San Diego regional water news roundup Dec 23-31, 2011
Posted by George J Janczyn on December 31, 2011
( A selective roundup of regional water news reports. Click headline to read full story at originating website.)
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Imperial Irrigation District officials wary of Salton Sea water deal / The Desert Sun : “IID is supposed to send water to San Diego County that it frees up through conservation measures. But whether IID is required to continue the water transfers even if its conservation efforts are ineffective or become unaffordable is in question.” |
Ramona Water Board hears appeal from customer / Ramona Patch : “A property owner appealed to the governing board of the Ramona Municipal Water District for help with an outstanding bill. But, as those who have gone before the board at previous meetings, the directors voted to accept staff’s recommendation not to forgive outstanding debts.” |
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Webinar on water purification by ion exchange / World Trade Center San Diego : “WORLD TRADE CENTER San Diego is hosting a FREE webinar on Water Purification by Ion Exchange technology 10 Jan 2012, 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM. Presenter: Francis J. DeSilva. Frank has a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science Technology from Florida Institute of Technology.” |
New design for wind turbines debuts in San Diego / San Diego Reader : “When activated, it’s expected to produce about two kilowatts of power when operating at peak potential, and will power a nearby sewage pump station for the City of San Diego.” |
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Help us preserve and enhance the Colorado River / The Denver Post : “The skier at Vail, the programmer in Phoenix, the doctor in Las Vegas, the student in San Diego, and the rancher in Wyoming may not know it, but they are bound together by the Colorado River, its tributaries, and the intricate systems of dams and reservoirs that manage its water supply. Often called the lifeblood of the West, the Colorado River grows our crops, bathes our kids, electrifies our grid, quenches our thirst, and quite literally floats our boats in seven states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.” |
CARLSBAD: Desal project vote likely for June / North County Times : “Poseidon Resources Corp. now expects its proposed desalination project to cost about $750 million and a completed contract to be ready for public review in April 2012, company executives said this week.” |
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Church sustains damage after water main break / KGTV : “A water main break left 30 customers in Golden Hill without working plumbing Monday. Offices At Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana Flooded.” |
Second rupture delays Clairemont main break repair / KFMB-AM : “Crews working to repair a water main rupture that caused a sinkhole in Clairemont Tuesday discovered another leak, which caused water service to about 30 customers to be shut off again shortly after it was initially restored.” |
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Emery: Poway’s varied past / Pomerado News : “Lavene Powell, a longtime employee of the Poway Municipal Water District and a historical contributor in her own right, wrote to let me know of the death of Jim Stanton, a member of the water board from 1967 to 1981. Recalling Jim reminded me of the men who brought water to Poway in 1954 and created PMWD to distribute the water and manage the district’s infrastructure. Men like Harry Frame, Dave Shepardson, Harry Tassel, Rubin Tannenbaum and John Kent foresaw that Poway would never be a viable community without a reliable source of water…” |
Water pipe ruptures In Rolando Area / KGTV : “The 8-inch cast-iron pipe broke about 10:25 a.m. in the 6400 block of Celia Vista Drive, near Rolando Boulevard…corrosion to the more than 50-year-old pipe was to blame for the break.” |
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Sewage spill at San Elijo Lagoon closes nearby beaches / North County Times : “Beaches surrounding the San Elijo Lagoon have been closed after reports of a sewage spill. An estimated 1,500 gallons of sewage spilled from a pump station on Manchester Avenue at Via Poco into the lagoon.” |
ENCINITAS: Water district receives $17.8 million loan / North County Times : “The state Department of Public Health has given the Olivenhain Municipal Water District a $17.8 million loan to help finance its overhaul of the David C. McCollom Water Treatment Plant, district officials announced.” |
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DeMaio skipped discussion he now wants / Voice of San Diego : [Calling for a meeting Re. water problems] Carl DeMaio said “As elected leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that taxpayers and ratepayers receive the level of customer service that they deserve.” DeMaio, a committee member, might have known about the discussion had he been there. A video recording shows DeMaio chatting with colleague Lorie Zapf, and then packing up his laptop and walking out just as Alvarez was introducing the topic. You can see DeMaio in the upper left corner around the 1 hour, 13 minute mark of the tape. The discussion on the billing problems lasted 45 minutes.” |
IID bills will be slightly lower in 2012 / The Desert Sun : “The district is moving to a fund accounting system that segregates funds into categories in a way that better identifies their source and how they’re used. That will be particularly relevant for separating money related to a large-scale water transfer from IID to San Diego County from the rest of water funds, IID board member John Pierre Menvielle said.” |
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Where’s the Sierra snow? / SignOnSanDiego : ““Boy, this is certainly not the start of the water year we were hoping for,” said Bob Yamada, a resources manager for the San Diego County Water Authority. “From a water supply perspective, you don’t ever want to see dry years. But if they come, the best time to come is a year after a year like last year.”” |
NewSchool of Architecture and Design students develop solutions for addressing water runoff issues in San Diego Community / Archinect : “NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) students developed proposals outlining how Low Impact Development (LID) practices can reduce polluted storm water runoff within San Diego’s Ocean Beach community. Low Impact Development is a land planning and engineering design approach used to maintain and enhance the pre-development water flow in urban and developing watersheds. The challenge faced by urban areas and communities such as Ocean Beach is that impervious surfaces such as roofs, streets and parking lots prevent storm water from seeping into the soil. Runoff water carries urban pollutants downstream, and can lead to flooding issues.” |
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Otay water contracts tied to board chairman / SignOnSanDiego : “The general manager of the Otay Water District approved more than $200,000 in no-bid contracts this year to associates of the board’s chairman, Jaime Bonilla. [Normally] Otay allows General Manager Mark Watton to award contracts up to $50,000 without board approval.” |
Helix Water District Chief Is Staying on Through Jan. 31—or Perhaps Later / La Mesa Patch : “More than 60 people have applied for the job of Helix Water District general manager, hoping to succeed Mark Weston after a decade, the agency says. But Weston won’t retire Friday as first reported. Mark Weston is staying until Jan. 31, and then the board will determine if we rotate through upper management for acting GM, or if Mark will be requested to contract for another month.” |
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RMWD weighted vote drops slightly at water authority / Ramona Sentinel : “Member votes are based on the total financial contribution from each agency. The contribution total includes all taxes, assessments, fees and charges paid to or on behalf of the CWA” |
Hearing to be held in SD County Water Authority rate case against Metropolitan Water / San Diego Source : “More than a year from its original filing in June 2010, the lawsuit brought against Metropolitan Water District of Southern California by the San Diego County Water Authority still has yet to enter the trial phase. But Jan. 4, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer may make a decision that could determine how much more time may pass before the case is resolved.” |
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