Results tagged “water”

A state water board's administrative error has basically left a polluting company off the hook. In what Heal the Bay president Mark Gold calls "one of the most polluted beaches in Santa Monica Bay"--that would be Paradise Cove in Malibu--a mobile park owned by the Kissel Company "has been one of the largest sources of fecal pollution to the beach." Ew! So here's what happened:

The state legislature early this morning finally passed a big water package that will bring an $11.1 billion bond to voters next year. In part, "it sets aside $3 billion for new storage and $2 billion for ecosystem restoration in the delta," explains the LA Times. "It would fund recycling and groundwater cleanup important to Southern California, pay for Salton Sea restoration and watershed projects on the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. There is money for drought relief, Lake Tahoe, a dam removal project on the Klamath River in Northern California and Sierra foothill communities." The bond has split environmental groups. Some, like the NRDC and the Environmental Defense Fund, like it. Others, such as the Sierra Club, do not.

As we have been saying, if you're not heading up to Mammoth to ski, you'll be down here for the expected hot temps this weekend. The moderate rainstorm of the past couple days is creeping away and the heat is coming back. Expect temperatures from the 70s to even maybe the low 90s, depending on where you live (beachside, valleyside?). And as nice as the weather will be, is it a good idea to go swimming in the ocean? Some say not after the rain.

Chances are, the music of Fisher has made a major contribution to the soundtrack of your life--whether you've realized it or not. The band first made their mark 10 years ago when they became the most downloaded band on the Internet when MP3.com released their song "I Will Love You." In July, Fisher released their fourth studio CD, "Water." Recorded after the tragic death of Fisher's father, the album tackles grand themes with a personal touch, and Fisher's velvet-laced vocals bring it all together.

Los Angeles City Councilman Greig smith has brought up some legitimate points in the recent drought-related debates, but his most recent announcement about his scofflaw watering may be pushing it. Yesterday at a committee meeting, the Northwest Valley representative said he was challenging the current water laws by watering his lawn three times a week for 8 minutes. "And my grass is greener than it's ever been, and I bet I'm using less water," he said.

Lincoln Boulevard near Palms Boulevard in Venice is the latest pin on the increasingly-crowded map of locations where a water main break has caused damage and service interruption. This morning a rupture occurred in the area, causing the pavement to buckle and forcing the closure of lanes of traffic, according to LA Now. There have now been 35 of these "major blowouts" in the LA water system since the first of this month--far more than in September 2008 (21), 2007 (17), and 2006 (13). While "City engineers trying to determine what's causing the water main bursts have been taking soil samples, sending pipe pieces to labs and performing a statistical analysis on each break," many believe the infrastructure is experiencing the strain of surges because L.A. only allows large-scale watering two days a week, which is taxing on the aging pipes.

Whether you live in the Valley or near the coast, we are all connected. That piece of trash sitting in an Encino curb could easily be swept into the storm drain system or L.A. River, traveling to the beach and into the Pacific Ocean. This Saturday, Heal the Bay and other organizations hope for 15,000 volunteers at more than 70 inland and beach locations for the 25th annual international Coastal Cleanup Day (and the 19th for the event to happen locally).

    

Late last night a 64-inch water main burst in Studio City at Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon, according to the LA Times. The water flooded into area businesses and homes, and was 3-4' high in places, according to an LAFD email alert.

Although he tells the denizens of Los Angeles to cut down on their water use or face fines and higher bills, Mayor Villaraigosa's city-owned mansion has had its lawn watered during illegal hours several times, NBC's Joel Grover found in a month long investigation.

Last June, Governor Schwarzenegger sought federal disaster aid as California entered its third drought summer in three years. 43% of the state is listed in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor's results last week. Still, the Obama Administration denied Schwarzenegger's request, which would have given money for food banks, unemployment and other services in Fresno County, according to the Associated Press. Now Schwarzenegger is asking Obama to reconsider his petition. The last time federal money was given to California for a drought was in 1977.

An 8-inch cast iron pipe began leaking water into the streets of Hollywood and West Hollywood this afternoon, prompting street damage and minimal closures. At 3:37 p.m., LADWP was notified of the leak and immediately began work to shut down the water and repair the pipe at 1042 North Vista in Los Angeles, just south of Santa Monica Blvd. Some customers may have their service shut off and at least one building's subterranean garage is affected, according to LADWP officials. Water was seen running surrounding streets such as Willoughby and Martel, according to LAist Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson who drove through the area. The cause of the leak is currently not known.

The LADWP took notice of last week's "Comment of the Week" about breaking city water conservation rules in order to sustainably grow your own veggies. They say it's doable, so take listen up, says spokesman Brooks Baker in an e-mail:

In a discussion about the upcoming trend (and hopefully long-term habit) of residents taking part in urban farming and apartment gardening, commenter trishells points out her illegal use of water under current city ordinances. However, she has a great point:

Remember last year when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed taking away “traditional navigable waters" status for the Los Angeles river? That stirred some major controversy including a three-day kayak trip from the Valley to the ocean by a group of activists set out to prove the river's navigability. Heather Wiley, who works for the Army Corp and disagrees with their decision, was caught up in the mess.

Blame pollution: 2008 was another banner year for troubled waters at our nation's beaches, according to the results of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) annual study. Although last year was a dry one, "aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution [and] stormwater runoff contributed to two-thirds of the closing/advisory days in which a contamination source was reported."

Water use by Los Angeles residents and businesses were down by 11% in June when compared to June 2008 making it the lowest demand in 32 years, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced today. June 1st of this year marked the beginning of a new water conservation law aimed mainly at sprinkler usage, limiting it to certain hours on Mondays and Thursdays, and a new "shortage year" rate structure.

Faced with multiple drought years and the fact that 85% of Los Angeles' water is imported, Los Angeles and other cities are taking a hard look at every way to conserve and curb water use. A new city ordinance was voted on unanimously by the City Council this morning and will be sent to Mayor Villaraigosa for a signature. The ordinance, brought forth by Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry, will set new water efficiency guidelines for toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads, dishwashers, single-pass cooling systems, and cooling towers in new buildings and for the replacement of broken fixtures in existing buildings. It would save an estimated average of 1 billion gallons of water per year over the next 20 years. That's almost like if no one flushed a toilet in Los Angeles for over a month! The specifics of the ordinance are below:

Under the new drought rules banning sprinkler use--save for early mornings and nights on Mondays and Thursdays--city parks, especially those in the sweltering Valley, are turning brown. Now they want an exemption from the strict water rules so the public doesn't have to picnic and play soccer on brown fields. They claims they've reduced water consumption by 40% over the past two years and the LADWP Board of Commissioners seem to agree larger than normal properties such as parks, colleges and cemeteries deserve a break from the rule if they can show a 20% reduction in water. The City Council will consider that measure today in a meeting.

If they can send men to the moon, then they can surely help bitch-thirsy Los Angeles save some water in drought times and beyond. A three-year agreement between the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena and the Los Angeles Department of Power & Water will bring automatic sensors to various projects. One example, explains the Pasadena Star News: "DWP maintains a network of sprinklers to keep the dust under control when winds pick up. To help reduce dust, the DWP and its team of contractors are installing a computer-controlled network of sprinklers currently covering more than 14 square miles of the lake bed. But the system consumes significant amounts of water." Other sensor projects include snow pack monitoring in the Sierras and solar power on roofs within the city.

A city proposal could do just that. Smart Sprinklers, as explained by the Catalina Island Conservancy's Isla Earth podcast, works like this: "a weather-based controller starts talking to your local weather station. It gets data about things like rainfall, air temperature, and wind speed. It then uses those data to figure out how much water your plants will need and how much will be lost to evaporation. It turns on the sprinklers to deliver just the right amount."

NPR's Ben Bergman did a ride along with one of the fifteen Department of Water and Power's Water Cops, who patrol and respond to complaints about water wasting. It's not like riding along with a police officer, he rode with a city employee in a Toyota Prius, whose job is about trying to educate before writing citations as high as $600.

There hasn't been much rain these days, but that's not stopping the city from trying to maximize the usefulness of rain when it comes. A new rain water harvesting pilot project will start in Mar Vista and a nearby neighborhood in mid July, thanks to a $1 million grant. Gray water, as it's called, is one part of greening ones property and is often used for water gardens and lawns. The project's goal is to enlist 600 properties--whether they be residential or commercial--to take part in the program. Those who take part might receive a free rain barrel (usually costs $200) or have experts re-route gutter downspouts off impermeable surfaces like sidewalks and onto permeable ones like gardens. All the details are not set yet, but more are to come in next month.

Now in its third drought year, Southern California could be facing another if a developing El Nino off the coast of South America comes August with not much force. "El Nino is El Wimpo," said Bill Patzert, climatologist for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge to the Daily News. "He's late. He's stunted. He's definitely not the great wet hope." For the last year, downtown LA has received 9.08 inches of rain, six inches below normal. Not good, but better than the 3.21 inches it saw the year previous. Because of that many cities have enacted water rationing ordinances. And this year could be no different as some climatologists are predicting another dry winter.

Here's what a citation from the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power looks like. Luckily, if its your first time, there's no monetary punishment, just a conversation with a conservation team member, which could be its own sort of punishment depending on who you are. If they visit you again, you're looking at $100 or more.

"What we've seen has been totally unfair toward landscapers," tells Larry Walsh, assistant executive director of the California State Landscaping Contractors Association, to the Daily News. "We think the idea of two-day limits [Mondays and Thursdays] is wrong. It would be much better to have a water budgeting system, where people are allowed a certain amount of water at a base rate and they decide how to reach it... We are asking that there be an exemption for landscapers and for people living in fire areas. When you have professional landscapers, you use less water. With a two-day limit, people tend to over-water their plants." The LA Department of Water, that is in charge of the program, says the program is under constant review and will make changes when necessary. For now (and maybe for a long time), landscapers will have to adjust to from their usual ways.

It's been proposed and pooh-poohed by the public before, but considering our drought, does treating sewage so it's drinkable gaining more public consensus in Los Angeles? It already has in Orange County at the world's largest modern reclamation plant that serves many of the county's residents.

You've probably seen this happen: it's raining, yet the sprinklers are working hard in a city park. Not such a smart idea in a drought, or anytime actually. This past week, new sprinkler regulations went into affect (.pdf info sheet), only allowing sprinkling use on Mondays and Thursdays and not between the times of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For a few years now, there's been a more advanced sprinkler that knows the weather so if it's raining, it knows not to turn on. The Isla Earth podcast from the Catalina Island Conservancy explained in an older episode:

The moment the new water laws hit Monday, it's like the LA Department of Water & Power went bonkers with water conservation ideas. Today is a new door hanger program, in which the the hangers were given to the public via their print newspaper subscriptions. "LADWP door hangers are designed to help customers encourage their neighbors not to waste water and to avoid fines associated with violations of the City’s Water Conservation Ordinance," they explain. "On one side of the door hanger is a list of four common wasteful water practices, with a checkbox for each prohibited use. Neighbors, when they spot water being wasted on a neighbor’s property, can select the box or boxes that apply and leave the hanger anonymously on the neighbor’s door." Those four common wasteful practices are: excess water flowing over pavement and into gutters during irrigation or car washing, sprinklers are on more than twice a week, sprinklers are on during the day, broken or leaky sprinkler. You can also obtain them at any of the 14 LADWP Customer Service Centers.

Following suit with the LA Department of Water (LADWP), a city agency, the LA County Board of Supervisors declared a water emergency today for three the county areas. Residents served by the Department of Public Works (LADPW) will have to meet a lower 15% tier usage rate or face higher fees, a similar system to the city of Los Angeles. Also, the Board approved to charge customers for "water service availability" in Kagel Canyon, Malibu, Val Verde, Acton and the Antelope Valley.

One day after new lawn watering regulations went into effect, the LA Department of Water and Power announced a program to encourage residents to replace their traditional bitch thirsty green grass lawns with ones filled with drought tolerant plants. You're not going to make loads of money, but it's a good step for the department to take, nonetheless. From their news release: