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In This Issue:
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With winter in the rearview mirror, huge storms in March and April have somewhat stifled whispers of a return to drought. Meanwhile, the MWDOC Board doubles down on the California WaterFix as a prelude to the biggest Metropolitan vote since the decision to build the Colorado River Aqueduct. The Director of the California Department of Water Resources is headed to Orange County to offer her vision on the future of water in the State. And, Orange County Mayors vie to win this year's Wyland Mayors Challenge.
We hope you enjoy this issue of eCurrents. If you have any comments, or would like to tell us what types of articles you would like to see more of, send us an email at
[email protected].
Thank you for subscribing!
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MWDOC Board Reaffirms Commitment to Twin Tunnel Project
By Damon Micalizzi
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Just days before a Pineapple Express douses the north with precious supplies, much of which will be lost to the ocean, water managers in the southland are gearing up for a vote that would ensure we capture big storm events in the future. Before a packed Board room at Wednesday's Workshop Meeting with the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger set the stage for what will be a critical decision on the California WaterFix. Should Metropolitan commit to ensure that the whole project- two tunnels, get built, or go forward with a 'staged project' where one tunnel gets built and then another tunnel is phased in later. That route is in the long run is more costly and more vulnerable to legal challenges.
"Two tunnels obviously brings more operational flexibility, optimizes benefits for the fish and the environment, and enhances seismic resiliency," said Kightlinger before later adding, "One tunnel is better than what we have now."
Click here to read the news release >
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Series of Late Storms Assist With Otherwise Dry Year
Kevin Hostert
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Flash flood warnings are in effect in Northern California and unusual April storms continue to ride on the heels of something short of a 'Miracle March.' While these events have many wondering if California will be lucky enough to escape another drought, it is time to analyze how the 2017-18 snow/rain season actually went. In terms of snow and precipitation, this winter did not get off to a good start. In some areas of the state, we saw historical low snow and rainfall totals.
Fortunately though, there was a slight improvement in the latter half of February and March. For the first time all winter, the 8 Station Index (8 rain gauges that measure Northern California precipitation) saw above average precipitation levels. In the month of March, 13.4 inches of rain had fallen in Northern California, this was 6.5 inches above average for a normal March. The year to date accumulated precipitation for Northern California is at 33.9 inches, 81% of normal. While this is still below our average, it is a significant increase from the middle of February when the accumulated precipitation was 58% of normal.
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Tax on Water
Heather Baez
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The Brown administration is throwing its full support behind creating a new tax on drinking water to fund safe and reliable supplies for disadvantaged communities throughout California, but primarily in the Central Valley. Rather than pushing unpopular tax legislation, advocates are trying to slip it in through the budget process.
Both the Assembly and Senate Budget subcommittees in the Legislature heard the issue for the first time last week, taking testimony from hundreds of witnesses from both sides of the issue. No formal action was taken, but Capitol insiders expect this issue to move given the resources the Governor is putting behind it. Stay tuned for more updates on this hot topic.
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2018 Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation is Underway!
By Tiffany Baca
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Each year, Mayors across the nation encourage their citizens to use water more wisely by taking part in the Wyland National Mayor's Challenge.
The annual challenge runs from April 1-30, and last year alone, residents from mo
re than 4,800 cities across the U.S. pledged online to save over 2.2 billion gallons of water!
As an added incentive to Orange County residents and businesses, the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) and the Wyland Foundation, have partnered together to award a water-wise pocket park to the winning city within MWDOC's service area. The MWDOC service area includes all of Orange County except for the cities of Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Fullerton.
To help Orange County cities within the MWDOC service area succeed in the Challenge, MWDOC has put together a media kit which includes a news release template, sample social media posts, and tips for success. Contact us at [email protected] to request access to the kit.
To learn more about the Challenge, and to take the pledge and help your city win big, visit:
www.mywaterpledge.com.
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2018 MWDOC Water Awareness Poster Contest Deadline is April 14th!
Bryce Roberto
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The Municipal Water District of Orange
County's (MWDOC) annual Water Awareness Poster Contest deadline is fast approaching. April 14, 2018 will be the final day for Orange County students to submit their artwork created around the theme "Water Is Life."
The Water Awareness Poster Contest was developed thirty years ago to encourage Orange County students to take a closer look at our most precious natural resource- water. Nearly a thousand entries are collected each year, and from these entries, 40 winners are selected. The winning students are recognized at an annual awards ceremony held at the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana. All Orange County students in grades Kindergarten through 12 are encouraged to participate.
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For a complete list of upcoming and archived MWDOC meetings, click on the calendar icon above, or visit our website at
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MWDOC Board Adopts Resolution in Support of Metropolitan's Increased Share of the California WaterFix
On Tuesday, April 4, the MWDOC Board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution supporting the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's additional investment in the California WaterFix to build the full two tunnel project.
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Saddleback College Awarded a World Water Forum Grant from MWD
Students from Saddleback College were successful applicants in Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's (MWD) 2018 World Water Forum College Grant Program.
The project submitted to MWD is a component of a water-wise pocket park project presented by MWDOC and the Wyland Foundation.
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Join us on April 19th for a MWDOC Water Policy Forum & Dinner featuring keynote speaker Karla Nemeth, DWR!
Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources, will discuss the urgent, statewide need for the California WaterFix. Early-bird registration ends April 13th.
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Registeration is Open for the 2018 OC Water Summit! Prominent authors, world-renowned experts, and distinguished speakers come together once again to present at the annual OC Water Summit!
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"MORE rain means MORE snow, meaning MORE WATER! #SnowIsLife, #WaterIsLife, #CASnowpack, Read More:
http://ow.ly/8B9630iOXKG
- Facebook, March 18
"There are many problems with the Delta in its current state. We NEED the #CAWaterFix! #CAWater, #MWDOC, Learn More:
//ow.ly/kWSY30iKyvu
- Twitter, March 5
"Local water supplies meet roughly half of Orange County's total water demand. To meet the remaining demand, we purchase approximately 70.2 billion gallons
of imported water per year! #YourWater, #MWDOC, Learn More:
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