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San Diego’s Biggest Infrastructure Need Isn’t Streets — It’s Storm Drains

/in , /by /KPBSby Andrew Bowen

Underneath San Diego streets lies a network of pipes and tunnels that most people never see. But when it rains, that network is busy carrying water out from neighborhoods and into the city’s rivers, bays and beaches. Much of that network is on the verge of collapse, and the city has nowhere near enough money to fix it. A report from the City Auditor’s Office released this month notes a staggering $459 million funding shortfall for stormwater infrastructure.

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San Diego’s Audit Of Water Bills Delayed

/in , /by /KPBSby Claire Trageser

The city of San Diego audit that is meant to answer why some customers were overcharged hundreds of dollars on their water bills has been delayed. City Auditor Eduardo Luna announced in his May report that the audit, which was originally supposed to be published at the beginning of June, will instead come in July. The audit has already taken more than the 2,000 budgeted hours of work, according to the report.

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San Diego Storm Water Spending Not Nearly Enough, Says City Auditor

/in , /by /KPBS

Projected infrastructure spending for the city of San Diego’s Storm Water Division isn’t even halfway sufficient to meet future needs, a deficiency that could increase the deferred maintenance backlog and affect the city’s ability to meet water quality requirements, according to an audit released Thursday. City Auditor Eduardo Luna said the division needs roughly $891 million to spend on water infrastructure over the next five years, but there’s only $433 million in funds identified over that span.

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Climate Change Is Making Droughts Worse In The Western US

/in , /by /KPBSby Luke Runyan

A new study from NASA reinforces the idea that droughts are getting worse and could become more frequent in the Western U.S. The culprit is human-caused climate change. Droughts aren’t just about precipitation, said NASA scientist and the study’s co-author Benjamin Cook. They’re also about the timing of snowmelt and the wetness of soil, both of which are upended by a warming climate.

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Ballot Measure Aims To Preserve Salton Sea, Help Air Quality

/in , /by /KPBS

A project to protect Californians who live near the Salton Sea from deteriorating air quality could sink or swim based on the outcome of a June ballot measure. Proposition 68 would allow the state to borrow $4 billion through bonds to fund parks and environmental protection projects, including $200 million for a plan to preserve the rapidly shrinking Salton Sea. California’s largest lake has been evaporating since San Diego’s regional water agency stopped sending it water this year. Falling water levels increase the lake’s salinity and expose thousands of acres of dusty lakebed, which wind sweeps into nearby farming communities.

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