Tag Archive for: The San Diego Union-Tribune

County Offers Discounted Rain Barrels

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

The Solana Center for Environmental Innovation and the County of San Diego are offering discounted rain barrels to encourage harvesting of rainwater. By using a rain barrel, county residents can reduce pollution from runoff, conserve water and save money on their water bills. The cost is $90 per 50-gallon rain barrel, but residents of incorporated cities can qualify for a $35 rebate per rain barrel on up to two rain barrels per household, bringing the cost to $55 each. Residents of unincorporated areas of the county can get an additional $30 discount, (limited to two discounts per household) for the first 200 rain barrels sold.

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Padre Dam Board Freezes Water Rates

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

With one of the highest costs for water in San Diego County, Padre Dam Municipal Water District has faced a lot of pushback from residents tired of expensive bills. But some relief is in sight. As of July 1, the district said, the average customer in its service area paid the third-highest cost for water in the county — just over $100 per month.

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The Santa Ana Winds Spare San Diego. But Don’t Get Cocky

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins and Brittany Meiling

The “devil winds” whipped San Diego County Monday, then quickly and mysteriously moved on, sparing the region the sort of hellacious horrors that the Santa Anas often bring in autumn. Having been told to brace for trouble, San Diegans collectively shrugged, sighed and went about their business. Most were unaware that the region was the beneficiary of timing and topography.

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Why SDG&E’s Rates are Higher than Other California Utilities

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Rob Nikolewski

For more than a few San Diego Gas & Electric customers, a summer of discontent has just wrapped up. Record heat in the San Diego area resulted in some residents seeing their monthly bills balloon and their complaints were compounded by a “high usage charge” the California Public Utilities Commission recently put in place. But that’s not the only issue. A year-over-year review by the Union-Tribune of electricity rate charges by the three investor-owned utilities shows SDG&E’s rates are not only higher than their cohorts but they have also been rising faster.

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Wildfire Concerns Prompting SDG&E To Upgrade Infrastructure, Explore New Technology

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

San Diego Gas & Electric is upgrading its infrastructure and expanding its use of technology to limit the risk of wildfires and reduce the time it takes to restore service afterward. More than 14,000 wooden power poles have been replaced by steel versions, special cameras have been placed on 16 mountaintops and 177 weather stations are monitoring winds and moisture, an SDG&E official told a City Council committee last week.

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San Diego at Crossroads on 100 Percent Green Power Pledge

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

Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer is facing one of the biggest decisions in his more than four years as head of the city of San Diego — whether to approve a government-run alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric. The choice, expected in coming weeks, represents a sharp fork on the road to fulfilling the mayor’s ambitious pledge of running the city on 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. The success of the city’s Climate Action Plan largely hinges on meeting the target. Within two decades, nearly half of all annual greenhouse-gas reductions achieved by the city are expected to come from increased use of renewable energy.

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Painters Sentenced for Dumping Lead Paint into San Diego Storm Drain System

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

he CEO and two employees of a Riverside County-based painting company were sentenced after pleading guilty to contaminating San Diego’s storm water system by power-washing painted curbs and allowing toxic lead paint chips to flow into storm drains, City Attorney Mara Elliott announced Friday. The trio were placed on probation and ordered to pay more than$12,000 in fines and restitution, Elliott said. Ochoa Striping Services Inc. was contracted to sandblast paint from curbs in a Del Cerro neighborhood, Elliott said. That method of paint removal would have allowed workers to safely clean up and dispose of hazardous material.

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Planting Materials: a Dizzying Array of Choices

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Nan Sterman

Gardening has a vocabulary all its own, especially when it comes to the materials we use for planting and growing plants: dirt, soil, potting mix, planter mix, mulch, compost and many more. It can be pretty confusing, even for experienced green thumbs. To help, here’s a breakdown of some of the most common terms you’ll encounter along your gardening odysseys: Dirt is what you sweep out of your house or clean off the soles of your shoes. Soil is a complex mixture of minerals, organic matter (see definition below), water, air, living organisms including tiny insects and animals, bacteria, fungi, etc.

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OPINION: Progress on Critical Water Issues

/in , /by /Pomerado Newsby Mark Muir Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

When I started my term as board chair of the San Diego County Water Authority in October 2016, California was mired in drought but the San Diego region had sufficient supplies regardless of the weather. Thankfully, just a few months later, epic rain and snow significantly improved water supply conditions statewide, but not before validating our long-term strategy to develop a drought-resilient portfolio of water resources that protect the region during dry times. In fact, we had enough water to store 100,000 acre-feet of water for the future – a testament to regional foresight, coordination, hard work and investments by ratepayers.

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Directors Set New Recycled Water Rates

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Julie Gallant

Two Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) recycled water customers can expect to pay up to $1,013 per acre foot for recycled water, an increase from $35 per acre foot in their previous 10-year agreement. RMWD directors gave their unanimous approval during two separate votes at a special meeting Sept. 28 in which RMWD’s price for recycled water was set at a rate of $1,013 per acre foot for San Diego Country Estates Association (SDCEA) and Spangler Peak Ranch. However, SDCEA can access a $450 credit to lower the cost to $563 per acre foot and terms of the deal have not been finalized.

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