As If the Pandemic Weren’t Enough, 2020 Might Be the Hottest Year Ever
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Tag Archive for: COVID-19
Research: Non-Flushable Wipes are Flooding Source Water with Microplastics
Though the public at large may continue to dispose of non-flushable wipes through their toilets, wastewater professionals are well aware of their propensity for clogging sewer systems and creating expensive issues. But even these professionals may not be aware of another water system problem that researchers are now tracing back to non-flushable wipes.
Opinion: Failure to Renew SDG&E Franchise Would Put San Diego at Risk
San Diego Gas & Electric linemen understand risk.
The women and men of IBEW Local 465 are essential workers who put their lives on the line every day. They climb electrical poles with nothing but a safety belt and steel spikes between them and a 100-foot fall. They wear protective equipment to weld and maintain the safest gas system in the nation. When a fire strikes, or a storm takes down power lines, they are first responders. Utility workers assess risks every day to keep the lights on and the gas flowing for millions of San Diego families.
Landmark Groundwater Act Enters a Crucial Period
As Covid-19 and social unrest dominates news headlines, another problem beneath Central Valley residents’ feet is coming to surface. This was the first year plans had to be submitted for many irrigation districts through the state of California as part of 2014’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
211 San Diego Offers Help With Food, Housing, Utility Bills and More During Pandemic
The answer to resolving many COVID-19 roadblocks faced by our community members can be found at 2-1-1 San Diego through its Community Information Exchange ecosystem.
A Pandemic and Surging Summer Heat Leave Thousands Struggling to Pay Utility Bills
When the coronavirus pandemic forced classrooms to close this spring, Leticia Garcia’s family in Fairfax County, Virginia, quickly ran short of money. Garcia cleans schools for a living and, with her hours sharply reduced, found herself at home with her two daughters.
She cut their cell phone service to keep the water, gas and electricity on. Now, only Garcia and her son, who helps pay the utility bills, have working phones.
Opinion: Affordability Must Be a Priority as California Charts a Course for Economic Recovery
There’s no doubt California has been hard hit by the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s unemployment rate is north of 15% and millions of households are struggling to pay their bills, whether it be the monthly rent or mortgage, a car payment or their utility bills.
Water Utility Hero of the Week, LaMont Foster, Santa Fe Irrigation District
Editor’s Note: This feature highlights water utility employees in the San Diego region working during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure a safe, reliable and plentiful water supply. The water industry is among the sectors that are classified as essential. LaMont Foster, Santa Fe Irrigation District Utility Worker I, is the Water Utility Hero of the Week.
Opinion: Imperial County, the COVID-19 Epicenter
Even as a boy, I knew there was something unusual, even other-worldly, about living in the Imperial Valley.
We seemed so isolated, more connected to Mexico than California. In fact the valley’s largest city was Mexicali, just across the border, and we’d often walk across for cheap restaurant food. It was an hours-long, 100-mile automobile drive through treeless, boulder-strewn mountains to San Diego, the nearest California city of any size.
Unpaid Power Bills Continue to Plague District
The Imperial Irrigation’s financial picture after the first six months was not a rosy one, and the district expects it to get worse as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase in the county.
When IID Assistant General Manager Sergio Quiroz presented the IID Board of Directors Tuesday with the district’s financial update, he pointed out the figures include January through March, before COVID-19 had fully impacted the district.
