The San Diego County Water Authority is preparing to activate a voluntary conservation of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan in support of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to sustain California’s water supply after two record-dry years.
The agency’s 36-member board of directors will decide at its formal monthly meeting on Oct. 28 whether to activate the drought response plan, following Wednesday’s recommendation by staff.
San Diego’s infrastructure needs, which have ballooned over the past decade, have been a top priority of Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s administration. But as Faulconer enters the last eight months of his term, COVID-19 has thrown city finances off track and slowed his ability to tackle a long to-do list.
That means many of San Diego’s urgent needs may have to be put on hold. Among the items that need fixing: repairs and updating to park buildings, coastal erosion work and replacement of sewer pipes. The city’s streetlight program is underfunded by $195 million, and its sidewalks are in disarray with about 81,000 needing repairs or replacement.
“It’s an unbelievable challenge,” said former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, now president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. “I faced some budget problems when I was at the city, and this is just bigger than I’ve ever seen.”
The San Diego region is being drenched by a rare spring storm system, but all that moisture isn’t adding much to the region’s supply of drinking water.
The snow was falling in the San Diego county mountains on Wednesday, pretty heavily in some places.
That comes courtesy of a slow-moving cold storm system coming into the region from the north.
The region’s National Weather Service office called this prolonged six-week run of rain in March and April, pretty rare for the region.
State water pollution regulators in San Diego are asking federal officials to do more monitoring of cross-border water flows that could be polluted.
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board issued an investigative order in February that requires more monitoring of sewage-tainted cross-border flows.
The order requires the International Boundary and Water Commission to monitor more than a dozen locations over an 18-month period.
Regional Board Executive Director David Gibson said the order also calls for the testing results to be made public.
You cannot see it, smell, or taste it. But lead in drinking water can be toxic, especially to children. The San Diego Unified School District has a new way to deal with this growing concern with its clean water program.
At Clay Elementary School Tuesday, the San Diego Unified showed off its proposed solution to the problem: Filtered water hydration systems installed in all the district’s schools.
The filtered water flows from either the drinking fountain or the tap above it, which is designed for filling up a water bottle. Laura Deehan is a public health advocate with California Public Interest Group (CALPIRG). She urges schools across the state to follow this model.
It’s not always easy to tell if the water you’re drinking is safe. Some ways to check include lab testing and filters. And soon it could include E. coli bacteria. San Diego scientists are developing a new bacteria-based water sensing technology.
At Edison Elementary School in City Heights on a December afternoon, excited school children are grabbing their favorite foods and drinks.
It is well known that what children consume here impacts their brains and bodies. From the teriyaki chicken to the drinking water at the nearby fountain.
The Poway City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to issue rebates on water bills to compensate residents and business for losses stemming from the contamination crisis late last year.
In late November, stormwater contaminated the city’s water supply and people were told not to drink water for nearly a week. Now the city is looking to reimburse residents and businesses for the interruption.
The city council will consider giving customers a one time credit that on average would be $28, depending on water usage.
A wet Christmas Eve is in store for parts of San Diego County.
Scattered showers will continue Tuesday everywhere except the deserts and the showers are expected to linger through Christmas night, according to the National Weather Service.
After several hours of rain Tuesday morning, water rushed through a section of Chollas Creek in the City Heights neighborhood.
The area is fenced off now. But in the coming years, City Heights residents, who have some of the fewest park access in the county, will be able to enjoy the creek up-close thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the California Natural Resources Agency.
A new report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office has some sobering news when it comes to sea level rise.
The report found that ocean water could rise by seven feet or more by the end of this century, and it said local governments up and down the state are not doing nearly enough to meet the challenge.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
