Otay Poster Contest Winners Demonstrate the Value of Water Conservation
Five students from Chula Vista and El Cajon schools have been selected from 123 submissions as the winners of Otay Water District’s 2022 Water is Life Student Poster Contest.
Posts
A Drought Conversation with California’s Natural Resources Secretary
Days before the federal government shied-away from telling Western states how to curtail consumption of the drought-stressed Colorado River, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan to speed-up projects that would help California use less of it.
To be clear: California hasn’t yet taken any big cuts from its Colorado River allocation, despite being its largest user. But, as pressure mounts, it might, writes Ian James of the Los Angeles Times. Newsom’s plan doesn’t mention the Colorado River directly, but it’s conceivable this is an effort to prepare California for that reality – or at least prove the state is doing something.
Stressed Colorado River Keeps California Desert Farms Alive
When Don Cox was looking for a reliable place to build a family farm in the 1950s, he settled on California’s Imperial Valley.
The desert region had high priority water rights, meaning its access to water was hard for anyone to take away.
“He had it on his mind that water rights were very, very important,” said his grandson, Thomas Cox, who now farms in the Valley.
They Wanted Their Drought-Tolerant Yard to Spark Conversations. But Not on Nextdoor
Susan and Steve Matloff are doing what they do most days when they are at home: spending time in their front yard with their kids, talking with neighbors, playing with their dog Blue and passing home-grown onions to random passersby.
When they installed raised vegetable beds alongside the sidewalk, they fantasized about living off the land despite warnings from friends that people might steal their produce.
“If someone wants to take a bell pepper, good on them,” says Steve, 49. “My office overlooks the garden, and every day I see people stop and look at our garden. Sometimes I run out there and talk to them. Our daughter Isabelle has been known to pull out a carrot and hand it to people walking by. The conversations start there. It’s part of what we wanted for our yard: to be a statement and community builder.”
100 Years After Compact, Colorado River Nearing Crisis Point
The intensifying crisis facing the Colorado River amounts to what is fundamentally a math problem.
The 40 million people who depend on the river to fill up a glass of water at the dinner table or wash their clothes or grow food across millions of acres use significantly more each year than actually flows through the banks of the Colorado.
In fact, first sliced up 100 years ago in a document known as the Colorado River Compact, the calculation of who gets what amount of that water may never have been balanced.
What the Western Drought Reveals About Hydropower
Utilities and states are preparing for a world with less available water and turning more to wind and solar, demand response, energy storage and improved grid connections. That planning has helped Western states keep the lights on this summer even in severe drought conditions.
‘Clairvoyant’ 2012 Climate Report Warned of Extreme Weather
Record high temperatures in urban Europe as heat waves bake the planet more often. Devastating floods, some in poorer unprepared areas. Increasing destruction from hurricanes. Drought and famine in poorer parts of Africa as dry spells worsen across the globe. Wild weather worldwide getting stronger and more frequent, resulting “in unprecedented extremes.”
Northstate Rice Farmers Struggle to Grow Crops as Drought Persists
Dry, cracked rice fields can be seen driving along Interstate 5 in Glenn and Colusa counties. This year has been more than challenging for farmers as California continues its third consecutive year of extreme drought conditions.
KRCR spoke to fourth-generation farmer Chris Johnson on Monday about not being able to plant crop due to lower water allocation from the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID).
OMWD to Host Open House Celebration on October 8
Encinitas, Calif. — Olivenhain Municipal Water District invites the public to attend an open house celebration on Saturday, October 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at OMWD’s headquarters at 1966 Olivenhain Road in Encinitas.
The event is free of charge and will feature children’s activities, complimentary food and refreshments, a water-wise landscape workshop, San Diego Woodies mini car show, and informational booths from San Diego County Water Authority, Encinitas Fire Department, and Solana Center for Environmental Innovation. Drought survival kits will also be available free of charge, featuring water reuse buckets, hose nozzles, moisture sensors, and other water-saving tools.
Open House Celebration
The public event is one of the first at OMWD’s newly improved headquarters. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the new facilities, learn more about the ongoing drought, and get advice on water conservation practices and rebate programs.
OMWD Board President Larry Watt will lead a discussion about drought conditions. Steve Sherman of California Landscape Technologies will follow with an informative and interactive workshop that will feature methods to reduce outdoor water use and increase irrigation efficiencies. The free workshop will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Registration for the workshop is available at www.olivenhain.com/events.
Improvements to OMWD’s headquarters were completed in 2020. The facility, originally constructed in the 1960s, now offers a 200-person capacity community room for public use, public access to restrooms, fire sprinklers, and an accessible, secure lobby.
(Editor’s Note: Olivenhain Municipal Water District is a public agency providing water, wastewater services, recycled water, hydroelectricity, and operation of Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve. Organized in 1959, OMWD currently serves approximately 87,000 customers over 48 square miles in northern San Diego County. OMWD is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
Otay Poster Contest Winners Demonstrate the Value of Water Conservation
Five students from Chula Vista and El Cajon schools have been selected from 123 submissions as the winners of Otay Water District’s 2022 Water is Life Student Poster Contest. The annual contest helps to promote water-use efficiency through student art programs. The winners were selected based on their creativity and awareness of the importance of using water wisely every day and in times of drought.
The Otay Water District’s educational program invites K-12 grade students in its service area each year to enter the contest by illustrating the theme “Water is Life.” Entrants are encouraged to reflect on the importance of water conservation and stewardship and learn about this in the classroom prior to creating their posters.
“We are proud to see a young generation of students share their awareness about water conservation and stewardship when it matters most,” said contest coordinator Eileen Salmeron. “As California faces a drought, we hope students and their families understand that making small changes at home or school to conserve can make a big difference in building resiliency against drought.”
First- and second-place winners were selected from elementary and middle school categories. One winner was chosen in the high school category. The District’s board of directors recognized the winners at its September 7 meeting. Winners received prizes including a gift card, a certificate of recognition, an art kit, and a goody bag.
Otay Poster Contest Winners for 2022
First place, high school: Michael Armenion, eleventh grade, Otay Ranch High School. Photo: Otay Water District
First place, middle school: Khilee Haull, seventh grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District
Second place, middle school: Fatima Altai, seventh grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District
First place, elementary school: Angie Zhong, sixth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District
Second place, elementary school: Christian-Kealoha Rogacion, fifth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District
The Otay Poster Contest winners compete for regional awards in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s annual student poster contest. Thirty-six posters are chosen from participating Southern California water agencies for inclusion in the 2023 MWD Water is Life calendar. This year, MWD selected Khilee Haull and Christian-Kealoha Rogacion to represent Otay Water District in MWD’s 2023 calendar.
(Editor’s note: The Otay Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
