Soil is essential to a healthy landscape and efficient water use. Learn about your soil’s characteristics and how to care for it. The results include easier maintenance, a healthier environment, and a more beautiful landscape despite drought conditions.
Here are some simple tests to help you evaluate your soil.
Mac Dad Builders, Inc., has been given the San Diego County Water Authority construction contract for the Dulin Hill Erosion Repair project.
The SDCWA board vote Aug. 25 authorized CWA general manager Sandra Kerl or her designee to award a $1,965,884 construction contract to Mac Dad Builders, which is based in Irvine. The Dulin Hill Erosion Repair project will repair existing erosion located along the Second Aqueduct on Dulin Hill south of the San Luis Rey River.
It is the eighth day in a row that a flex alert has been called in California, reports NBC 7’s Melissa Adan.
VIDEO: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/videos/stage-2-power-emergency-flex-alert-in-effect/3041835/
Poseidon Resources (Channelside) LP and the San Diego County Water Authority are temporarily reducing water production at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant to support statewide emergency energy conservation efforts during the extreme heat wave.
While the plant accounts for less than 1% of peak energy demand in San Diego Gas & Electric’s service territory, Channelside and the Water Authority are committed to supporting electrical reliability while ensuring continued delivery of safe and reliable water supplies. The partners reduced water production at the plant by about 20% for three days over the Labor day holiday weekend. Regular water deliveries were made from other sources. The reduced production helps decrease energy demand during the statewide emergency.
“The partnership by the Water Authority and Channelside is another reminder of the value our investments in cutting-edge technology and water supply reliability,” said Sandra L. Kerl, general manager of the Water Authority. “Desal plant operations are nimble, so production can be ramped up and down in response to local needs. This flexibility underscores the value of regional water supply planning, which allows us to activate solutions during challenging times.”
The Carlsbad Desalination Plant is the largest, most technologically advanced and energy-efficient desalination plant in the nation. The plant has produced more than 90 billion gallons of drinking water for San Diego County since operations began in December 2015. Starting Sunday, Sept. 4, the plant ramped down operations, making an additional 9 megawatts of power available for other uses.
The Water Authority is running its Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Facilities to generate 20 megawatts of on-demand power, helping meet peak demands. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
The Water Authority also is running its Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Facilities to generate 20 megawatts of on-demand power, helping meet peak demands.
In addition, the Water Authority and the City of San Diego are collaboratively advancing the proposed San Vicente Energy Storage Facility in East County, one of the most promising pumped energy storage solutions in California. Pumped energy storage projects are designed to store excess renewable energy from solar and wind during the day, and then discharge that energy when energy use spikes or renewable energy is not available. As proposed, the project could store 4,000 megawatt-hours per day of energy (500 megawatts of capacity for eight hours), which is enough energy to provide approximately 135,000 homes with power.
The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant uses energy recovery devices that save an estimated 146 million kilowatt-hours and reduce carbon emissions by 42,000 metric tons every year. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
The Carlsbad Desalination Plant eliminates the need to transport water from Northern California to the San Diego region, offsetting approximately 190,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and 68,000 tons of carbon emissions each year. The plant also uses energy recovery devices that save an estimated 146 million kilowatt-hours and reduce carbon emissions by 42,000 metric tons every year.
“This is an example of how desalination plants can help contribute to energy reliability, in addition to water reliability, by taking appropriate action to increase the available energy capacity during the extreme heat event,” said Channelside President, Sachin Chawla. “We’re proud to do whatever we can to help our region address the current energy shortage.”
California came within a hair’s breadth of experiencing rolling blackouts Tuesday night, but the system operator that manages the grid for about 80% of the Golden State continued to keep the lights on.
The California Independent System Operator at 5:17 p.m. issued a stage 3 Energy Emergency Alert, a measure that warns energy users that rotating outages may be imminent due to sustained electricity demand eating into reserve margins.
The operator of the state’s power grid warned residents Tuesday to prepare for possible rolling blackouts, as a drawn-out heat wave reaches its peak and drives electricity demand to an anticipated record level.
VIDEO: The heat wave is stretching into the seventh day and relief is not expected anytime soon which means the demand for energy is straining the grid. The California Independent System Operator has issued a Flex Alert asking residents to conserve energy during peak use but as KPBS reporter Alexander Nguyen shows us it is also tapping other sources for energy.
More than 30 years ago, if you were to visit San Diego County, you would be struck by the lush green lawns, beautiful gardens, and many folks washing their cars.
The county alongside the Pacific Coast appeared to be flush with water. But in all actuality, a major water catastrophe was already in the works.
From 1987-1992, California was hit with a megadrought, and San Diego, which was at the end of the fresh water pipeline, was in deep trouble.
The San Diego County Water Authority received two awards at the 2022 California Association of Public Information Officers (CAPIO) EPIC Awards competition for California public agency communication programs.
The Water Authority’s “Drought Safe San Diego” public outreach campaign won an EPIC Award (first place) for Communications or Marketing Plans/Campaigns – In-House; and an Award of Distinction for Video Production – Promotional – In House.
The San Diego County Water Authority received two awards at the 2022 California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) EPIC Awards competition for California public agency communication programs.
The Water Authority’s “Drought Safe San Diego” public outreach campaign won an EPIC Award (first place) for Communications or Marketing Plans/Campaigns – In-House; and an Award of Distinction for Video Production – Promotional – In House.
Judges called the overall campaign effort very impressive. “A thorough campaign. Impressive numbers to back up the messaging. Definitely great work and the campaign achieved its goal.”
Judges praised the use of Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and popular San Diego iHeartMedia radio personalities to connect with the community and highlight critically important conservation messages.
“Great backstory. I really like this campaign. this one really helped me understand that the improvements made were helping capacity, but that there was still a strong need to conserve.”
“Loved the thorough planning process you put into this project. Great use of influencers. Great campaign and kudos to SDC Water Authority for thinking ahead.”
The Water Authority’s outreach effort drew significant national media attention, including the New York Times. Photo: New York Times/screenshot
The CAPIO EPIC Awards recognize the “best of the best” in government communications throughout the state. Winning entries demonstrate the most creative and effective efforts in communication and marketing campaigns, newsletter production, photography, special events, writing, website development, and video production.
The EPIC Awards honor work that made a lasting impact, providing an equal chance of winning to all entrants regardless of company or agency size and project budget. Entries are assessed on research and planning efforts which display an understanding of audience objectives and needs for information; development and execution; and how successfully the entrant organization achieves its objectives.
“Drought-Safe San Diego” also received an Award of Excellence at the 2022 APEX Awards. APEX 22 recognizes excellence in publishing by professional communicators. The campaign was honored in “Campaigns, Programs, and Plans – Public Service.” APEX 22 received more than 1,200 entries worldwide in 14 categories.
The Water Authority is a previous CAPIO EPIC Award winner in the Website category for the Water News Network, which has also won the Best Public Service or Consumer Advocacy Website category for four years in a row from the San Diego Press Club Journalism Awards.
(Editor’s note: The San Diego County Water Authority sustains a $240 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, major infrastructure investments and forward-thinking policies that promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. The Water Authority works closely with its 24 member agencies to provide safe, reliable water service to the region.)
Sandra L. Kerl, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s 24-month projection for water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
