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Otay Water District Kicks Off Pair Of Instagram Contests

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Karen Pearlman

The Otay Water District, which serves South and East counties, has launched its first-ever holiday-themed Instagram contests.

Participants do not have to be constituents from the Otay Water District, which provides water, recycled water and sewer service to nearly 224,000 customers within about 125 square miles of southeastern San Diego County. They do, however, need to be 18 years of age or over.

For the “Thankful for Water” contest, which has a Dec. 6 deadline, contestants must follow @otaywater on Instagram and post a thankful-for-water-themed photo to a public account with a caption, using the hashtag #Thx4OtayH2O

For the “Drink Tap December,” which has a Jan. 2 deadline, contestants must follow @otaywater on Instagram and post a tap water-themed photo to a public account with a caption, using the hashtag #DrinkTapDecember

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U.S. Military Economic Footprint In San Diego Is Growing, New Report Says

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Andrew Dyer

Defense industry personnel and military operations continue to be a significant driver of San Diego’s economy and, according to a new report, are projected to grow in the coming years.

According to the 2019 San Diego Military Economic Impact Study, 354,000 military-connected jobs accounted for 22 percent of all jobs in the region. This amounts to a $51 billion contribution to the local economy, or one-fifth of San Diego’s total gross regional product (GRP).

The report, released today by the San Diego Military Advisory Council, projected this impact will increase 7 percent next year as the national defense strategy continues to shift toward the Pacific, and more Navy ships are home-ported in San Diego.

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Will Cal Fire’s Plan to Rip Out Vegetation in San Diego Lead to an Explosion in Flammable Invasive Grasses?

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Highly flammable nonnative plants have increasingly played a major role in Southern California’s struggles with wildfire — providing kindling along roadsides and around homes that turn sparks into menacing backcountry blazes.

San Diego firefighting officials plan to dramatically ramp up efforts to rip out vegetation, both native and invasive, surrounding remote communities as part of a statewide campaign to prevent tragedies such as the Camp Fire in Paradise.

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San Diego’s Landmark Water Recycling Program Halted by Dispute Over Union Workers

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick

San Diego’s $4 billion plan to boost the city’s water independence is facing delays and cost increases thanks to a legal dispute over the use of unionized construction workers.

A judge issued an injunction in June that halted the project, a recycling system called “Pure Water” that would purify treated sewage into drinking water and supply one-third of the city’s water supply by 2035.

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San Diego Leaders Meet With Trump Administration to Ask For Fix to Tijuana River Sewage Pollution

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Elected leaders from around the San Diego region met with the Trump administration on Tuesday to ask for help stopping the sewage-tainted water that regularly flows in the Tijuana River across the border with Mexico.

Specifically, regional leaders tried to persuade federal authorities to fund a more than $400-million plan to capture and treat the pollution — which has shuttered shorelines in Imperial Beach on more than 200 days this year alone.

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Can Mission Valley Handle 50,000 More Residents?

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Jennifer Van Grove

Mission Valley is not a model community — but it could be.

By 2050, the town that is mostly commercial in function and primarily navigated by cars should be practically unrecognizable. It’ll be a walker’s paradise and a safe haven for bicyclists. More importantly, the region will serve as the archetype of a new kind of neighborhood, one where people of varying income levels will want to ditch their cars, take the trolley and live near their jobs.

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Man Pushes Preservation of 400-foot-tall Coastal Smokestack

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

Icon or eyesore? The perception of Carlsbad’s 400-foot-tall coastal smokestack is in the eye of the beholder. The old chimney, a concrete exclamation point in the sky, soon could be gone. Demolition of the Encina power plant is scheduled to begin by the end of this year, after a new, more efficient plant built at the rear of the Carlsbad Boulevard property, north of Cannon Road, replaced it last December.

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Research Evaluates What San Diego And Tijuana Will Do As A Region In Case Of A Strong Earthquake

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Alexandra Mendoza

The impact of an earthquake will not respect borders. Much less, a quake that will be registered in the fault of the Rose Canyon. For the past five years, researchers and authorities on both sides of the border have been preparing a seismic and damage scenario for the San Diego-Tijuana region, the findings of which will be presented to the population next March. The purpose is to know what would happen if there is an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 in this fault that passes through the center of the city of San Diego and is projected to Tijuana.

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District Raises Water And Sewer Rates, Despite Protests

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After objections from the public and lengthy discussions, Ramona Municipal Water District Board of Directors approved four types of rate increases recommended by staff. The first action — to adopt an ordinance increasing water rates and fees — was approved 3-2 with President Jim Robinson and directors Thomas Ace and Bryan Wadlington in favor, and directors Jim Hickle and Jeff Lawler opposed. Monthly water charges will increase in different amounts depending on meter size and treated vs. untreated water. The increase reflects a 7 percent revenue adjustment each year for the next five years. Because meters and water quality vary for each customer, the increase in rate revenues do not necessarily directly correlate to the increase in proposed rates.

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Rep. Scott Peters Pledges Town Hall On Climate Crisis Following Activist Pressure To Support Green New Deal

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Rep. Scott Peters of San Diego has agreed to hold a town hall meeting on climate issues following months of pressure by local activists on him and other members of Congress to support the Green New Deal. Peters’ announcement comes after Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, cosponsored the hotly debated resolution in June, which calls on the federal government to zero out greenhouse emissions by 2030 and create jobs in renewable energy and other sectors. After initially brushing off calls to support the Green New Deal, the congresswoman surprised constituents and local climate groups when she announced her support for the resolution during a town hall-style event last month.

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