The city of San Diego and East County leaders have resolved a months-long dispute over a planned water recycling project, heading off a potentially expensive court fight over what to do with the plant’s waste.
Holiday giving programs are a tradition among the San Diego region’s water and wastewater agencies. As in previous years, in 2022, employees pitched in to help a wide array of nonprofit community services.
Holiday giving programs are a tradition among the San Diego region’s water and wastewater agencies. As in previous years, in 2022, employees pitched in to help a wide array of nonprofit community services.
Members of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Charitable Giving Committee and Employee Association teamed up to help out in a food drive for the San Diego Food Bank and also encouraged employees to volunteer their time to help the organization.
A donation drive for Just In Time for Foster Youth collected financial donations and informed employees about opportunities to act as mentors and also connect college-bound foster youth with financial aid options and r help them move into a dorm or off-campus housing.
Sweetwater Authority employees gathered enough items to support 20 children in the South Bay through the Angel Tree program in 2022. Photo: Sweetwater Authority
Sweetwater Authority employees have been active participants in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program for nearly two decades, providing toys to children in its service area. Every year, employees take a tag that contains information about the recipient (age, gender, toy request). The employee shops for the item and brings them back unwrapped to the office. The Salvation Army picks up and delivers the donated toys. This year, employees donated enough toys to help make Christmas bright for 20 South County families and kids.
The Helix Water District employee volunteer program, “Helix Helps,” collected toys for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program at each of its facilities. Photo: Helix Water District
Every holiday season, the U.S. Marine Corps works with nonprofits and businesses to collect toys for distribution to children in need through its annual Toys for Tots campaign. The Helix Water District employee volunteer program, “Helix Helps,” collects toys each year from collection boxes at each of its facilities and donated them both in-person and virtually.
City of Escondido Environmental Programs/Utilities employees drop off donations for this year’s holiday drive. (L to R): Marielle Decker, Emily Mixer, Sawyer Epp. Photo: City of Escondido
City of Escondido employees, including the water and wastewater divisions put together “Souper Sacks,” bags of non-perishable food and fun surprises distributed through the city’s senior program at the Escondido Senior Center. This year’s effort brought 104 Souper Sacks. In addition, 500 pajamas were collected for students and families at the Escondido Union School District by the city’s “PJ Angels” for the Operation PJ program.
The City of Poway’s Public Works / Utilities employees collaborated with the Kiwanis Club “Holiday With A Hero” event to collect toys and shoes for more than 150 Poway children – a 50% increase from 2021.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District employee Tammi Bowman and her assistant Daisy make sure pets in need aren’t forgotten during the holidays with a donation to the San Diego Humane Society. Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Olivenhain Municipal Water District employees enjoy playing Santa’s elves each holiday season with special giving traditions. Olivenhain MWD supports a family of six, three veterans, and two older adults through the Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family program. Donations were also gathered and dropped off to support the San Diego Humane Society.
For 17 years, OMWD employees have enthusiastically supported fundraising for the nonprofit Water for People. The water district works with communities across the globe to install safe water and sanitation systems, educating local people on good health practices and saving thousands of lives. Olivenhain employees have volunteered abroad, helping set up water and sewer systems with the agency’s full support.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District “elves” Tammi Bowman and Paul Martinez show off donated nut baskets in front of “adoption” collection boxes. Photo: Olivenhain Municipal Water District
During the holiday season, the San Diego chapter holds a competition to sell the most gift baskets donated by Wonderful Pistachios. Employees help assemble the baskets for sale. OMWD has been a top donor in past years. It set an ambitious goal of 200 baskets to win the honor of being “the nuttiest place to work in San Diego.” The agency’s employees exceeded the goal with 204 baskets collected.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District, Sweetwater Authority, Olivenhain Municipal Water District, City of Poway, and City of Escondido are five of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across San Diego County.)
Thousands of San Diegans are struggling to pay their water bills as shutoffs resume across much of the state. Experts fear the burden will only get worse as the cost of water continues to soar, driven in part by ongoing historic drought.
However, federal emergency cash is now providing temporary relief for many low-income residents — up to $2,000 for unpaid water bills.
The Helix Water District has expanded its ongoing sustainability efforts with the addition of its first all-electric, zero-emission, Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
“Converting public and private fleets to zero-emission trucks is a big part of the governor’s plan to have five million zero-emission vehicles in California by 2030,” said Helix Water District Director of Operations Kevin D. Miller. “This is a small step, but Helix is heading in the right direction.”
The Helix Water District has expanded its ongoing sustainability efforts with the addition of its first all-electric, zero-emission, Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
“Converting public and private fleets to zero-emission trucks is a big part of the governor’s plan to have five million zero-emission vehicles in California by 2030,” said Helix Water District Director of Operations Kevin D. Miller. “This is a small step, but Helix is heading in the right direction.”
Left to right: Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg, Director Dan McMillan, Director Mark Gracyk, Board Vice President De Ana Verbeke and Director Joel Scalzitti. Photo: Helix Water District
The district dispatches 80 light- and heavy-duty trucks throughout its 50-square-mile service area daily to maintain the district’s pipelines, pump stations, and reservoir tanks, and also in response to customer calls. Field operations crews drive up to 100 miles per day.
The Ford F-150 Lightning has over a 200-mile range. Ordering the vehicle prior to recent manufacturer price increases and taking advantage of rebates offset the price difference between the electric and gas-powered models. Electric trucks are also anticipated to save maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts to replace than comparable internal combustion engine models.
Avoiding fuel costs generates more savings. The district’s light-duty gasoline trucks have a fuel efficiency of about 20 miles to the gallon and cost 25 cents per mile to drive. Thanks to the district’s power purchase agreements and other investments, the electric trucks will cost less than 10 cents per mile.
The Helix Water District partnered with SDG&E and received grant funding to install on-site charging stations at two of its facilities. Photo: Helix Water District
Helix began transitioning to a sustainable fleet in 2017 when it replaced inefficient light-duty work trucks with seven Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids. The hybrids are 400% more fuel efficient than the trucks they replaced. The district also partnered with SDG&E and received grant funding to install on-site charging stations at two of its facilities.
“We welcome our first fully electric work vehicle,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “The technology has come a very long way, and zero-emission trucks benefit the cities and communities we serve by reducing operational costs, improving air quality, and reducing our environmental footprint. Whether developing new water sources or advancing toward a cleaner fleet, I am proud of the district’s sustainability efforts.”
In 2020, the district switched from diesel to renewable diesel, resulting in decreased emissions, particulates, and a noticeable increase in vehicle performance.
Additional sustainability efforts include:
Each of these programs reduces energy use and reduces costs, which helps reduce operational costs for Helix Water District customers.
(Editor’s note: The Helix 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 Helix Water District has received an $18 million loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support the Drinking Water Reliability Project. Helix will use the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or WIFIA loan, to increase the region’s drinking water resiliency by expanding water reuse opportunities and reducing the reliance on imported water.
The Helix Water District has received an $18 million loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support the Drinking Water Reliability Project. Helix will use the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or WIFIA loan, to increase the region’s drinking water resiliency by expanding water reuse opportunities and reducing the reliance on imported water.
The WIFIA loan will help fund infrastructure improvements for the East County Advanced Water Purification Program, pump station upgrades and cast-iron pipeline replacement throughout the district.
“In California, we are purifying recycled water and ocean water to replace the water that nature used to provide,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “The only way we can afford to keep rates as low as we can and develop these new projects is through collaboration – multiple agencies working together and securing capital from multiple funding sources. We are partnering with neighboring agencies to develop a new, drought-proof water supply and we are so pleased that the EPA selected our project for funding.”
Specifically, Helix Water District will modernize existing pump stations, conveyance infrastructure, and distribution pipelines as well as install an aeration system in Lake Jennings to meet state surface water requirements.
By completing the project, Helix Water District will replace 30% of its water needs that are currently met by regional sources with an alternative source of purified water conveyed from the East County AWP, which received a separate WIFIA loan. This project also supports California’s Title 22 “Pure Water” objective to increase use of recycled water by at least 2 million-acre-feet per year by 2030.
Scheduled to be complete in 2026, the East County AWP will generate up to 11.5 million gallons per day of purified water— meeting approximately 30% of current drinking water demands for East San Diego County residents and businesses.
As a result of the WIFIA program’s flexibility and competitive rates, Helix Water District will save approximately $3.2 million by financing with a WIFIA loan. Construction and operation are estimated to create nearly 400 jobs.
“Helix Water District’s project represents the future of water in the West,” said EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “EPA is proud to help finance these infrastructure upgrades that will increase water reuse and help secure reliable safe drinking water for generations to come.”
Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. The WIFIA program’s aim is to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District and the Padre Dam Municipal Water District are two of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region. Water agencies in north San Diego County also received federal funds recently to support water recycling projects.)
When Brian Olney started in the water industry nearly three decades ago, it seemed nobody paid attention to what he and his colleagues were doing.
“The general consensus was: Water fell from the sky, it shows up in our faucet, no one wants to hear anything from the water agencies,” Olney said. “That has changed dramatically.”
As the unprecedented drought continues to affect California and the San Diego region, homeowners can still balance the need to conserve water as efficiently as possible while preserving valuable landscaping, including trees. Trees can be maintained while following California’s water guidelines.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
