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State Official: Faulty Reservoir System Contributed To Poway Water Contamination

/in , /by /KPBSby Matt Hoffman

The recent contamination of Poway’s water was caused in part by storm drain and reservoir connections that are not in compliance with state regulations, a state official told KPBS Wednesday.

The system was overwhelmed during last week’s rains and storm water flowed into a reservoir of treated water that was then piped into homes and businesses, according Sean Sterchi, the San Diego District Engineer for the state’s Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water.

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After Wet Winter, Why is Tijuana Running Low on Water?

/in , , /by /KPBS (San Diego)by Max Rivlin-Nadler

Water shutoffs aren’t uncommon in the growing cities of Tijuana and Rosarito. But they’re rarely announced beforehand, and they’re often isolated to certain neighborhoods after pipes or pumps fail.

Earlier this month, however, Tijuana officials announced that it was planning wide-ranging shutoffs for the next two months, in an attempt to replenish a vital reservoir that is perilously low.

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County Warns Against Water Contact In Coastal Waters Due To Storm

/in , /by /KPBSby City News Service

County environmental health officials issued a water contact advisory Wednesday for all coastal beaches and bays due to contamination from urban runoff following rainfall.

The Department of Environmental Health warned swimmers, surfers and other water users that levels of bacteria can rise significantly in coastal waters, particularly near storm drains, creeks, rivers and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff. Water contact should be avoided for at least 72 hours following a rainstorm, according to the county.

The general rain advisory for urban runoff contamination applies to beaches from San Onofre State Beach south to Border Field, including Mission Bay and San Diego Bay.

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8 Million Gallons Of Tainted Water Foul Tijuana River Valley

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

The United States-Mexico border region is enduring the latest in a series of massive cross-border sewage tainted spills.

Federal officials in charge of monitoring the trans-border sewage situation on the U.S. side of the border said nearly 8 million gallons of tainted water flowed crossed the border in the Tijuana River channel.

The flow crossed the border from 7 p.m. Sunday evening through 10 a.m. Monday.

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San Diego’s Climate Crisis: The Risks And Costs Of Living In The Backcountry

/in , /by /KPBSby Claire Trageser

Pete Beauregard squints in the morning sun as he thinks back to October 22, 2007.

“That wind hit us at about 120 mph, wind with fire,” he said. “It came head on and it was like a blow torch, it just cut everything to the ground.”

He’s talking about the Witch Creek Fire, which engulfed San Diego County that fall — scorching nearly 200,000 acres, forcing half a million evacuations and destroying more than 1,000 homes. Among them was the Ramona home shared by Beauregard and his wife Amy McQuillan.

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Gig Worker Barely Scraping By In Imperial Valley

/in , /by /KPBS Radio San Diegoby Amita Sharma

Sweat lined Lyft driver Juan Hernandez’s upper lip on an oppressively hot morning recently in Imperial County’s El Centro. “Let’s see what the schedule is right now,” said Hernandez as he checked his phone for his next pickup. The 21-year-old accounting student became a Lyft driver only six days earlier.

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SANDAG Board OKs Formula For New Homebuilding

/in , /by /KPBS Radio San Diegoby Andrew Bowen

Elected officials from across San Diego County on Friday approved a new long-term home building plan that prioritizes areas rich with public transit and jobs.

Board members of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) are responsible for determining where 171,000 new homes should be built in the county over the next decade. The process, known as the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, is meant to ensure cities are planning for enough new homes in places where they are needed the most.

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Possible Lightning Strike Sets Brush Ablaze Near Murrieta, Schools Closed

/in , /by /KPBS

A wind-driven wildfire that may have been started by a lightning strike had scorched nearly 1,400 acres just west of Murrietta, prompted evacuations and the closure of schools and was 7% contained Thursday morning.

The blaze was first reported about 3:55 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Clinton Keith and Tenaja roads, in the unincorporated community of La Cresta, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

In the course of an hour Wednesday night, the fire exploded from 250 acres burned to nearly 1,000 acres, the fire department said.

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Reps. Levin, Peters Urge Congress To Say No Drilling Off California Coast

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

California Reps. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, have co-sponsored legislation aimed at blocking a Trump administration plan to sell new offshore oil leases in U.S. coastal waters.

The measure, HR 1941 creates a permanent ban on offshore drilling around the country and it is getting a hearing in the House of Representatives.

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Two Small Agencies Want A Divorce From The Water Authority. It Could Get Messy.

/in , /by /KPBSby Ry Rivard Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Back in January, the head of an obscure government agency that exists almost entirely to draw the boundary lines of other public agencies had gotten wind of something. Two rural water agencies wanted to bolt from the San Diego County Water Authority so they could start buying cheaper water from Riverside County.

Keene Simonds knew what was in store for his agency, the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees things like where a city’s limits end and where water districts can sell water.

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