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Save Money and Water With These Quick Tips

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diego by Claudia Simones

Consumer Reports and NBC 7 Responds’ Claudia Simones look at ways to help you save money and help during drought conditions.

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Flood-Prevention Pump Installed in Normal Heights Keeping Neighbors Awake

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diego by Rory Devine

Heavy rains bring along a noise nuisance for residents living in a cul de sac on Pananma Place in Normal Heights.

Neighbors claim the city of San Diego installed a pump to suck water out of a drain whenever it rains because the underground pipe serving the drain has collapsed. While the pump prevents a serious problem, it also creates another one: the sound of the pump’s generator is so loud some residents say they can’t sleep at night.

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Poway City Council Votes to Give Money Back to Customers After Boil Water Advisory

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diego by Audra Stafford

Thousands of people in Poway will receive a small break on their water bill after Poway City Council voted 4 – 1 to distribute varying amounts of bill credits.

At its meeting Tuesday night, the council approved spending up to $420,000 to issue one-time credits to those impacted by the week-long Boil Water Advisory in November 2019.

Residents noticed discolored water coming from their faucets in late November, and the city issued a Boil Water Advisory the next day.

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Poway Man is Saving Money by Saving Rain

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diego by Joe Little Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Bob Raibert loved the green grass growing in his Poway front yard when he bought his home four years ago. The affinity wore off when he got his first water bill.

“For two months it was $600,” he said. “The front yard was all grass; about 5,000 square feet of grass.”

Raipert did some research and spoke to experts.

He redid his entire front and backyard. The grass has been replaced with drought tolerant plants and artificial grass.

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Water Flows Again Through Pipeline From Temecula to Chula Vista After Repairs to Crack

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diego by Joe Little Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A pipeline that spans almost the entire length of San Diego County is back in use after engineers spent weeks patching a massive crack in the pipe’s infrastructure.

The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) discovered a leak in September to a portion of its 90-inch Pipeline 4, which has carried water since 1966 from the Skinner Water Treatment Plant near Temecula down to the Otay Reservoir near Chula Vista.

NBC 7 was the only news media outlet invited inside the pipe in September before repairs began. The pipeline was shut off Sept. 16 with the cooperation of the Water Authority’s member agencies.

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Thunderstorms Possible In East San Diego County

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Christina Bravo

Storm clouds developing south of the U.S.-Mexico Border could bring thunderstorms to San Diego’s mountains and deserts Wednesday morning. NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said NBC 7’s Doppler Radar was seeing storms begin to push their way north into the Southern California region at about 8 a.m. No watches or warnings were in effect during that time, according to the National Weather Service. Fast-moving rain may hit areas of East County but will develop further east as the day progresses, Parveen said. Mostly, the monsoonal moisture from the south will bring heavy cloud cover to the area. Parveen said those clouds will be slow to clear.

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City To Hire Third Party To Take Over Smart Water Meter Program

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Sophia McCullough and Dorian Hargrove

After years of delays, and millions in cost overruns, San Diego will hire a third-party company to take over the city’s troubled conversion to smart water meters. The announcement was made after the city auditor released a new report highlighting management and staffing issues inside the city’s water department.  The City of San Diego launched its conversion to smart water meters in July of 2012 with a completion date of December 2017. But shortly after launching, numerous delays occurred due to a lack of oversight, staffing shortages, and performance issues with the meters. Currently only six percent of San Diego customers have smart water meters installed and the program is now $16 million over budget.

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New Bill Aims To Help Vets Fill Thousands Of Water Worker Jobs

/in , , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Liberty Zabala

A new bill is moving through the California Legislature that may make it easier for veterans to get jobs within the state’s water industry. Assemblymember Todd Gloria helped introduce AB 1588 to stem the phenomenon called the “silver tsunami” in which thousands of water workers are expected to retire from the water industry in the coming years. AB 1588 is aimed at helping water employers fill civilian water and wastewater operator roles with military veterans.

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Controlled Burns Scheduled For MCAS Miramar

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby R. Stickney

Several controlled burns will take place Thursday at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to help clear brush in the event of a wildfire. The prescribed fires were expected to happen between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., military officials said. Drivers along Interstate 15 and other roads near the base may see smoke and flames. MCAS Miramar Fire Stations 61 and 62, alongside local San Diego fire departments will conduct the burns.

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City Of San Diego Hires New Water Department Director

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Tom Jones

The city of San Diego has hired a new director for its Public Utilities Department, NBC 7 has learned. The department has struggled to regain customer trust after more than a year of audits and internal investigations. Shauna Lorance, currently the interim General Manager at Monterey County Water Resources, will take over the position vacated by Vic Bianes, who resigned abruptly last year. According to Lorance’s resume on LinkedIn, she also formerly worked at San Juan Water District. This comes after the mayor’s office announced earlier this year a major overhaul of its troubled water department, including the departures of five top directors and managers.

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