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Sandra L. Kerl Appointed General Manager of San Diego County Water Authority

/in , , /by /Water News Network (San Diego)by Ed Joyce Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority
Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors approved a contract with Sandra L. Kerl to be the new general manager of the region’s wholesale water agency, following a months-long national search. The Board approved the contract in open session during its regular monthly meeting Nov. 21 at Water Authority headquarters.

Kerl fills the position vacated by longtime General Manager Maureen Stapleton, who retired in March. She has served as the agency’s acting general manager since Stapleton’s departure, working closely with the Board to lead a staff of approximately 250 employees at offices in Kearny Mesa, Escondido, the Imperial Valley and Sacramento.

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Water Authority To Make Acting GM Sandra Kerl’s Position Permanent

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority announced Friday that its officers are negotiating contract terms with acting general manager Sandra L. Kerl to make her role permanent following a national search.

“We are excited about what Sandy brings to the Water Authority — deep experience with water issues and her top-notch skills managing an agency that’s so critical to San Diego County,” said Board Chair Jim Madaffer. “Sandy has the knowledge, temperament and vision to begin a new, collaborative era of extraordinary achievements for our agency and our region.”

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Members of the Water Authority at the San Diego Press Club Journalism Awards (L to R): Denise Vedder, Litsa Tzotzolis, Gayle Falkenthal, Ed Joyce, Kristiene Gong. Photo: Water Authority

Water Authority’s Public Outreach Efforts Honored

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For the second consecutive year, the San Diego County Water Authority received two first place awards from the San Diego Press Club for its public outreach and education work. The awards were presented at the 2019 San Diego Press Club 46th Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards October 29 at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation’s Joe and Vi Jacobs Community Center.

San Diego’s finest reporters, photographers, writers, artists, and communicators were honored with the region’s top awards in one of the largest annual competitions in the United States.

The Water Authority received the following Press Club awards:

Websites, Public Service or Consumer Advocacy Site: First place, Water News Network

Public Relations, Public Information and Trade Publications, Special interest on one-time publications: “San Diego County Water Authority: 75 Years and Counting”

The Water News Network has proven to be a valuable source of water news and information for the San Diego region since it started in May 2018. This is the second consecutive year the Water News Network website has won first place in this category.

“Traditional news organizations face increasingly limited resources, but our constituents still have the need for accurate information about water issues and efforts by the Water Authority and its member agencies to secure a safe and reliable water supply for the San Diego region,” said Denise Vedder, public outreach and conservation director for the San Diego County Water Authority. “The Water News Network is an effort to provide this information. It has also become a tip sheet for regional news media to follow water issues and generate their own independent reporting, which has been a welcome additional benefit.”

San Diego County Water Authority: 75 Years and Counting

“San Diego County Water Authority: 75 Years and Counting,” explored San Diego’s water history, needs and the 24 member agencies that serve the region. The one-time publication was a special section supplement within the Sunday, June 9, 2019 San Diego Union-Tribune, honoring the founding of the organization on June 9, 1944.

“The San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards shows that solid research, writing, reporting and photography matter more than ever,” said Karyl Carmignani, 2019 Press Club president. “I’m proud our organization honors student and professional journalists and public relations professionals in San Diego.”

This year’s Journalism Awards program drew more than 950 entries across multiple media categories. Judges included members of press clubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Rochester (New York), Florida, Cleveland, Orange County, Milwaukee, Tulsa, and Alaska.

Salton Sea Authority Honors Bruce Wilcox for Years of Service

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Salton Sea Authority honored out-going Assistant Secretary of Salton Sea Policy Bruce Wilcox during the Authority’s October 24 board meeting. Wilcox was at the meeting when the Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution recognizing his efforts to improve the Salton Sea.

He was appointed to serve as assistant secretary within the California Natural Resources Agency in 2015 and assigned to work on Salton Sea restoration efforts. His appointment followed the formation of the Salton Sea Task Force.

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Planning for the amount of space your new plants will need when fully grown will help your landscape thrive. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

Make Space for New Plants

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When choosing new plants for your landscape this fall, be sure to account for the space each plant will need as it matures. This will help avoid overcrowding in your landscape.

Proper plant placement, while predicting the mature plant’s size, also should limit the need for future pruning. This can help reduce the amount of maintenance required in the long run.

The spacing chart below helps to judge how many plants are needed per square foot, based on the mature size of the plants.

Plan for space needed at maturity

On your landscaping plan, use circles to note the size of every plant at maturity using a scale in which one inch equals four feet. Use colored pencils to note different water needs of each plant. That will make it easier to group plants into their proper irrigation zones (hydrozones).

Wide canopy trees that grow to 20 or 30 feet in diameter will significantly change the landscaping over time. Consider whether a tree will cover a large section of landscaping with shade that is currently getting full sun. Be sure to avoid placing plants that will need full sun underneath these trees.

Small but mighty

Select the smallest, healthiest plants possible, especially when choosing native plants. Once they are planted in properly prepared soil and watered wisely, small plants establish themselves more vigorously than plants raised in larger containers. Do not plant more than the space will allow for when the plants are fully grown.

Root depth matters

Take note of the root depth of plants when you place them. Note root depths on your landscape plan. Trees will be irrigated less frequently, but for a longer period of time. Groundcovers with shallower roots require more frequent, shorter periods of irrigation. Keep these types of plants in separate hydrozones.

Did you know that fall is the prime time for plant sales in San Diego County? Check out your nearest nursery or farmers market for native plants to help grow your landscape!

This article was inspired by the 71-page Sustainable Landscapes Program guidebook available at SustainableLandscapesSD.org. The Water Authority and its partners also offer other great resources for landscaping upgrades, including free WaterSmart classes at WaterSmartSD.org.

San Diego Public Utilities Department Honored For Sustainability

/in , /by /Water News Network

The City of San Diego Public Utilities Department has been recognized as a “Utility of the Future Today” for its outreach efforts for the Pure Water San Diego Program.

The honor was bestowed today by a partnership of water sector organizations, including the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Water Environment Federation, the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation, the WateReuse Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Fallbrook PUD Crews Help Paradise Camp Fire Recovery Efforts

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Crews from the Fallbrook Public Utility District are helping rebuild water services in Paradise, Calif. after the devastating November 2018 Camp Fire.

The Camp Fire burned 153,336 acres, destroyed 18,793 structures, caused 85 deaths and three firefighter injuries. The Camp Fire is the deadliest, most destructive fire in California’s history, according to CAL FIRE.

Colter Shannon and Austin Wendt left the FPUD yard Sept. 22 to make the 565-mile, 10-hour drive to Paradise. On Sept. 29, two more FPUD crew members, Toby Stoneburner and Matt Perez, will depart for the Butte County town. Each two-member team will spend two days driving and five days working on repairs for a total of seven days.

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Pipeline 4 Repairs Underway In North San Diego County

/in , , /by /Water News Network

A recently discovered leak in a section of a pipeline in North County will be repaired in coming months while Pipeline 4 returns to service.

Crews have installed bulkheads in the pipeline to isolate a portion of Pipeline 4 for repairs. This will allow the pipeline to continue treated water deliveries throughout the county in a modified fashion starting the week of Sept. 16 and restores full service to retail water agencies. With the leaky section isolated, crews will make necessary repairs.

Four Water Authority member agencies – Fallbrook PUD, Rainbow MWD, Valley Center MWD, and Vallecitos Water District – have taken steps to manage water supplies while the pipeline was shut down to install the bulkheads.

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WateReuse Symposium Showcases City of San Diego’s Pure Water

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Locally-roasted coffee and home brewed beer made with purified recycled water from the City of San Diego’s Pure Water Demonstration Facility was showcased Sept. 10 in San Diego during two special events at the 34th annual WateReuse Symposium.

Pure Water San Diego presented two events featuring beverages made with a key ingredient: purified recycled water.

In the afternoon, symposium attendees were served hot- and cold-brewed coffee made by locally-owned Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. In the evening, a symposium reception featured a “Pure Brew” competition where attendees judged the best of 10 home brewed beers from members of San Diego’s Quality Ale and Fermentation Fraternity.

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EPA Action Plan To Boost Water Reuse Across U.S.

/in , /by /Water News Network

The U.S. EPA today released a draft plan to advance water reuse nationally at the WateReuse Association Symposium in San Diego.

The National Water Reuse Action Plan identifies 46 proposed actions organized around 10 strategic objectives, including leadership and collaboration, to support the implementation of water reuse.

“Forty states anticipate experiencing fresh water shortages in certain regions within their borders over the next decade,” said David Ross, EPA’s assistant administrator for water. “Diversifying our nation’s water portfolio must be a nationwide priority, and water reuse has the potential to ensure the viability of our water economy for generations to come.”

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