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Mayor Faulconer Urges San Diego To Join Suit Over Cross-Border Sewage

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

The city of San Diego is poised to join the legal battle to stop the flow of pollution in waterways at the U.S.-Mexico border. San Diego officials appear poised to ratchet up pressure on the federal government. The City Council on Tuesday will discuss suing federal officials for failing to stop cross-border sewage flows. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said it’s time to act. “This problem has been around for far too long and we’ve worked very hard on the diplomatic approach on both sides of the border, and there’s been a lot of progress, but not enough progress,” he said.

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Federal Judge Considers Request To Dismiss Cross-Border Sewage Lawsuits

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

The federal government was back in court Monday, arguing that the lawsuits asking the U.S. government to fix cross-border sewage flows should be thrown out. The Department of Justice is trying, for the second time, to have three cross-border sewage lawsuits thrown out before they get to trial. Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the port of San Diego filed the first lawsuit. SurfRider’s San Diego chapter filed the second. And the state of California filed the third.

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Water Talks Are On After Settlement Offer By San Diego

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson Quoted: Jim Madaffer

San Diego Water managers will meet with the Metropolitan Water District next week in a bid to end a long-running feud over water transfer costs. The San Diego County Water Authority made a surprise settlement offer a week ago. SDCWA Board Chair Jim Madaffer delivered a letter to MWD suggesting the two water agencies stop fighting over water fees. MWD’s initial reaction was cool, with the Los Angeles-based water wholesaler canceling a closed-door meeting on the issue that was originally scheduled for this week.

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San Diego County Water Authority Seeks to Settle Legal Disputes with Metropolitan

/in , /by /KPBS Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority is offering an olive branch to the region’s largest water wholesaler in an effort to end years of public and legal feuding. Local water officials have fought for decades with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The dispute has often left the two agencies fighting expensive legal battles and publicly insulting each other. Jim Madaffer, chair of the San Diego County Water Authority, said it is time to end the fighting. In a letter sent Thursday, he offered the Metropolitan Water District an agreement to end pending legal actions.

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San Diego County Has Enough Water For 2019, Water Authority Says

/in , /by /KPBSby City News Service

San Diego County will have enough water for 2019 in spite of low rainfall and high temperatures over the past year, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Monday. Rainfall during the 2018 water year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, totaled slightly more than three inches at San Diego International Airport, the county’s precipitation measurement site. SDCWA officials say that’s 67 percent lower than normal and the county’s second-lowest annual rainfall total since 1850.

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San Diego Unified’s Lead Testing Results, Mapped

/in , /by /KPBSby Megan Burks

San Diego Unified has tested nearly 2,000 water fixtures for lead, after first finding contamination at a school in early 2017. Of those, nearly 20 fixtures tested above 15 parts per billion, the Environmental Protection Agency’s limit for lead content. The district has either fixed the problem or cut off access to those fixtures. Another 225 tested above 5 ppb — the standard for bottled water and the new target San Diego Unified has set for all of its water. Those, too, have been remediated or blocked off as the district finishes installing filters.

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Hurricane Rosa Remnants To Drop Rain On Southern California

/in , /by /KPBS

The remnants of Hurricane Rosa were expected to drop rain in the San Diego region Monday, a National Weather Service forecaster said. The storm already brought higher-than-normal surf levels to the coasts Saturday night. The waves were expected to peak Sunday night through Monday evening, before decreasing into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Waves of three to five feet with sets to seven feet were predicted for San Diego County beaches, the NWS said. The swell direction was expected to give south-facing beaches the highest surf, such as Coronado and the Orange County coast.

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San Diego Council Committee To Consider Utilities Department Code Amendments

/in , /by /KPBS

The San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee Thursday will consider code amendments intended to improve Public Utilities Department operations following public unrest over inaccurate water billing from late 2017 into this year. Recent audits found that meter-reading employee errors, lack of oversight and insufficient quality control led to billing complaints, in addition to scheduled rate increases, higher water use after drought restrictions were lifted as well as a longer billing cycle between September and December.

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San Diego County Water Authority Dedicates $150K To Efficiency Program

/in , /by /KPBS Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority Wednesday announced expanded funding for a partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric that increases the availability of devices that save water and energy for thousands of income-qualified residents. The Water Authority is investing an additional $150,000 into SDG&E’s Energy Savings Assistance Program, which funds the purchase of devices like low- flow showerheads and efficiency washing machines. “We are committed to helping the San Diego region make the most of our water supplies inside and outside their homes through a variety of innovative projects and programs,” said Mark Muir, chair of the Water Authority’s Board of Directors.

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San Diego Program Offering Money To Remove Lawns Is Back, With Changes

/in , /by /KPBSby Matt Hoffman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

This week the San Diego County Water Authority launched it’s popular landscape transformation program. In partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the program gives people a rebate to remove their lawns. Residents can get up to $2.75 per square foot of grass they replace with sustainable landscaping. The offer is good for lawns up to 1,500 square feet.  Joni German, a water resource specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority, said before ripping up lawns — residents first have to apply for the program.

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