San Diego regional water news roundup Jul 29-Aug 4, 2013
Posted by George J Janczyn on August 5, 2013
 As of the end of July, Lake Mead is at 47% of capacity (click images to enlarge). |
 Behind Hoover Dam, Lake Mead doesn’t come close to reaching the spillway. |
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The drying of the West / Los Angeles Times : “Until now, the ever-more-complex water delivery systems of the Colorado Basin have managed to meet the escalating needs of their users…Those days are gone. The Lower Basin states now get only their annual entitlement and no more. Unfortunately for them, it’s not enough, and never will be…” |
An energy capture tech to power the largest seawater desalination plant in the U.S. / Forbes : “After over a dozen years of legal and regulatory battles, the largest seawater desalination plant in the United States is under construction and will use a technology that recovers and re-uses energy that would otherwise go to waste. The $1 billion California project, located in Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, will employ Energy Recovery‘s equipment that captures…” |
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Small water, sewer rate hikes proposed in Poway / Pomerado News : “Poway City Council members next Tuesday night will be asked to begin a process that will likely lead to small increases next year in bi-monthly water and sewer bills. The staff report says the rate increases will recover pass-through raw water rate increases and fixed charges adopted by the San Diego County Water Authority…” |
Judge affirms deal to bring Imperial Valley water to San Diego County / Los Angeles Times : “A judge has approved a complex water deal between the farmers of the Imperial Valley and the cities of San Diego County — hailed as the largest sale of water from farms to cities in the nation. This year, the sale will involve 180,000 acre-feet of water…” |
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Professor: climate change impacts for San Diego Region will be numerous / San Diego 6 : “Political leaders around San Diego will have to prepare for multiple climate change impacts in the future, beyond the expected rising sea levels, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography told members of the San Diego City Council’s Natural Resources and Culture Committee Wednesday…” |
Helix water rates to rise; gallon will still cost less than a penny / La Mesa-Mt. Helix Patch : “The reason for the rate increase is mostly due to a 21 percent, $6 million rise in water costs for the district. They said the dry year requires more water purchased from the San Diego County Water Authority…” |
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Water Authority chair responds to court’s validation of the QSA / San Diego County Water Authority : “Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly on Wednesday entered a judgment validating the 2003 Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement and rejecting all of the remaining legal challenges to the landmark accord, in line with his tentative ruling in June…” |
IID water apportionment plan comes under challenge / Imperial Valley Press : “The Imperial Irrigation District’s recently adopted water apportionment plan is being challenged in court. Alleging that the district is relegating to farmers water that remains after other users, like municipal customers, have received their share, El Centro farmer Mike Abatti seeks to halt the implementation of the IID’s Equitable Distribution Plan…” |
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County Water Authority provides Gregory Canyon update Fallbrook Village News : “Although the SDCWA did not take a position on the landfill itself, the CWA board previously authorized staff members to advocate conditions which will protect CWA infrastructure. “We don’t know what the extent of the impact to our pipelines will be,” said CWA water resources manager Larry Purcell…” |
Crew cleans up tons of debris from San Diego Bay / Fox5 San Diego : “In 2008, the Port of San Diego shut down an anchorage in the South Bay where people were allowed to anchor their boats and live for free. Since then they’ve been working on cleaning up the mess left behind…” |
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New plan to save Salton Sea fading / U-T San Diego : “San Diego regional water officials may be forced to abandon their long-stalled proposal to revive a rapidly deteriorating Salton Sea. The San Diego County Water Authority has been pushing a new strategy that calls for sending more money, but no more fresh water, to speed up projects designed to help the shrinking sea, the state’s largest inland lake straddling Imperial and Riverside Counties…” |
OMWD inks deal to continue hunt of groundwater / The Coast News : ” By early next year, OMWD (Olivenhain Municipal Water District) should have a better idea if it makes economic sense to tap groundwater in its district. Recently, the five-member OMWD board agreed to sign a contract with Stoney-Miller, an engineering firm that will study the underground geography of the city’s Lusardi formation. Once the analysis is finished, OMWD will consider installing a groundwater well…” |
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Water-transfer agreement may hinder Imperial County economy / Imperial Valley Press : “Wednesday’s court ruling upholding the validity of the Quantification Settlement Agreement is a setback to local government efforts to ensure that the Salton Sea does not become an environmental and public health disaster as a result of the water transfer…” |
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