The California Water Service in Bakersfield hosted their annual ‘Imagine a Day Without Water.’ The day aims to highlight the essential nature of water.
Officials with Cal Water gave us a tour of their Northeast Bakersfield plant that adds around 20 million gallons of water to the city’s water supply every day.
Selwyn Sekaquaptewa has been on the hunt for talent for months.
As the general manager of the Hopi Utilities Corporation’s water service, he works with just two other staff members to provide clean and safe drinking water to the Hopi Tribe’s reservation in Northeast Arizona. When the corporation formed in 2017, five of the community’s wells did not meet federal arsenic standards, and it’s looking to expand its operations and upgrade existing infrastructure to continue improving the quality of the water on which the tribe relies.
A bill signed into law Friday by Governor Gavin Newsom will now ban certain businesses from watering its grass in an effort to reduce water usage.
The bill is modeled after the State placed similar rules on commercial, industrial and government agencies from using drinking water for grass deemed “non-functional” in 2022.
Twenty years ago, in October 2003, water officials from across the Southwest signed the largest water conservation-and-transfer agreement in U.S. history, the QSA, or Quantification Settlement Agreement. The agreement has provided decades of water security for San Diego County and benefits for numerous partners across the Southwest. In total, that pact supplies more than half of the water that sustains San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents and $268 billion economy.
The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors conducted a formal dedication of its newest water conservation and operational reservoir located just east of here on Wednesday, Oct. 11, named after longtime Division 3 Director Lloyd Allen.
The new reservoir is expected to help IID conserve 400 acre-feet of water a year and features a storage capacity of 40 acre-feet. In addition, the operational reservoir aids the district’s popular On-Farm Efficiency Conservation Program by providing improved water delivery service and flexibility to growers and IID water delivery staff in the valley’s Northend.
Helix Water District received an Orchid Award for Landscape Architecture from the San Diego Architectural Foundation at its 2023 annual Orchids and Onions architecture and design awards gala on October 5. The Orchid Award went to the district for its WaterSmart Demonstration Garden.
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) dedicated and named a new water conservation and operational reservoir for Lloyd Allen.
The Lloyd Allen Water Conservation Operational Reservoir is located east of Calipatria and will conserve 400 acre-feet of water annually and provide water operational flexibility to local growers.
Helix Water District received an Orchid Award for Landscape Architecture from the San Diego Architectural Foundation at its 2023 annual Orchids and Onions architecture and design awards gala on October 5. The Orchid Award went to the district for its WaterSmart Demonstration Garden. The Demonstration Garden is located at the Helix administration office in La Mesa.
“We are honored to be recognized for our WaterSmart Demonstration Garden,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “This award is a testament to the fact that you can create thriving, sustainable gardens here in East San Diego County that are both beautiful and water efficient.”
The Helix Water District demonstration garden includes interactive elements such as descriptive signs with QR codes that visitors can scan to learn more about specific plants. Photo: Helix Water District
The District installed its WaterSmart Demonstration Garden to beautify the neighborhood and inspire others to install water-efficient landscapes. Outdoor water use typically accounts for half of a home’s water use. Through planning and a vision for the community, the district was able to transform its tired and overgrown landscape into the thriving, lush, and colorful gardens there today.
McCullough Landscape Architecture designed the garden to showcase three styles of landscapes that are adapted to the local climate and need half to a fifth of the water that a traditional lawn needs. The Mediterranean, desert, and California-native gardens include plant markers with QR codes. Scan the code with your smartphone to see each plant’s name, sun and water needs, and mature size.
All plants chosen for the Helix Water District Demonstration Garden had to be accessible to the public at local nurseries. Photo: Helix Water District
“Our demonstration landscape shows customers that water-efficient landscaping is not just one style,” said Helix Water District Director Mark Gracyk. “You can choose plants that compliment your home and personal taste – there is an option for everyone.”
A key requirement for the design of the gardens was that all of the plants selected had to be accessible to the public at local nurseries. The plants are grouped in hydrozones based on the amount of water they need and a drip irrigation system provides automatic watering based on daily weather conditions.
The garden is open to the public for self-tours and easily accessible from the sidewalk at 7811 University Avenue in La Mesa.
McCullough Landscape Architecture designed the garden to showcase three styles of landscapes that are adapted to the local climate and need half to a fifth of the water that a traditional lawn needs. Photo: Helix Water District
Drawing on input from both the public and professionals, the San Diego Architectural Foundation recognizes both the best and the worst of San Diego’s built environment. The architecture projects recognized as Orchids and Onions each year are nominated by the public, then reviewed and selected for awards by architecture and design professionals.
Orchid award winners must exemplify good placemaking, add to the surrounding community’s character, be skillfully and thoughtfully crafted, environmentally innovative, and elicit a sense of civic pride.
The San Diego Architectural Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and promotion of outstanding architecture, planning, and urban design throughout the San Diego region.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region. For residential, business and agricultural rebates, incentives and programs, go to: www.sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/.)
The U.S. EPA recognized the San Diego County Water Authority with a 2023 WaterSense Excellence Award for advancing water efficiency through its Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program, better known as QWEL. The Water Authority received one of 25 Excellence Awards on October 5 at the national WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.
This is the fourth EPA WaterSense award won by the Water Authority. The 2023 award is for Excellence in Promotion and Outreach of the QWEL program.
October 9, 2023 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the San Diego County Water Authority with a 2023 WaterSense Excellence Award for advancing water efficiency through its Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program, better known as QWEL. The Water Authority received one of 25 Excellence Awards on Oct. 5 at the national WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.
