San Diego regional water news roundup Jun 3-9, 2013
Posted by George J Janczyn on June 10, 2013
[Corrected – an earlier version of this post contained errors]
On June 4, a judge validated the 2003 Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement and rejected all of the remaining legal challenges to the landmark accord. The ruling secures a key component of water supply for the San Diego County Water Authority, which will receive 180,000 acre-feet of water this year as result of the QSA and related projects. Here is a selection of news reports on that decision:
- Judge upholds landmark 2003 Colorado River accord / San Diego County Water Authority
- Official: water deal ruling a ‘landmark victory’ for San Diego County / KPBS
- Judge upholds landmark California water pact / Imperial Valley Press
- Judge OKs huge water deal between farmers, San Diego County cities / Los Angeles Times
- Quantification Settlement Agreement upheld by judge / Desert Sun
In other news:
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Los Penasquitos Lagoon in Del Mar blocked once again: mosquito infested lagoon again stagnant / 10 News San Diego : “Less than a month after San Diego and state officials moved 20,000 cubic yards of sand blocking the lagoon from draining into the Pacific Ocean, the sand is again blocking the channel. It allows stagnant water and mosquitoes that could carry the West Nile virus to thrive in the Del Mar lagoon” |
Work continues to repair broken water main / KFMB : “Crews worked overnight trying to repair a large water main break that flooded streets and homes in University Heights. According to city water officials, a 12-inch concrete main ruptured along Madison, sending thousands of gallons into the street and into the yards of surrounding homes.” |
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Water Authority unveils WaterSmart conservation website / San Diego County Water Authority : “The San Diego County Water Authority has launched a comprehensive online resource to inspire, educate and empower the region’s residents to make water-efficient lifestyle choices.” |
Mediation to continue on Salton Sea restoration solutions / Imperial Valley Press : “Mediation on how to address impacts caused by the nation’s largest farm-to-city water transfer will continue between Imperial County and the Imperial Irrigation District, officials said Wednesday, although what that mediation will produce is still unclear.” |
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Poway water’s taste, odor temporarily affected by algae bloom / Pomerado News : “Poway water customers may find their water has a different taste and odor during the next two weeks. This is due to an algae bloom on Lake Skinner in Temecula, which serves as a source of water that Poway receives from the San Diego County Water Authority.” |
SDCWA reinforces Capital presence / U-T San Diego : “The San Diego County Water Authority has hired a seasoned water expert as its government relations manager based in the Capital.” |
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Helix Water District’s new tank project completed / San Diego Reader : “Helix Water District recently replaced its 64-year-old “Homelands” tank to increase the facility’s water-storage capacity to 800,000 gallons, enhance system reliability, and satisfy current seismic requirements. The tank is part of the combined Johnstown/Tunnel Hill/Homelands distribution system along the district’s eastern boundary and serves approximately 6950 customer accounts.” |
Ramona water district applies for grants for recycled water projects / Ramona Sentinel : “Focusing on recycled water projects, the Ramona Municipal Water District has submitted applications for grants through the Metropolitan Water District. The grant program, called the Foundational Actions Funding Program, is for innovative technical studies or pilot projects related to resource development of recycled water.” |
GrokSurf's San Diego 
merle Moshiri said
well gosh! launching a website to “insprire” conservation. New projects for reclaiming too. Trying to recapture the other 9/10ths of the water your new $1BILLLION desal plant won’t furnish? Maybe conservation/reclamation should have been first? Add to this, the San Onofre debacle and it looks like the SDCWA was sold a bill of good………..or rather the rate payers.
Burt Freeman said
Lots of interesting topics to comment on:
Good news, the QSA is safe for a while! Does anyone know an algorihm for the pricing of the above water now and into the future? Can the Salton Sea “solution” be decoupled from the QSA?
Well, 50 MGD of desal is, in my opinion, not enough; but it will arrive by 2016; any other local sources available on that timescale?
More seawater desal is in the SDCWA planning process.
PUD’s IPR has flaws; DPR is feasible, but has legal obstacles; should be pushed hard.