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Cold, Fast-Moving Storm Bringing Rain, Snow To Southern California

A cold, fast-moving storm out of the Gulf of Alaska worked its way Tuesday toward Southern California, where it was poised to hit Thursday and generate between three and five hours of moderate rain but is not expected to trigger mud slides or debris flows in burn areas, National Weather Service forecasters said.

In the San Gabriel Mountains, 4 to 8 inches of snow will fall above 5,500 feet and between 1 and 4 inches between 3,500 and 5,500 feet, said NWS meteorologist Rich Thompson in a telephone interview from his base in Oxnard in Ventura County.

 

Huntington Beach Desalination Plant Eyes Approval, But Foes Turn Out In Force

With Poseidon Water’s plans for a Huntington Beach desalination plant approaching the homestretch, critics were as adamant as ever at a Friday workshop, where dozens complained the proposal is environmentally flawed, unneeded and would jack up water rates.

The meeting of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board was called to review a draft permit and solicit public comment in advance of a scheduled April 3 vote on the final permit.

Approval rides on whether the board determines the drought-proof project will “use the best available site, design, technology and mitigation measures feasible to minimize the intake and mortality of all forms of marine life.”

Surfrider Study Calls For Allowing The Ocean To Advance Inland

While California scored the only “A” in a new environmental assessment of the nation’s beaches, the state’s sole shortcoming in the report pulls back the curtain on a growing conflict over whether beachfront homeowners should be allowed to protect their property against rising seas.

Some argue that protecting coastal homes, roads and train tracks with boulders and other types of seawalls is the most practical way to deal with sea-level rise. But the Surfrider Foundation, which issued the new report, is among those who believe that approach should be avoided. It says the result is the elimination of beaches as the ocean washes away sand and waves pound directly onto the armoring.

Demolition Of San Onofre Nuclear Plant Comes Before Coastal Commission In The Fall

When the iconic domes of San Onofre’s nuclear reactors are finally demolished, “significant amounts of foundation, footings, and other existing material” are expected to remain, unseen, beneath the bluff on the ocean — at least until its stranded nuclear waste finds another home.

In October, the California Coastal Commission will consider Southern California Edison’s application to remove large portions of the above- and below-grade elements of the silent twin reactors, along with associated infrastructure, and cover what’s left with backfill.

That above-ground demolition work is scheduled to be completed within the next decade — but Edison wants to leave the below-ground structures in place until the waste is finally moved.

Dana Point Deploys More Sand Bags In Emergency Effort To Save Storm Drain, Water Treatment Facility In Battle Against Erosion

Save as much as we can, for as long as we can.

That’s the new motto for Toni Nelson, who heads the community advocacy group Capo Cares, as the Dana Point resident pushes for the continual effort to save Capistrano Beach before it disappears into the sea – much of it has in recent years.

Work kicked off recently to add more than 500 sand cubes to a stretch of Dana Point, an emergency measure to save a city storm drain and water quality treatment facility that also inadvertently is helping a portion of pathway used frequently by walkers, joggers and bikers that is in danger of crumbling

Scrutiny Grows Over Whether Small, South County Water District Can Afford Desalination Plant

The small South Coast Water District has taken key steps toward construction of a $110 million desalination plant, but the agency faces growing questions of whether it’s in over its head for the ambitious project to be built near Doheny State Beach. The project’s ocean-friendly technology has won praise from the same environmentalists fighting a desalter plant proposed by Poseidon Water for Huntington Beach, one of several things that distinguish the south county plant from the more controversial project to the north.

Nuclear Waste From San Onofre Would Get First Dibs For Relocation Under New Bill

A congressional bill that would prioritize the removal of nuclear waste from places with high population and high seismic activity — that is, San Onofre — was introduced Thursday, May 23, by U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano. Some 9 million people live within 50 miles of the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station. About 20 million live within 50 miles of New York’s Indian Point reactors, which are about to be decommissioned.

Orange County Water Board Vacancy Draws ‘Unprecedented’ Interest After Newsom Kills Twin Tunnels Project

After much speculation about whether Janet Nguyen might run for one of Orange County’s hotly contested congressional seats in 2020, the Republican former state senator has thrown her hat in a surprising ring. And she’s not alone. Nguyen is one of seven people vying to fill a board of directors seat with the Municipal Water District of Orange County. The seat was left vacant after director Wayne Osborne, who was elected to a four-year term in 2016, retired in late April. “I was really heartened to see someone from that level interested in serving on our board,” MWDOC board president Brett Barbre said of Nguyen.

Huntington Beach Desalination Plant: How It Might Have Been Operating By Now

Poseidon Water started pumping drinking water from its Carlsbad desalination plant 3 1/2 years ago, but the location of that first desalination plant might have been in Huntington Beach instead. Plans for Poseidon operations at both locations were launched in 1998, but company officials prioritized the Carlsbad site in 2006, according to company Vice President Scott Maloni. The slower timeline for Huntington Beach resulted in it facing new, stricter regulations and additional delays. The controversial plant still needs two major permits, opponents remain steadfast and a recent water-supply study raised questions about the cost and need for the project.

Late Spring Storm Drops Snow On Southern California Mountains, More On The Way

Just a month before the official start to summer, some mountain residents awoke Monday morning to a wintry scene, and snow and rain showers are predicted for much of the week. But just how rare is this late-in-the-season dusting? “We weren’t shocked,” said Brenda Norton, co-owner of the Broadway Cafe, 1117 W. Big Bear Blvd., on Monday morning. “We always get snow usually around Mother’s Day, so this is pretty normal.”According to the National Weather Service, the Big Bear area saw a dusting of snow in early May last year May 2, to be exact. About an inch and a half fell at that time.