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Residents Sue Oasis Mobile Home Park Over Tainted Water and Unsanitary Conditions

/in , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Mark Olalde

Nearly two dozen residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park on Torres Martinez Reservation land filed a lawsuit against park management on Wednesday, alleging “willful disregard” for the safety of drinking water, fraudulent electricity charges and “wholly unacceptable” living conditions.

In total, the lawsuit brings 20 causes of action against park owner Scott Lawson and his daughter Sabrina, who helps manage the park.

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Salton Sea: Congressmen Ruiz and Vargas Reintroduce Bill to Address New River Pollution

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

U.S. Reps. Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, and Juan Vargas, D-San Diego reintroduced a bill this week that is aimed at cleaning up the New River, a highly polluted waterway originating near Mexicali, Mexico that flows north, emptying into the Salton Sea. The bill, HR491, would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create an organization to be called the California New River Restoration Program, which would coordinate funding and cleanup projects.

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Election Results: Imperial Irrigation District Board Candidates Vie for Two Open Seats

/in , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

The Imperial Irrigation District recently saw its power cemented, as the state court system declared it the rightful holder of huge water rights on the Colorado River. Now, candidates are facing off for two open seats on its five-member board of directors.

In addition to being the single largest water user on the river, the district delivers electricity to Imperial Valley and the eastern half of the Coachella Valley. Its board, which is elected only by its water ratepayers, continues to fend off attempts to add members from Riverside County.

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Ahead of Rain, Beaumont Plans for Unprecedented Flooding

/in , , /by /Patch.comby Renee Schiavone

It won’t take much, and the Pass Area as we know it may look dramatically different come wet weather this fall and winter. That’s according to public safety officials from various Riverside County agencies who are working to get the word out about the danger of “flood after fire.”

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Automatic Aid Compact Between Riverside, San Diego Counties Approved

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie Sklar

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved an inaugural automatic aid agreement between its fire department and the San Diego County Fire Authority, under which each agency will lend a hand during wildfires and other emergencies within a few miles of the county line.

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Opinion: FPUD and Rainbow Make Brave Move to Save Ratepayers Money

/in , , /by /Village News (Fallbrook, Calif.)by Ann Wade Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Over the holidays, I received a letter from the San Diego County Water Authority designed to make customers of Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District worry. The tone of the letter alluded that if the two districts de-annex from the Water Authority, the reliability of our water supply would be at risk and our water prices could go up.

Since I have been to several community meetings where this change was discussed, I knew this insinuation was not true. FPUD and Rainbow have researched this option specifically to keep water rates down for our districts.

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County Board Approves $350K to Support Salton Sea Rehab

/in , , /by /KESQ TV Palm Springsby City News Service

Riverside County supervisors today approved the allocation of $350,000 from an environmental improvement fund to support efforts to restore the dying Salton Sea.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the supervisors authorized the disbursal from the Coachella Valley Air Quality Enhancement Fund to help pay for the planned north end restoration of the 360-square mile lake, which will include the establishment of a lagoon to overlay exposed playa and mitigate the resulting atmospheric impacts.

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Public’s Input Sought On State of Salton Sea and Proposed Fixes

/in , , /by /KESQ by City News Service

A public meeting to decide what fixes might be applied to change the fate of the dying Salton Sea — and how much taxpayer money should be spent on the effort — will be held Tuesday morning in North Shore, hosted by a committee chaired by Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez.

“I’m glad we’re having this meeting in North Shore, which is where our efforts are centered on in providing a safe and stable Salton Sea, protecting public health and the environment and creating economic, tourism and recreation opportunities,” Perez said.

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Riverside County LAFCO Conveys FPUD/Rainbow Reorganization to San Diego LAFCO

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman

The potential reorganization in which the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District would detach from the San Diego County Water Authority and become part of the Eastern Municipal Water District will require approval from San Diego County’s Local Agency Formation Commission, but Riverside County’s LAFCO has agreed to let the process be conducted entirely by San Diego County’s LAFCO.

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Recycled Water Now Flows Through Repurposed Agricultural Pipeline Benefiting Area’s Watershed

/in , , /by /California Water News Daily

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, Riverside County Flood and Water Conservation District and the City of Lake Elsinore recently celebrated the transformation of an abandoned agricultural pipeline that has now been converted to move water from EVMWD’s Regional Water Reclamation Facility into Lake Elsinore. The supplemental recycled water provides an additional source of water for the lake.

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