Feeling cranky? Blame it on the monsoon.
Moist, unstable air from northern Mexico is flowing into San Diego County, raising the heat and humidity to uncomfortable levels and sparking a few spectacular thunderstorms.
One of those cells unexpectedly pushed into downtown San Diego shortly before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, producing big booms, bright bolts and enough rain to briefly slow traffic on city streets.
Record high Pacific Ocean temperatures recorded off the West Cost in recent years have receded to near normal, according to a report on the California Current.
That cool shift marks the end of “the blob,” the mass of warm water that dominated the West Coast, and of the El Nino event that followed. It’s unclear, however, what that means for fish and marine mammals, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated in the 2019 ecosystem status report for the California Current Ecosystem.
Six East County water district employees are now back home after spending a week in Paradise, helping the Paradise Irrigation District clear pipes of potential toxins and bring clean water to the town that was nearly wiped out in November’s Camp Fire.
Helix Water District employees John Wilson, Dan Baker, Eric Hughes and Bryan Watte, and Padre Dam Municipal Water District workers Austin Darley and Jesse Knowles worked in the the Butte County town in Northern California outside of Chico starting Aug. 19. They were part of a mutual aid agreement requested by the Paradise Irrigation District.
Escondido is moving forward on a reverse osmosis treatment facility that will reduce the city’s wastewater and also provide more recycled water for agricultural use. The project will divert millions of gallons of water from the discharge pipeline, and turn it into highly treated irrigation water. It’s expected to begin construction in early 2020 and come online in December, 2021. “This will not only generate a new supply of water to farmers that is economically viable to them, but it also will save our wastewater customers an enormous amount of money,” said Director of Utilities, Christopher McKinney.
A pair of thieves posing as city water department employees conned their way into a La Jolla home earlier this month, distracting the elderly homeowner as they stole cash and jewelry, police said Tuesday. The same two men wanted in connection with the scam and theft in La Jolla are also wanted for questioning in a similar incident that occurred nine days prior in the nearby community of Bird Rock, according to San Diego police detective Sgt. Ron Bailiff. Police say the two men identified themselves as being from “the water department” when they knocked on the front door at the La Jolla home around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 9.
Fifth graders now have a space to learn everything about water, from conservation to careers in the water industry. The Hydro Station is an initiative of the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD), the Otay Water District and Sweetwater Authority. This facility consists of a classroom right next to the Richard A. Reynolds desalination plant, which is estimated to receive about 4,500 students every school year. The idea is for children to broaden their career options from an early age and, if they wish, to consider a water-related career.
Nearly 275,000 customers in the Helix Water District area of East County will be looking at a small increase in their water rates starting in the fall. The average domestic customer using 21 units per bimonthly billing period will see a 2.9 percent increase — or $4.59. Average water users paying $156.35 every two months will see their bills grow to $160.94 every two months.
Twenty-one units of water is equal to about 15,708 gallons of water every two months, where one unit is equal to 748 gallons.
A six-man crew from East County will be making a trek to help the Paradise Irrigation District in northern California. Four field employees from Helix Water District and two from Padre Dam Municipal Water District will leave Aug. 18 and spend five days in the Butte County town of Paradise, which was gutted last November when the Camp Fire scorched more than 150,000 acres and burned down nearly every building in town, about 19,000 structures. At least 85 people died with dozens more injured in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. As it recovers and rebuilds, safe drinking water is one of Paradise’s major challenges.
After more than a year of meetings with government officials from communities around the region, the city of San Diego has invited seven cities and unincorporated areas of the county to join forces and create a community choice energy program that would offer an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric. The city made the offer earlier this month in a memo to city governments in Chula Vista, La Mesa, Santee, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar and Solana Beach as well as the County of San Diego. The memo included an attachment that contained a detailed look at how the area’s first foray into what is called Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, would be established and how it would run.
Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) Board of Directors will consider adjusting its rates for general untreated water at a Sept. 10 public hearing set for 2 p.m. at the Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane. RMWD directors already approved four types of rate increases at their July 9 meeting. The increases apply to treated and untreated water rates and fees, sewer service charges, capacity fees and connection fees, and emergency services fees. Increased water rates and fees were approved by the board on a 3-2 vote with President Jim Robinson and directors Thomas Ace and Bryan Wadlington in favor, and directors Jim Hickle and Jeff Lawler opposed. The recently approved rate for general untreated water was set to increase from $4.88 to $5.46 per unit — the equivalent of 748 gallons — beginning Aug. 1. Subsequent general untreated water increases were expected to follow effective July 1 of each year for the next four years. Those rates per unit are $5.85 in 2020; $6.26 in 2021; $6.70 in 2022; and $7.17 in 2023.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
