Tag Archive for: Water Supply

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New Water Tank in Mission Trails Nearly Complete and Will Soon Disappear

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Construction of the new Flow Regulatory Structure II, or FRS II, in Mission Trails Regional Park is nearing completion. The structure is now completely enclosed on all sides and was successfully tested.

Construction crews have started placing soil around the exterior walls to begin burying the structure. In the next three weeks, the roof will be covered so the facility is concealed. Water is expected to begin flowing into FRS II in June 2022.

Mission Trails Regional Park project

The new structure, located in the northwest portion of Mission Trails Regional Park, is part of a San Diego County Water Authority project to upgrade the untreated water system that delivers water to treatment plants servicing the central and southern areas of the county, helping to balance the flow of untreated water. Once in operation, the FRS II will be capable of holding nearly five million gallons of water – enough water to fill seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Area will be restored with natural vegetation

Revegetation efforts will begin after FRS II is work is complete this fall. The topsoil was removed and stored onsite and will be returned help restore native plants and vegetation to pre-construction conditions.

Before the project began, 225 pounds of live seed was gathered from within Mission Trails Regional Park and taken to a dedicated nursery. From these seeds, more than 22,000 native plants are being grown and will be planted over a 17-acre area. Once planted, there will be a 120-day plant establishment period followed by five years of maintenance and monitoring to assure successful implementation.

Construction began in March 2020 just as the coronavirus pandemic began. As an essential infrastructure project, construction on the water project continued during the pandemic.

The Water Authority operates and maintains a regional water delivery system capable of delivering 900 million gallons of water per day.

Watch a recent news story about the project nearing completion.

City of San Diego Celebrates 100th Year of Barrett Reservoir

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SAN DIEGO – This year marks a century of Barrett Reservoir playing an important part of the City of San Diego’s water supply. Barrett is one of nine reservoirs that make up part of the City’s vast water system. Fishing season opens at Barrett on Wednesday, May 4.  

Barrett Reservoir was created with the completion of Barrett Dam in 1922 after about three years of construction. Named after George Barrett who owned the land at one time, the reservoir is located at the confluence of Cottonwood and Pine Valley creeks.  

“For 100 years, Barrett Reservoir has served as an integral part of our drinking water system and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” said Juan Guerreiro, Interim Director of the City’s Public Utilities Department. “Barrett is also a popular recreation area that San Diegans enjoy.” 

 

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Newsom: Desalination Project Should be Approved — “We Need More Damn Tools in the Toolkit”

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Citing California’s worsening drought conditions, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday made a powerful new push for a controversial $1.4 billion desalination plant on the state’s coastline.

The proposed oceanfront facility in Huntington Beach has been under debate for more than 20 years, and its fate could set a course for other desalination plants on the state’s coast. The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to take a final vote on the project in two weeks.

“We need more tools in the damn tool kit,” Newsom said during a meeting with the Bay Area News Group editorial board when asked about the project. “We are as dumb as we want to be. What more evidence do you need that you need to have more tools in the tool kit than what we’ve experienced? Seven out of the last 10 years have been severe drought.”

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Government Spending on Stormwater Management in California

/in , , /by /California WaterBlogby Erik Porse, Maureen Kerner, Brian Currier, David Babchanik, Danielle Salt, and Julie Mansisidor

Stormwater infrastructure in cities is highly visible and serves to mitigate flooding and reduce pollution that reaches local waterbodies. Being so visible, it might be reasonable to assume that stormwater is adequately funded both in infrastructure and water quality management. Yet, stormwater infrastructure and water quality improvement are notoriously difficult to fund. Paying for stormwater quality improvements in California has been a multi-decade challenge due to the industry’s relatively recent emergence during a time of fiscal constraints on local governments.

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Unprecedented Water Restrictions Ordered as MWD Declares Water Shortage Emergency

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Southern California officials on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of declaring a water shortage emergency and ordering outdoor usage be restricted to just one day a week for about 6 million people in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.

The outdoor watering restrictions will take effect June 1 under the decision by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and will apply to areas that depend on water from the drought-ravaged State Water Project.

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La Quinta Planning Commission OKs Proposed Surf Resort; Project Heads to City Council

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Sherry Barkas

A proposed La Quinta resort with a hotel, homes and a wave basin — which has brought loud opposition from people saying it is a poor use of water during a drought — narrowly won the planning commission’s endorsement Tuesday and will now move to the city council for final consideration.

The vote for the Coral Mountain project came in two motions: The first was for certification of the environmental impact report, which passed 5-2 with Vice Chairperson Loretta Currie and Commissioner Michael Proctor voting no.

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California Bill Would Pay Farmworkers $1,000 a Month to Help Endure Drought, Climate Crisis

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Nathan Solis

As worsening drought conditions in California and the West take a heavy economic toll on agriculture, state legislators are considering a plan to pay farmworkers $1,000 a month to help them cover the cost of necessities.

The bill is meant to assist farmworkers who have fewer crops to tend as climate change limits the window for each growing season and cuts the Golden State’s water supply.

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MWD’s Water-Use Mandates Don’t Impact San Diego Region

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April 26, 2022 – “The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Board of Directors today voted to implement a series of actions to address serious water shortages in parts of its service area that solely depend on the State Water Project. Those restrictions do not directly affect residents and businesses who receive water from the San Diego County Water Authority through their retail water provider because our region is not currently receiving water from the State Water Project.

“The San Diego region continues to have reliable water supplies for 2022 and beyond due to a long-term commitment to conservation and investments in a diversified water supply portfolio, including drought-resilient sources like the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. However, extreme drought conditions are felt widely across the West, and we strongly support agencies taking appropriate conservation actions where they are needed.

“The Water Authority’s Board of Directors has not enacted water-use mandates as we wait for the State Water Board’s direction and final emergency regulations in late May. In addition, Water Authority’s diversified supplies remain intact.

“We continue to support the Governor’s call for increased voluntary conservation at homes and businesses. We encourage actions such as taking shorter showers and fixing leaks immediately, along taking advantage of rebates for replacing turf with landscapes that are WaterSmart and climate-appropriate.”

— Sandra L. Kerl, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority

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A Quiet Revolution: Southwest Cities Learn to Thrive Amid Drought

/in , , /by /Yale e360 (Yale Environment 360)by Jim Robbins Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

In the rolling hills around San Diego and its suburbs, the rumble of bulldozers and the whine of power saws fill the air as a slew of new homes and apartments rise up. The region is booming, its population growing at a rate of about 1 percent a year.

This, in spite of the fact that Southern California, along with much of the West, is in the midst of what experts call a megadrought that some believe may not be a temporary, one-off occurrence, but a recurring event or even a climate change-driven permanent “aridification” of the West. The drought is so bad that last year federal officials ordered cuts to water provided to the region by the Colorado River for the first time in history.

Water officials in San Diego, though, say they are not worried. “We have sufficient supplies now and in the future,” said Sandra Kerl, general manager of the San Diego Water Authority. “We recently did a stress test and we are good until 2045” and even beyond.

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Governor Declares Drought in Four More Oregon Counties

/in , /by /KOIN-TV by Amanda Arden

It’s been a rainy April, but prolonged drought is still impacting parts of Oregon. On Monday, Gov. Kate Brown issued drought declarations for four Oregon counties.

Deschutes, Grant, Lake and Malheur counties are the latest where the governor has declared a drought. These counties join Gilliam, Morrow, Jefferson, Crook, Harney, Klamath and Jackson counties, for which the governor declared a drought earlier in 2022.

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