The Water News Network top stories of 2021 highlight how the region’s water providers ensured a safe, plentiful and reliable water supply, while also looking to the future. In the second year of a statewide drought, San Diegans stepped up their water conservation, proving once again, that “water conservation is a way of life in San Diego County.”
The Water News Network top stories of 2021 highlight how the region’s water providers ensured a safe, plentiful and reliable water supply, while also looking to the future. And, in the second year of a statewide drought, San Diegans stepped up their water conservation, proving once again, that “water conservation is a way of life in San Diego County.”
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and drought, the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies moved forward on infrastructure projects to increase and maintain local water supply and energy sources for the region.
Potable, or water reuse projects, are online or under construction by the City of San Diego, City of Oceanside and the East County Advanced Water Purification Project, a collaborative effort between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the City of El Cajon and the County of San Diego.
The #1 story of 2021 on the Water News Network was about an academic program that seeks to meet the rapidly growing demands for skilled career professionals in the water and wastewater industry. National University and Cuyamaca College launched a new degree pathway program that started in February 2021.
“Responding to regional workforce needs, National University and Cuyamaca College are excited to roll out the Waterworks Management academic pathway, informed by industry leaders,” said Dr. Sara Kelly, academic program director at National University. Transfer scholarships are available for qualifying students.
Driven by the rapidly growing demands for skilled career professionals in the water and wastewater industry, National University and Cuyamaca College launched a new degree pathway program in February 2021.
#1 most viewed story on the Water News Network in 2021. New Regional Degree Program (January 26) https://t.co/af8QsnQFgX #WorkForWater #cawater #education #jobs
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 22, 2021
The #2 most viewed story on the Water News Network in 2021 … was a story published late in 2020: FRS II: Mission Trails Water Project Takes Shape (December 16, 2020).
💧At #2 – Water News Network Top Stories of 2021: An underground reservoir is being constructed within the park to improve the Water Authority’s untreated water system in the northwest area of Mission Trails Regional Park. https://t.co/5AchK3mvic #WaterInfrastructure #cawater
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 30, 2021
Thank you @LittleJoeTV for visiting our crews in Mission Trails Regional Park and learning more about the Water Authority’s underground reservoir under construction. Learn more about this project and current trail closures: https://t.co/LqXAijUhmB #cawater #missiontrails pic.twitter.com/uHXzMOLsaa
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) April 9, 2021
WNN stories about water reuse projects by the City of San Diego, City of Oceanside and the East County AWP, were among the most viewed in 2021.
The third most-viewed story on Water News Network in 2021: Pure Water Oceanside Project Reaches Milestones
“Today, we put Pure Water Oceanside on the map and are one step closer to achieving the goal of greater water-independence for our city, residents and businesses.”
#3 on Water News Network in 2021: Pure Water Oceanside Project Reaches Milestoneshttps://t.co/0Ub5JHTwBU #cawater— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 29, 2021
In a major milestone for water reliability, the East County AWP was awarded a $388 million federal loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help advance the project’s completion.
An EPA loan will help fund completion of the East County AWP. The loan was announced June 4 at the East County AWP demonstration facility in Santee. (L to R) Kathleen Hedberg, Helix Water District; Doug Wilson, Padre Dam Municipal Water District; Steve Goble, East County AWP and City of El Cajon; Radhika Fox, U.S. EPA; and Jim Peasley, Bill Pommering, Augie Caires, and Allen Carlisle, Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Jack Shu, City of La Mesa. Photo: East County AWP
Pure Water San Diego is the City of San Diego’s phased, multi-year program that will provide more than 40% of San Diego’s water supply locally by the end of 2035. The Pure Water San Diego Program will use proven water purification technology to clean recycled water to produce safe, high-quality drinking water. The Program offers a cost-effective investment for San Diego’s water needs and will provide a reliable, sustainable water supply.
Our Deputy Director was on @NPR’s 1A show to discuss water recycling! Cities recycle wastewater for uses like irrigation. As populations grow & dry climate affects water supplies, some cities are recycling wastewater so it's safe to drink, like #PureWater: https://t.co/0EyGfOrysK
— Pure Water San Diego (@PureWaterSD) December 12, 2021
As part of a voluntary water conservation reduction requested by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, water agencies increased outreach efforts to encourage residents to reduce water-wasting practices. Rebates and programs to spur water conservation will continue into 2022. While the San Diego region has sufficient supplies to weather the current drought due to investments and conservation by residents and water agencies, many areas of the state are facing dire supply issues.
December storms brought snow to the Sierra Nevada and rainfall throughout the state. While one month of storms will not end the current drought, the amount of precipitation, so far, is a welcome start to easing dry times in the Golden State.
8" (~20cm) of #snow over the last 24 hours at our 8am measurement. That brings our December total to 210" (~533cm) and our season total to 264" (~671cm).
We are now at 258% of our avg snowpack through this date and we have received 70% of our avg annual snowfall.#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/5jsydTGJ1Y
— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 29, 2021
Spectrum News 1 LA, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS 8, NBC7, ABC7 and other reporting in 2021 focused on the investments and conservation efforts that ensured a plentiful water supply in the San Diego County region.
New York Times Reporter Jill Cowan reported in 2021 on the water conservation and supply efforts by the San Diego County Water Authority, its 24 member agencies and the residents of the county. Photo: New York Times website
"We ultimately were cut back by over 30% for 13 months. It harmed the economy and harmed the quality of life here. And it really wasn't a situation that we ever wanted to experience again," said Sandy Kerl, @sdcwa General Manager. #cawater #CAdrought https://t.co/NpJNAqDgN9
— San Diego County Water Authority (@sdcwa) December 9, 2021
(Editor’s note: The Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the Helix Water District, the City of San Diego, the City of El Cajon, and the City of Oceanside, are five of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
San Diego County has been planning ways to increase its sustainable water supply and one of the planned methods is through turning wastewater into potable water. There are three sites planned in the county and the first one, Pure Water Oceanside, is set to open before the end of 2021.
Pure Water Oceanside should begin operations mid-December and initially will help produce 30% of Oceanside’s water supply. The city has a goal of creating 50% of the water supply locally by 2030, and this facility will help make that happen.
San Diego County has been planning ways to increase its sustainable water supply and one of the planned methods is through turning wastewater into drinking water.https://t.co/OzZS7cZxP0
— ABC 10News San Diego (@10News) October 30, 2021
As Gov. Gavin Newsom weighs new mandatory drought restrictions, Southern California leaders fear cuts in urban water use could force already sky-high water bills ever higher.
Unlike much of Northern and Central California, the region isn’t hurting for water, yet. Top water officials insist they have enough supplies for at least one more hot summer, perhaps two.
A new 360-degree virtual reality video tour takes viewers through the planned East County Advanced Water Purification facilities. Participants are immersed in a guided tour of water facilities, where they can control their view by moving their computer mouse or smartphones to any direction in the video they want to see.
Viewers with a virtual reality headset for smartphones can take engagement one step further by stepping into the video.
A new 360-degree virtual reality video tour takes viewers through the planned East County Advanced Water Purification facilities. Participants are immersed in a guided tour of water facilities, where they can control their view by moving their computer mouse or smartphones to any direction in the video they want to see.
Viewers with a virtual reality headset for smartphones can take engagement one step further by stepping into the video. Locations visited in the virtual reality video tour include the Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility and the East County AWP Demonstration Facility in Santee, and Lake Jennings in Lakeside.
“Bringing this fun, easy to understand, and immersive tour to East County’s water and wastewater customers is an important and unique educational resource,” said Kyle Swanson, East County AWP director. “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we averaged more than 1,000 people annually touring our facility, many of whom were eager students wanting to learn about this important water resource. This virtual tour helps to refill the learning need and will also be helpful while the East County AWP progresses towards the construction phase.”
Residents can participate in a guided virtual reality tour with a presentation and the opportunity to ask questions at 10 a.m., Tuesday, October 26. Sign up to reserve your place on the program’s Tours webpage.
Program representatives will also schedule opportunities for community groups, schools, and scouts to view the video using virtual reality goggles.
The East County AWP is a collaborative partnership between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the County of San Diego, and the City of El Cajon. It will use sophisticated technology to provide 30% of current drinking water demands for East County residents. Photo: East County AWP
The East County AWP is a collaborative partnership between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the County of San Diego, and the City of El Cajon. It will create a new, local, and sustainable drinking water supply using sophisticated technology to provide 30% of current drinking water demands for East County residents when it is completed in 2025, as much as 11.5 million gallons per day.
The program will use four advanced water purification steps to produce water that is near distilled in quality. After the advanced water purification process, the purified water will be blended with water in Lake Jennings and treated again at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant before being distributed into the drinking water supply. The project eliminates the need to send most of East County’s wastewater to the City of San Diego’s Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, where it is treated and then discharged into the ocean.
The Padre Dam Municipal Water District currently imports 100% of its drinking water supply. It treats two million gallons per day at its water recycling facility for irrigation and non-potable uses.
(Editor’s note: The Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, and the City of El Cajon are three of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
The cost of getting water from the drought-stressed Colorado River is spiraling and parts of San Diego County with some of the highest bills and big water recycling projects on the horizon seem to be drawing pool noodles together.
That is, in any case, the rough sense that stuck out to me as I re-shuffled through my notes from last week’s story about huge, forecasted increases in the price of Colorado River water, which is controlled by San Diego County Water Authority.
Mayor Todd Gloria, along with state and federal leaders, formally kicked off construction of Phase 1 of the city’s Pure Water program August 20. The project is intended to provide nearly 50% of the city’s drinking water by 2035 and reduce the need for imported water.
Helping the mayor celebrate the historic occasion in University City were Rep. Scott Peters, California Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan and California State Water Resources Control Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel.
“Today, we celebrated the launch of the largest, most ambitious infrastructure project in San Diego’s history,” said Gloria. “The Pure Water program will guarantee us a local water resource that allows San Diego to be drought-resilient and environmentally sustainable. This is a key part of how we will provide clean drinking water to our residents for generations to come.”
Two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans from the EPA are providing funding for up to $733.5 million toward the program’s Phase I projects. Additional funding for the construction of the project will come from Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loans in the amount of $665.1 million, and more than $80 million in federal and state grants, which do not need to be repaid.
The city will also receive a $340 credit from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for every acre-foot — enough water to supply up to four households for a year — produced for 25 years. This corresponds to a credit of $285.6 million over the life of the agreement, project leaders said.
Read the complete story from Times of San Diego here: https://bit.ly/3zgns1q
In San Diego today w/ @ToddGloria @RepScottPeters @SenToniAtkins & @ejesquivel to announce a $120 million #WIFIA loan to support the Pure Water program, which will create a more drought-resilient water source, improve water quality and create thousands of jobs along the way👍🏾🌎 https://t.co/JlVzPPHK3D pic.twitter.com/xvdUaxTerx
— Michael Regan, U.S. EPA (@EPAMichaelRegan) August 20, 2021
Pure Water San Diego is one of three potable water reuse or recycling projects under development in the San Diego region. The City of Oceanside is working toward creating 50% of its water supply locally, including Pure Water Oceanside, by 2030.
The East County Advanced Water Purification project would recycle 15 million gallons of annual wastewater discharge into drinking water, meeting 30% of the demand for potable water in East San Diego County.
(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.)
Building a legacy of water innovation takes years of planning, determination, leadership, partnerships — and funding. These elements have coalesced in East San Diego County, Calif., for an innovative and collaborative water reuse project.
Scheduled to be complete in 2025, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program (East County AWP) will create a new, local, sustainable and drought-proof potable water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify the area’s recycled water. The program will generate up to 11.5 million gallons per day (MGD) of new water — meeting approximately 30 percent of current drinking water demands for East San Diego County residents.
In a major milestone for water reliability, the East County Advanced Water Purification Program was awarded a $388 million federal loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help advance the project’s completion.
“The East County Advanced Water Purification Program is the result of many years of strategic, long-term planning and this WIFIA loan marks a historic milestone in its development,” said Allen Carlisle, CEO and general manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District. “By providing East County with local control and independence of both its wastewater and water, the program secures a long-term solution for increased stability in our communities and safeguards the vitality of our economy and quality of life. We are grateful to the U.S. EPA for partnering with us on this important program and investing in future generations.”
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
