The 11th annual Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest is now open for entries. The theme is “Life at the Lake.”
The contest goal is to share the beauty of the reservoir and its surroundings with the local community while highlighting public recreation opportunities. Photos can capture any aspect of the lake, including recreation, fishing, lake vistas, wildlife, and wildflowers.
The 11th annual Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest is now open for entries. The theme is “Life at the Lake.”
The contest goal is to share the beauty of the reservoir and its surroundings with the local community while highlighting public recreation opportunities. Photos can capture any aspect of the lake, including recreation, fishing, lake vistas, wildlife, and wildflowers.
Photos taken at Lake Jennings between March 1 and May 31, 2022 are eligible.
Contest participants can get a free day-pass to access, explore and photograph the scenic reservoir in Lakeside.
Judging will be performed by a panel of Helix Water District staff. Entries are judged based on this year’s theme, visual appeal, technical quality, and creativity.
Photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove won first place in 2021 for his image titled “Open Field.” Photo: Helix Water District
“We encourage photographers of all skill levels to visit Lake Jennings and enter the 2022 Spring Photo Contest,” said recreation manager Kira Haley. “Lake Jennings offers visitors plenty of beautiful things to photograph like its scenic views, clear water, numerous trails, fishing, and plenty of wildlife.”
Gabriel Heilpern’s photo “Fishing on the Lake,” was second in the youth category last year. Photo: Helix Water District
Contest sponsor, Helix Water District, will award prizes in two divisions, adult and youth. First-place winners in each division will receive $150; second-place winners will receive $100, and third-place winners will receive $50. Awards will be presented at a public board meeting in June.
Participants must submit entries digitally to by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31. There is a limit of three photo submissions per photographer. Photos may not contain watermarks. See rules, and entry, and model release forms at http://www.lakejennings.org/photo-contest/.
In 2021, third place in the Adult category went to Jeff Morin for “Ladies On A Lunch Break.” Photo: Helix Water District
Sixty-one photographers submitted their work in 2021. Photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove won first place for his image titled “Open Field” and second place for the photo “Sun Star.” Third place went to Jeff Morin for “Ladies On A Lunch Break.”
In the Youth category, first place went to Aaron De’Souza for “Cacti by the Lake,” and second place to Gabriel Heilpern, “Fishing on the Lake.”
Photographers planning their visit should check the Lake Jennings website for current information on hours and access.
(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 2021 trout season opens Friday at Lake Jennings, the Helix Water District reservoir in Lakeside. The lake is one of San Diego County’s hot spots for trout fishing, ranked second in the county by SDFish.com. The first delivery of 2,000 pounds of trout traveled 913 miles from Idaho in an oxygenated truck to stock the lake.
The 2021 trout season opened Nov. 19 at Lake Jennings, the Helix Water District reservoir in Lakeside. The lake is one of San Diego County’s hot spots for trout fishing, ranked second in the county by SDFish.com.
The first delivery of 2,000 pounds of trout traveled 913 miles from Idaho in an oxygenated truck to stock the lake. The first of 12 biweekly trout stock came from Wright’s Rainbows in Thatcher, Idaho. A total of 20,000 pounds will be stocked every two weeks through the week of April 18. Anglers can also catch large-mouth bass, red-ear sunfish, bluegill, channel and blue catfish.
For trout season at Lake Jennings, the recommended lure is mini jigs, an all-purpose lure which attracts trout, bass, crappie and bluegill. Photo: Lake Jennings
In addition to other recreational activities, Lake Jennings is where the Helix Water District stores imported water from the Colorado River and Northern California. After treatment, the water is supplied to 277,000 people in San Diego’s East County, including the cities of La Mesa, Lemon Grove, and El Cajon, the Spring Valley community.
Helix Water District is also part of a collaborative partnership for the East County Advanced Water Purifcation project, along with Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the County of San Diego, and the City of El Cajon. The plant is expected to provide 30% of current drinking water demands for East County residents when completed in 2025.
Fishing is accessible on the shoreline, on the lake’s fishing dock, or from kayaks or a 16-foot skiff with an outboard motor available for rental. Rental boats are on a first-come, first-served basis. Anglers can also launch privately owned boats.
During the opening weekend of trout season in 2020, Lake Jennings issued 931 permits, including 161 for children, an increase of 10% over 2019. The lake is open for shore fishing daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anglers must purchase a daily permit from the campground check-in kiosk. Five miles of shoreline provides ample space for social distancing.
Catch our trout opener this Friday, November 19, at @lakejennings! We're kicking the season off by stocking the lake with 2,000 pounds of trout. Details at https://t.co/cqk0BaxydI. #LakeJennings #fishing #hiking #camping pic.twitter.com/mctYKg5foQ
— Helix Water District (@helixwater) November 18, 2021
The recommended lure for trout arriving this weekend is mini jigs, an all-purpose lure that attracts trout, bass, crappie, and bluegill. To help cast the lightweight lure, lake staff recommend attaching a bobber five to six feet above the mini jig. Popular jig colors for trout season are pink, orange, and chartreuse.
The current lake record is held by Chris Sprecco, who caught an 84.4 lb. blue catfish on January 18, 2020. Sprecco broke a longstanding previous lake record of a 71.3 lb. blue catfish held by Bob Bowden on June 1, 2014.
Dock and boat fishing are available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The bait and tackle shop is also open Friday through Sunday. Check the lake’s website for the latest hours and information. Anglers can sign up for the weekly Lake Jennings fishing report sent by email at the lake’s website.
(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.)
A new 360-degree virtual reality video tour takes viewers through the planned East County Advanced Water Purification facilities. Participants are immersed in a guided tour of water facilities, where they can control their view by moving their computer mouse or smartphones to any direction in the video they want to see.
Viewers with a virtual reality headset for smartphones can take engagement one step further by stepping into the video. Locations visited in the virtual reality video tour include the Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility and the East County AWP Demonstration Facility in Santee, and Lake Jennings in Lakeside.
“Bringing this fun, easy to understand, and immersive tour to East County’s water and wastewater customers is an important and unique educational resource,” said Kyle Swanson, East County AWP director. “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we averaged more than 1,000 people annually touring our facility, many of whom were eager students wanting to learn about this important water resource. This virtual tour helps to refill the learning need and will also be helpful while the East County AWP progresses towards the construction phase.”
Residents can participate in a guided virtual reality tour with a presentation and the opportunity to ask questions at 10 a.m., Tuesday, October 26. Sign up to reserve your place on the program’s Tours webpage.
Program representatives will also schedule opportunities for community groups, schools, and scouts to view the video using virtual reality goggles.
The East County AWP is a collaborative partnership between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the County of San Diego, and the City of El Cajon. It will use sophisticated technology to provide 30% of current drinking water demands for East County residents. Photo: East County AWP
The East County AWP is a collaborative partnership between the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the County of San Diego, and the City of El Cajon. It will create a new, local, and sustainable drinking water supply using sophisticated technology to provide 30% of current drinking water demands for East County residents when it is completed in 2025, as much as 11.5 million gallons per day.
The program will use four advanced water purification steps to produce water that is near distilled in quality. After the advanced water purification process, the purified water will be blended with water in Lake Jennings and treated again at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant before being distributed into the drinking water supply. The project eliminates the need to send most of East County’s wastewater to the City of San Diego’s Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, where it is treated and then discharged into the ocean.
The Padre Dam Municipal Water District currently imports 100% of its drinking water supply. It treats two million gallons per day at its water recycling facility for irrigation and non-potable uses.
(Editor’s note: The Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, and the City of El Cajon are three of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)
The theme “Life at the Lake” inspired 61 photographers to enter the 2021 Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest, held for the 10th year by the Helix Water District. Photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove won first place for his image titled “Open Field” and second place for the photo “Sun Star.” Third place went to Jeff Morin for “Ladies On A Lunch Break.”
Each of the entries highlighted the unique beauty of Lake Jennings activities enjoyed by locals and visitors, including camping, fishing, hiking, spotting wildlife, and enjoying the view.
The theme “Life at the Lake” inspired 61 photographers to enter the 2021 Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest, held for the 10th year by the Helix Water District.
Photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove won first place for his image titled “Open Field” and second place for the photo “Sun Star.” Third place went to Jeff Morin for “Ladies On A Lunch Break.”
Each of the entries highlighted the unique beauty of Lake Jennings activities enjoyed by locals and visitors, including camping, fishing, hiking, spotting wildlife, and enjoying the view. The contest was open for photos taken between March 1 and May 31, 2021. Eleven entries from March 2020 were included since they were entered before Lake Jennings closed due to the pandemic.
“This year’s contest had photographers from all over the county and even some international participants,” said Kira Haley, Lake Jennings recreation manager. “Our photo contest visitors brought the lake to life through their experiences camping, fishing, watching wildlife, and exploring the many trails and vistas of the lake.”
First Place – Johnathan Bradley – “Open Field”
Second Place – Johnathan Bradley – “Sun Star”
Third Place – Jeff Morin – “Ladies on a Lunch Break”
Honorable Mention – Erik Hyman –”Deep Pier”
First Place – Aaron De’Souza – “Cacti by the Lake”
Second Place – Gabriel Heilpern – “Fishing on the Lake”
The winning photos are also available on Lake Jennings’ Facebook page and the District’s website.
Helix Water District is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest, with this year’s first place in the adult category going to photographer Johnathan Bradley of Lemon Grove for his image titled Open Field.
Now in its 10th year, the contest drew 61 entries from throughout the county. This year’s theme was Life at the Lake, and each of the entries highlighted the unique beauty of camping, fishing, hiking, spotting wildlife and enjoying the view at Lake Jennings.
San Diego is ready to start building the long-awaited Pure Water sewage recycling system, now that city officials have resolved litigation that delayed the project 18 months and increased its estimated cost to $5 billion, city officials say.
Pure Water will boost San Diego’s water independence by recycling 83 million gallons of treated sewage into potable drinking water by 2035.
All regulatory permits have been secured and construction bids are being opened and analyzed for the 10 projects that will make up Pure Water phase one, a large treatment facility slated to open in 2025 near Miramar that will be connected to many miles of pipeline in the northern part of the city.
The Water News Network top stories of 2020 reflect the San Diego region’s interest in water conservation, the environment and efforts to diversify water supply sources. But the year was dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, which impacted water infrastructure and operations.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
