Archive for the ‘Regional water news roundups’ Category
Posted by George J Janczyn on May 20, 2013
Valley Voice: Sea-to-sea canal is the solution / mydesert.com : “Michael Cohen of the Pacific Institute tore Ben McCall’s Valley Voice article to shreds. Cohen called the suggestion of pumping Sea of Cortez water to the Salton Sea, and back out again “a zombie plan.” Mr. Cohen also does not reference the reason why the Salton Sea’s demise is quickly coming — the ill-conceived Quantification Settlement Agreement that sells up to 300,000 acre-feet of water a year, for 75 years, to San Diego.”
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Making progress means investing in every drop / American Rivers : “Kudos to the City of San Diego who seems to be ready to rise to the challenge of restoring balance to its water usage and the realities of an over stretched and dwindling supply.”
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Mayor Bob Filner invites all to participate in “Water Awareness Month” / San Diego Public Utilities Department : “The Mayor would also like citizens to be aware of other resources for information about conserving water, how taxpayer’s money is us ed to fund programs, services and a vast, complex water and sewer.”
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City Attorney prepares council for a vote on whether to increase water rates / San Diego Reader : “San Diego’s City Attorney is already looking for legal justification for what appears to be an upcoming pitch to increase water rates in order to make up for the rising cost of wholesale water prices.”
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Major U.S. cities are at risk for climate-related water shortage: report / Bloomberg : “Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego are among the cities most likely to face water scarcity as climate change increases drought potential, a study released May 15 found.”
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Grand Jury finds Water Authority made ‘substantial progress’ diversifying supplies / San Diego County Water Authority : “The San Diego County Water Authority “has made substantial progress in diversifying water supply sources” that bolster the region’s economy and quality of life, the San Diego County Grand Jury said in a report released Wednesday.”
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Sewage warning in effect for Fallbrook after 33,000 gallons of sewage spewed from ruptured main / 10News : “A sewage warning was in effect Thursday in Fallbrook, where an estimated 33,000 gallons of sewage spewed from a ruptured main for more than five hours.”
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Rancho Santa Fe water district may not have to increase water rates in the new year / Rancho Santa Fe Review : “The Santa Fe Irrigation District got some good news this month, as it learned that its wholesale water supplier plans to raise its prices 2.2 percent next year, as opposed to the increase of up to 12.2 percent that had been projected…thus reducing the pressure for water rate increases.”
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Old water tower in North Park is San Diego’s newest historic landmark / 10News : “On Friday, the North Park Historical Society and San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria announced that the North Park Water Tower is now registered with the California State Historical Resources Commission.”
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La Mesa sewer rates to jump 7% in 2014, 7% in 2015 / San Diego Reader : “The council vote will raise rates by 7 percent in 2014 and 7 percent in 2015 for the average single-family customer. The increase, the first implemented since 2007, changed the $19.88 bimonthly base rate to $23.50 for 2014 and $26.12 in 2015.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on May 13, 2013
Sweeping new rules on stormwater runoff / U-T San Diego : “In a bid to clean up San Diego County’s waterways and beaches, regional regulators on Wednesday approved sweeping new standards for stormwater runoff that give local governments greater choice on how to combat pollution but also makes them more accountable for achieving improvements.”
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Wastewater recycling: how open minds save closed systems / New Mexico Mercury : “Singapore, Los Angeles, Windhoek (the capital of Namibia in Africa) and the tiny town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico are doing it. Astronauts do it – NASA considers it a high priority – and doing it in the desert can help to diminish the environmental impact of any town whose water needs surpass the sustainable local supply. Today, San Diego is working through the second phase…”
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NASA project provides critical tool for water management / Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association : “A NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Twin Otter is flying high above the mountain watersheds of California and Colorado, measuring snowpack that will account for 75 percent of the drinking water supply in those regions once it melts.”
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Crews work to repair broken water main in North Park neighborhood / 10News : “A ruptured water main flooded a North Park neighborhood late Monday afternoon, leaving dozens of residences without functional plumbing into the evening hours.”
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Will cities ever get smart about water use? / Grist : “If the definition of insanity is making the same mistakes over and over, then many cities have taken a certifiable approach to securing their water supplies…That’s the conclusion from a new study in the journal Water Policy, whose authors compared the water supply histories of four cities — San Diego, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Adelaide, Australia.”
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Water rates likely to rise / San Diego Source : “Despite continuing conservation efforts, San Diegans should prepare for another increase in water rates in the coming year, the City Council was told on Tuesday…much of the price of water is tied to the fixed cost of maintaining the system, which is a constant concern no matter how much people conserve.”
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Water district pays depite hazy bills / U-T San Diego : “A consultant who has been paid more than $300,000 by the Otay Water District has turned in the same handwritten invoice month after month with no new details about his activities, despite a contract requiring he provide specifics.”
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San Diego Water Board approves $1.2 million settlement for sewage discharges to Los Penasquitos Creek, Lagoon, and Pacific Ocean / Scoop San Diego : “the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region (San Diego Water Board), approved a $1,245,414 penalty settlement against the City of San Diego for sewage discharges from Pump Station 64 during the September 8, 2011, area-wide power outage.”
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City sues Regional Water Board over fuel tank spill near Qualcomm Stadium / San Diego Reader : “1.26 million gallons; that’s the amount of groundwater that Kinder Morgan would like to extract from the MIssion Valley Aquifer and discharge in nearby Murphy Canyon Creek on a daily basis as part of a remediation agreement to clean up a large plume of fuel released into the aquifer underneath Qualcomm Stadium…the City of San Diego is challenging the remediation effort by suing the San Diego Regional Water Control Board for allowing the company to continue depleting the aquifer.”
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Quest for clean water enters unknown, expensive territory / U-T San Diego : “Last week, a state agency ordered dozens of local governments to spend whatever it takes to reduce the levels of bacteria, dirt and chemicals in the water that flows from storm drains into creeks and the ocean, when it rains and during dry weather. San Diego County estimates that just one of the standards, for animal bacteria in runoff, could cost $5.1 billion over 18 years.”
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San Diego Bay: how polluted in 2013? / San Diego Reader : “Several decades ago, San Diego Bay was considered an industrially polluted waterway, from which most would not eat fish caught in it. Since 1989, the Navy has monitored water conditions and worked with environmental agencies to clean up the bay’s water.”
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Council votes to raise sewer rates / U-T San Diego : “Homeowners in Solana Beach will see their sewer bills inch up annually for the next several years under guidelines tentatively approved Wednesday night. The increase means the owner of a typical single-family home in this affluent seaside town will see annual payments for sewer service rise 2.5 percent…”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on May 6, 2013
Oceanside plan would use sewage for energy / U-T San Diego : “Oceanside would contract with a private company to build and operate a cogeneration system at its La Salina sewage treatment plant in a bid to cut the plant’s energy costs.”
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Sinkhole in San Ysidro patched up after water main break / 760KFMB.com : “A broken water main in San Ysidro has been repaired after the discovery of a huge sinkhole in the middle of the street Monday.”
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Water rates could rise 7 percent, sewer 4.5 percent / Ramona Sentinal : “Water rate increases will not exceed 7 percent and sewer rates will not rise more than 4.5 percent, beginning July 1, for customers of the Ramona Municipal Water District. Also proposed is a 5 percent increase for the monthly water service fee.”
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San Diego smoothes way for home-based water recycling / CBS8.com : “The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ease municipal code requirements for home-based water recycling systems. Advocates say that so-called “graywater” systems, in which the outflow from clothes washers or showers is directed to landscape irrigation, can reduce household consumption by half.”
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Energy makes up half of desalination plant costs: study / Bloomberg : “Desalination plants on average use about 15,000 kilowatt- hours of power for every million gallons of fresh water that’s produced, the Pacific Institute said today in a report. In comparison, wastewater reuse draws as much as 8,300 kilowatt- hours of power for the same volume. Poseidon Resources’s Carlsbad desalination plant…will be the Western Hemisphere’s largest…”
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Debate heats up on water overhaul / U-T San Diego : “The combined price tag for a grand redesign of California’s plumbing network now surpasses a staggering $35 billion, although there are signals that the final bill will eventually shrink. San Diego area ratepayers can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $100 more a year…”
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Rainbow MWD adjusts water and sewer rates / The Fallbrook Village News : “A 5-0 board vote Feb. 26 set April 1 as the date for an increase of $0.03 per unit beyond the first six units … and a five percent increase in the monthly operations and maintenance charge. The district also terminated its reservoir upgrade fee.”
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Dry conditions highlight the value of water as summer nears / San Diego County Water Authority : “As temperatures soared to summer-like highs across the San Diego region on Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources’ final survey of the spring confirmed significantly below-average water content in the snowpack that provides about one-third of the water supplies for the San Diego County Water Authority. Runoff in the Colorado River Basin, the region’s other major imported water source, also is projected to be far below average for the second consecutive year despite April storms that boosted snow levels in the Rocky Mountains.”
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California water supply to be drawn from storage to meet demand / KPBS : “California’s biggest source of water, the Colorado River basin, has been below normal 11 of the past 14 years. This year’s projected runoff into Lake Powell, which is a good indicator for water supply conditions, is just 44 percent. The dwindling supplies means California will have to draw water from storage for the first time in nearly five years.”
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The desalination energy dilemma / OilPrice.com : “San Diego has already agreed to buy massive amounts of water every year from Carlsbad. The local authorities are gambling that the cost of this water, which is double the cost of available water, will level off eventually. Indeed, as things stand, it will be a hefty bill: around $3 billion over 30 years for 7% of the county’s water requirements. That these prices will fall is a big unknown.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on April 29, 2013
Judge orders MWD to produce evidence in rate case / San Diego County Water Authority : “A San Francisco Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to produce information no later than May 10 that shows how it allocates its costs to rates or admit it does not have any evidence to support its current allocation of its costs to its rates. The Water Authority sued MWD in 2010 and again in 2012…”
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Reconsidering energy use to help, not hollow the force: NZEI at Miramar / renewablesbiz.com : “The geography of much of MCAS Miramar has comparable topographic elevations, 200-300m above sea level, as nearby City of San Diego reservoirs Miramar and San Vicente. Pumped storage to these elevations using water imported to the region from the California State Water Project, or the Carlsbad Desalination Project (expected online in 2016 to meet 7% of regional demand) might be an energy storage option.”
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Salton Sea targeted for specialty license plate / U-T San Diego : “Assemblyman Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, has introduced legislation to create a specialty license plate for the Salton Sea…”We plan to make a significant amount of money for the Salton Sea Authority for restoration,” Nestande said, saying it is beginning to dry up because of the Colorado River water transfer to San Diego and associated decline in farm water runoff into the sea.”
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Residents asked to help win water conservation challenge / The Coast News : “Encinitas is within reach of winning the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, a contest taking place this month to see which cities are the most water-wise.”
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Plan holds sewer rates steady until 2015 / U-T San Diego : “Under a five-year plan going before the Vista City Council this afternoon, residents served by one of two local sanitation districts will be spared any rate hikes until 2015. Residents served by the other district won’t see any rate hikes at all.”
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Water district JPA picks seventh director / U-T San Diego : “Local farmer Charlie Wolk will join three board members from the Fallbrook Public Utility District and three from the Rainbow Municipal Water district on the new Joint Powers Authority board.”
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Water district to hunt for new well site / U-T San Diego : ” Olivenhain Municipal Water District is now on the hunt for a new well site, after the spot it initially tried at the San Elijo Lagoon failed to yield as much water as hoped. But that initial site, just east of Interstate 5, isn’t sitting idle.”
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Water Authority develops road map to a secure water future / San Diego County Water Authority : “The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday received updates about two potential capital projects to meet the region’s long-term need for water through 2035 – a seawater desalination plant at Camp Pendleton and a large-scale conveyance system to deliver water from the Colorado River.”
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Saving the Salton Sea / KMIR6 News : “In 2017, the amount of water flowing into the Salton Sea will drop dramatically. Instead, it’ll likely be headed to San Diego. Meantime the lake gets saltier, and more dusty lakebed is exposed as the water levels drop. So lawmakers are working on several projects to help save the sea.”
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Tide turns for water purification plan / U-T San Diego : “Last week the City Council voted to move ahead with a plan to purify 15 million gallons per day of recycled wastewater, confident that the tide of public opinion had turned in its favor.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on April 22, 2013
Selected water news reports that relate to the San Diego region.
City Council rejects Mayor’s nominee to Water Board / KPBS : “A new clash over nominations to outside agency boards broke out today when the City Council rejected Mayor Bob Filner’s nominee to serve as the city of San Diego’s representative on the County Water Authority Board of Directors.”
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Del Mar Clean Water Program fee to increase July 1 / Del Mar Times : “A fee to support Del Mar’s Clean Water Program that is added to residents’ water bills will rise by 1.5 percent on July 1. The fee helps pay for such services as street sweeping, storm drain maintenance, water quality testing, education, code enforcement and outreach…”
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Safety alert: bacteria levels elevated at tidelands shoreline / Coronado Patch : “Following rains earlier this week, San Diego County health officials have issued water quality advisories for Coronado and closed other beaches to the south.”
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Water Authority launches water calculator for homeowners / San Diego County Water Authority : “The San Diego County Water Authority on Wednesday released a new online tool that helps residents estimate how much water they use in their homes and provides practical tips for conserving the region’s most precious natural resource.”
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The Colorado: America’s most endangered river / Smithsonian.com : “Today, the conservation organization American Rivers released its annual ranking of America’s most endangered rivers, and the Colorado topped the list. The group cites outdated water management as the main malady attacking the Colorado’s health. “A century of water management policies and practices that have promoted wasteful water use have put the river at a critical crossroads,” a statement (PDF) released by the organization reads. “Demand on the river’s water now exceeds its supply, leaving the river so over-tapped that it no longer flows to the sea.”
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How much is ‘Going Green’ worth to you? / Voice of San Diego : “At the most recent “Exploring Ethics” forum hosted by the San Diego Center for Ethics in Science and Technology, Stanley Maloy, dean of San Diego State University’s College of Sciences, discussed the parallels between climate change’s effects on infectious disease and the use of pesticides in Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring.” Highlighted in the discussion was the role and impact that we, as individuals, have on our environment and the factors that influence what we do to contribute to a greener planet.”
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Costs to purchase water will increase next year for Rancho Santa Fe water district / Rancho Santa Fe Review : “A dry winter and an expected increase in water costs from its suppliers means that the Santa Fe Irrigation District’s costs for buying water will rise by about $1.5 million next fiscal year, according to a budget presentation at the district’s Thursday, April 18, board meeting.”
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Water supplies for 2013 / San Diego County Water Authority : SDCWA’s Mike Lee discusses the water supply prospects for 2013
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Engineer sees big challenges saving the Salton Sea / mydesert.com : “Shintaku, a civil engineer who took over as general manager of the Salton Sea Authority 10 weeks ago, stood near the lake’s northern end at a spot where five years ago the water would have been lapping at his feet. Now, the shore lies a few hundred yards away — a line of glimmering blue beyond the expanse of barren sand.”
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Regional MS4 permit / California Regional Water Quality Control Board : “The San Diego Water Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing to consider adoption of Tentative Order No. R9-2013-0001, NPDES No. CAS0109266, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit and Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges from the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) Draining the Watersheds within the San Diego Region.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on April 15, 2013
Selected news reports on San Diego regional water issues.
Oceanside projects rising sewer rates / U-T San Diego : “Oceanside sewer rates must rise 4 percent a year for the next four years starting in January 2014 to keep pace with needed repairs and maintenance, according to city officials.”
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NICE Security Solutions help secure critical facilities for City of San Diego / Sacramento Bee : “NICE Systems (NASDAQ: NICE) today announced that the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department is implementing NICE Situator and NiceVison Net to help secure its water supply, following an order placed in 2012. San Diego is California’s second largest city and the eighth largest in the U.S., with 1.3 million residents. The Public Utilities Department oversees one of the largest and most complex water storage, treatment, and delivery systems in the country.”
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Board takes raincheck on stormwater vote / U-T San Diego : “After years of deliberation, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board came close to voting on a new stormwater permit Thursday. But it ultimately decided to postpone the decision after a two-day hearing marked by criticism from environmental groups, builders and government officials.”
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Approval and dissatisfaction at water-quality board meeting / San Diego Reader : “Community members, environmental activists, government officials, and business owners met in Kearny Mesa on April 10 to vocalize their support for clean water at the Regional Water Quality Control Board hearing.”
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San Vicente Dam progress / U-T San Diego : A photo gallery
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Posted by George J Janczyn on April 8, 2013
Selected news reports on San Diego regional water issues.
San Diego farmers bracing for a tough year / KPBS : “San Diego farmers are facing a triple threat: rainfall is three inches below average, water prices have skyrocketed, and the state’s snowpack is 52 percent of normal. …water prices have more than doubled over the past decade.”
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Quicker water quality testing system trial run approved / Imperial Beach Patch : “The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a pilot study for a faster system of testing water quality at beaches. On April 1, the county will begin a yearlong study on where and when the quantitative polymerase chain reaction testing system, which gives results on bacteria and other pollutants within four hours of testing, could be used.”
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Encinitas Community Park to serve as storm water treatment system / Encinitas Patch : “Engineer Stephanie Kellar tells Patch readers how Encinitas Community Park will serve as a storm water treatment system.”
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IID to consider water storage / Imperial Valley Press : “The Imperial Irrigation District is considering the development of water storage facilities within its service area as a means to ensure sufficient water supplies in the midst of water shortages on the Colorado River.”
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Vallecitos Water District’s ‘Water Academy’ earns award for outstanding outreach program / Vallecitos Water District : “In addition to taking customers on a free, behind-the-scnenes look at how the District functions, busses from the Vallecitos Water Academy tour have taken the public agency to one other unexpected destination: 2013 Recycled Water Community/Public Education Program of the Year.”
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Director Betty Evans named Vallecitos Water District representative to San Diego County Water Authority / San Elijo Life : “Board Director Betty Evans was appointed the Vallecitos Water District’s new representative to the San Diego County Water Authority Board. The action taken at the most recent regular Board meeting of Vallecitos places Evans on the wholesale water agency’s Board of Directors to assist in setting policy and direction in meeting the water supply demands of residents throughout the region.”
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Go back to drawing board, water agency [opinion] / U-T San Diego : “A remarkable coalition of business, government and environmental groups is trying to prevent a disastrous leap into faith-based policymaking by a headstrong state agency.”
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Ramona access to Cedar Creek Falls reopens today / Ramona Sentinal : “A popular Cleveland National Forest hiking trail that had been closed to the public since a teenager fell to his death from a cliff in the area two summers ago reopened today under tightened restrictions.”
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Pipeline 6, Camp Pendleton desal, Red Mtn. pump station discussed at CWA master plan workshop / Fallbrook Village News : “The activities in preparation for the update of the San Diego County Water Authority’s master plan included a March 14 workshop. The potential projects discussed at the workshop included the extension of Pipeline 6 from Temecula to the SDCWA’s Twin Oaks Diversion Structure, the Camp Pendleton seawater desalination facility, and a pump station on Red Mountain which will be part of the CWA’s Emergency Storage Project.”
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Imperial Irrigation District canals kept clear by ‘army’ of carp / Imperial Valley Press : “John Woelke clearly remembers what happened when the Imperial Irrigation District introduced grass carp into its canals in the mid 1980s. The IID delivers millions of gallons of water to thousands of acres of crops over hundreds of miles of canals every year, most of which are not lined with concrete. Keeping them free of vegetation was a lot of work.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on April 1, 2013
A selection of current news reports on San Diego regional water issues.
Rancho Santa Fe water district to do another ‘cost of service’ study / Rancho Santa Fe Review : “The Santa Fe Irrigation District is gearing up once again to study future cost and revenue projections, which could lead to recommendations for additional water rate increases for district customers. The district last conducted a “cost of service study” in 2010, which led to a proposal by district staff to raise rates by up to 12 percent for three years…”
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Water Authority’s diversification strategy lauded in ‘New Visions, Smart Choices’ report / San Diego County Water Authority : “The San Diego County Water Authority’s multifaceted plan for diversifying the region’s water supplies is a model for other communities around the West, according to a report released Tuesday by a non-profit network of water managers, scientists and conservationists called Carpe Diem West.”
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Construction begins on pipeline for desalination plant / KPBS : “The San Diego County Water Authority broke ground on a huge pipeline in San Marcos today that will carry water from a desalination plant under construction in Carlsbad. The 10-mile-long pipe is part of a $1 billion project to add desalted ocean water to the region’s drinking water system.”
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Coalition backs council committee’s support for purifying San Diego’s water supply / East County Magazine : “The Water Reliability Coalition (WRC), a broad-based affiliation of environmental, business, consumer, labor, development, taxpayer and technical organizations, has come out in support of the City of San Diego’s Natural Resources & Culture committee’s decision to move forward in implementing water purification in the City of San Diego.”
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Coastkeeper welcomes four members to its board of directors / San Diego Coastkeeper : “–San Diego Coastkeeper, an environmental organization that protects and restores fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters in San Diego County, welcomes Lee Barken, Everett DeLano, Stewart Halpern, and George Yermanos to its board of directors.”
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Fallbrook water district director admonished / U-T San Diego : “A board member of the Fallbrook Public Utilities District was admonished by his cohorts earlier this week for violating the district’s ethics policy and the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. According to a resolution passed by the board Monday night, in emails dated Dec. 18, 2012, and Jan. 8 and 24 of this year, Archie McPhee disclosed confidential information gleaned during closed session meetings.”
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OMWD continues pursuit of groundwater / The Coast News : “The OMWD (Olivenhain Municipal Water District) proved that there is more than a passing interest in groundwater desalination at its board meeting on Wednesday.In fact, the district took another step toward making groundwater a permanent part of its water supply. OMWD is weighing whether it should build a desalination plant and a series of wells a couple of miles east of the San Elijo Lagoon to produce water for years to come.”
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Judge rules Prop. 26 does not apply to 2010 lawsuit challenging MWD’s rates / San Diego County Water Authority : “The San Francisco Superior Court has affirmed the San Diego County Water Authority’s key legal arguments despite ruling Friday that Proposition 26 does not apply to the Water Authority’s 2010 lawsuit over rates charged by the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California … In court briefs, MWD argued that it could set whatever rates it wanted, even if those rates overcharged ratepayers by far exceeding the agency’s actual costs.”
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Will twin tunnels water project float? / U-T San Diego : “Gov. Jerry Brown’s ambitious tunnels designed to ship water partly underground to Southern California would be tall enough to comfortably fit an adult giraffe, wide enough for three freeway lanes and have ample room to carry enough water to serve 35,000 homes on a typical day. But the barriers to Brown’s project may be even more immense. There is the $14 billion price tag. Powerful state and federal environmental regulators have to be convinced. History has not been an ally. And those whose lives could be upended are defiant.”
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Desalination comes of age with Poseidon plant / U-T San Diego : “The nearly $1 billion project in Carlsbad will transform about 50 million gallons of seawater into drinking water each day, and promises to meet 7 to 10 percent of San Diego’s water needs … Crews are now laying pipeline, doing demolition, and removing hazardous materials from the site in preparation for construction.”
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City aims to predict, prevent water main breaks / NBC 7 San Diego : “A pilot program in San Diego could hold the key to preventing destructive and costly water main breaks … [Rick Brady is] working to develop a system that could prevent water main breaks like the one in the Midway District six months ago that shut down a hotel and left its ground floor rooms unusable.”
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Is the party over? County sues Forest Service to block reopening of Cedar Creek Falls trail / East County Magazine : “San Diego County has filed a lawsuit seeking declaratory relief and an injunction to halt the U.S. Forest Service from reopening the trail to Cedar Creek Falls from Ramona’s San Diego Country Estates. The suit follows the USFS announcement that it plans to reopen the trailhead April 5th and implement a permit system for visitors. The falls and a natural swimming pool below are considered by some to be the most spectacular natural attractions in East County.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on March 25, 2013
A selection of current news reports on San Diego regional water issues.
Contamination warnings posted in Imperial Beach / Fox5 San Diego : “A long-term ocean contamination alert around the U.S.- Mexico border was expanded today to include the Imperial Beach shoreline. Contaminated flows out of Mexico have been entering the Tijuana River for months…”
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Water main break near airport at Pacific Highway / CBS8.com San Diego : “A water main break has flooded an intersection near Lindbergh Field early Wednesday morning. The main break is located at Pacific Highway just a few blocks north of Laurel Street on West Palm Street.”
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Final report says recycling water is not so expensive / KPBS : “The San Diego Public Utilities Department today presents its final report on water recycling and estimates it would cost no more to recycle water than to import it…the final report on San Diego’s Water Purification Demonstration Project now claims the future cost of recycled and imported water would be about the same, around $1,000 per acre foot.”
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Officials race against the clock to settle QSA lawsuits / Imperial Valley Press : “Officials have fewer than 90 days to accomplish what a decade of litigation could not: reach a settlement that satisfies all parties to the coordinated Quantification Settlement Agreement lawsuits…the key issue was the Salton Sea, whose decline is projected to accelerate in 2017, when the IID ceases delivery of water into the sea.”
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Quake-damaged tanks at Calexico water plant to be fixed / Imperial Valley Press : “The city’s water treatment plant repairs remain unfinished nearly three years after the 2010 Easter Sunday earthquake that damaged them, but hope is on the horizon as City Council approved awarding a bid proposal for the repairs at Tuesday’s regular meeting. The city’s 1 million-, 3 million- and 4 million-gallon water storage tanks were severely damaged in the April 4, 2010, 7.2-magnitude earthquake and have since been held together by reflective insulation, glue and liquid nails.”
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San Diego City Council committee asks for staff report on implementing recycled drinking water / Pomerado News: “The San Diego City Council’s Natural Resources and Culture Committee asked city staff Wednesday to begin planning for a system to recycle used water into drinking water, and report back in three months.”
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IID unveils water apportionment plan / Imperial Valley Press : “The IID is grappling with how to pay back to the Colorado River system two years of water overconsumption while maintaining its water transfer obligations stipulated by the Quantification Settlement Agreement. Between 62,000 acre-feet of overrun water that the IID needs to pay back this year, and water transfers to San Diego and the Coachella Valley, the IID needs to conserve some 258,000 acre-feet of water in 2013.”
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San Luis Rey water rights challenge – a 100-year old struggle / Indian Country Today Media Network : ” Five southern California Indian tribes, comprising the San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority, have important questions for the Obama Administration. The tribes, the La Jolla, Pala, Pauma, Rincon and San Pasqual Bands, located in northern San Diego County, are asking the federal government to settle a 100-year old problem created when it gave away their water rights.”
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Water officials got raises amid rate hikes / U-T San Diego : “Top officials of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District have received thousands of dollars in pay raises since 2011, even as ratepayers saw their water bills — among the county’s highest — increase by 5 percent a year.”
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Water pipeline replacement to close lanes in downtown San Diego / Fox5 San Diego : “Traffic on F Street between state Route 94 and Park Boulevard will be squeezed into one lane during business hours Monday and throughout the workweek as crews work to replace a 102-year-old water pipeline.”
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Posted by George J Janczyn on March 18, 2013
San Diego’s hard water safe to drink and may in fact be better than certain types of soft water / 10News San Diego : “San Diego has hard tap water. The evidence of mineral deposits can be found on your plumbing. If the water does that to a faucet, is it a good idea to drink it?”
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Carlsbad Desalination Project is named “Deal of the Year” by Project Finance Magazine / MarketWatch : “Project Finance magazine has awarded “North American Water Deal of the Year 2012″ honors to the Carlsbad Desalination Project, a $1 billion project financing implementing a public-private partnership between Poseidon Resources and the San Diego County Water Authority. The award recognizes innovation, deal repeatability, best practices, problem solving, risk mitigation, value for money, and speed of delivery in the financing of infrastructure projects.”
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Chula Vista examines water recycling requirement / U-T San Diego : “Chula Vista is exploring a potential requirement for residential builders to include water recycling systems in new homes. A proposal calls for new homes to include plumbing that allows wastewater produced through dishwashing, laundry and bathing — called graywater — to be used for irrigation, saving families money and preserving a natural resource.”
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Carlsbad electronic water meter install ahead of schedule / San Diego Reader : “The City of Carlsbad is progressing much quicker than expected in moving to replace its traditional water meters with electronic devices that can be read electronically by a laptop computer mounted in a city truck driving by.”
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Coastkeeper reaches agreement with Department of Defense to reduce Camp Pendleton sewage spills / La Jolla Light : “Under the Clean Water Act, a federal law that governs water pollution, Coastkeeper filed suit on April 18, 2011, to address Camp Pendleton’s upward trend in the number of sewage spills.”
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San Diego Water Purification Demonstration Project reports now available / San Diego Public Utilities Department : [The findings from the Water Purification Demonstration Project, including testing results, full-scale project costs and feasibility, are now available through this link. The findings will also be presented to the City Council Natural Resources & Culture Committee on Wednesday, March 20, 2pm at the City Administration Building, 202 C Street 12th floor, City Council Committee room]
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Posted in Regional water news roundups, Water | 1 Comment »
