The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has a subsidy program for projects which produce local supply and the projects MWD will fund now include the Santa Margarita River Conjunctive Use Project.
MWD’s board vote Sept. 10 approved the agreement with the San Diego County Water Authority and the Fallbrook Public Utility District. FPUD is expected to receive $23,637,500 in incentive payments over a 25-year period.
Compton City Councilwoman Tana L. McCoy has been appointed to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California Board of Directors as the city’s representative to the 38-member board. She succeeds Janna Zurita, who served on Metropolitan’s board since November 2015. In seating McCoy on the board MWD Board Chairwoman Gloria Gray said, “I welcome Tana McCoy to the board and I look forward to working with her.” McCoy has a lengthy history of public service. Prior to accepting a unanimous appointment to represent Compton’s District 3 on the City Council McCoy had been a 40-year city employee before retiring in 2016. She was elected in the city council 2017 for a full term.
The Sweetwater Authority 2019 “Water is Life” poster contest is one of many educational opportunities the Authority offers. The annual contest gives kindergarten through sixth grade students the chance to demonstrate how water is a precious and essential resource. By creating water-related art, students enhance their understanding of the importance of water.
The Authority invests in the education of students in its service area to foster knowledge and appreciation for the value of water, and to bring awareness to the vital service the Authority provides to its customers and community.
More than 130 students from 11 different elementary schools participated in this year’s poster contest. Submissions were judged in two categories, grades K-3 and grades 4-6. There were 19 winning posters this year. Students with a winning submission were awarded a gift certificate, an art kit and a congratulatory letter.
Of the 19 winning posters, five were deemed top winners:
Christian Chavez, grade 2, El Toyon Elementary School
Christian Chavez, grade 2, El Toyon Elementary School, National City; National School District
Adrian Haro, grade 4, El Toyon Elementary School
Adrian Haro, grade 4, El Toyon Elementary School, National City; National School District
Analynn Pascual Bermundez, grade 3, Allen Elementary School
Analynn Pascual Bermudez, grade 3, Ella B. Allen Elementary School, Bonita; Chula Vista Elementary School District
Mason Rogers, grade 3, Allen Elementary School
Mason Rogers, grade 3, Ella B. Allen Elementary School, Bonita; Chula Vista Elementary School District
Rencel Chiara Charifa, grade 5, Central Elementary School
Rencel Chiaara Charifa, grade 5, Central Elementary School, National City; National School District
The five winning posters have also been entered in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s regional poster contest. If selected, those posters will be published in MWD’s 2020 art calendar. Regional winners will also be invited to an art exhibit and recognition luncheon at MWD’s office in downtown Los Angeles, with travel sponsored by the Sweetwater Authority.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will be replacing the filter valve gear boxes for Module 7 of the Robert A. Skinner Water Treatment Plant. The MWD board authorized the replacement of the filter valve gear boxes April 9. The board decision also found the project to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review although the work will include environmental documentation.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday sealed California’s participation in a landmark Colorado River drought management plan, agreeing to shoulder more of the state’s future delivery cuts to prevent Lake Mead from falling to dangerously low levels. With California signed on, the plan can move to Congress, which must approve the multi-state agreement before it takes effect. The MWD board took the step over the objections of the Imperial Irrigation District, which holds senior rights to the biggest allocation of river water on the entire length of the Colorado.
Frustrated by delays in agreeing to plans for coping with looming shortages on the Colorado River, the head of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California wants to move the deal forward by agreeing to shoulder additional supply cuts. If the proposal is approved by the Metropolitan board, California would join a multi-state drought contingency plan and the water district would ensure its access to reserves stored in Lake Mead.
The San Diego County Water Authority is offering an olive branch to the region’s largest water wholesaler in an effort to end years of public and legal feuding. Local water officials have fought for decades with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The dispute has often left the two agencies fighting expensive legal battles and publicly insulting each other. Jim Madaffer, chair of the San Diego County Water Authority, said it is time to end the fighting. In a letter sent Thursday, he offered the Metropolitan Water District an agreement to end pending legal actions.
Water veteran and community advocate Gloria D. Gray was recently elected chairwoman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California. She has vast experience in state, regional and local water issues and has served as West Basin Municipal Water District’s (WBMWD) representative on the 38-member Metropolitan board since April 2009. “I am excited to help lead Metropolitan into the next era, as we work collaboratively to overcome challenges to our imported water supplies brought by climate change, invest in local resources and continue providing a reliable water supply to Southern California,” Gray said.
