nonpayment until Jan. 1, to be consistent with Senate Bill 155, which was signed by Governor Newsom on Sept. 23. Among other things, the new law extends the moratorium on termination of water service for nonpayment until the end of the year.
Since the start of the pandemic, thirsty Americans have drowned their sorrow in bottled water. Even before the coronavirus blew into all our lives, bottled water was, and has been for years, the No. 1 beverage in the United States, surpassing soft drinks as the choice of increasingly health-conscious consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated things.
According to a recent report from the International Bottled Water Assn., sales of bottled water exploded last year “as consumers stocked up in order to stay home amid the coronavirus crisis.”
Right now, Congress is debating needed investments in our water system decades in the making. While the Senate’s compromise bill passed earlier this month includes billions for lead pipe replacement and helping communities prepare for future drought and floods, the bill falls short of ensuring all families can turn their tap on and access safe, affordable water.
Infrastructure spending isn’t enough. We must pair new water spending with bill assistance to ensure the water flowing through our upgraded pipes serves all households in America. This is especially true as the country faces another rise in COVID-19 cases.
The summer of 2020 brought fear of Covid-19, social distancing – and heat-related health problems that affects tens of millions of Americans.
During those months, more than a quarter of the US population suffered from the effects of extreme heat, according to a study released this week. People reported health symptoms like nausea and cramps, as well as a decreased ability to focus, and the effects hit low-income households the hardest.
The study focuses on last summer but given the brutal heatwaves that have hit the US in 2021, especially in western states, it raises the prospect that the impact of extreme heat is highly likely to be worse this year.
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