San Diego regional water news roundup Mar 25-31, 2013
Posted by George J Janczyn on April 1, 2013
A selection of current news reports on San Diego regional water issues.
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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…” |
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.” |
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.” |
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.” |
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.” |
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.” |
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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