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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPipeline 02 - Spring 2013T H E O T A Y WA TER DISTRICT • P R OUDLY SERVING E A ST C OUNT Y A ND TH E S OUTH B A Y SINC E 1956 A NE W SLE T T E R FOR CUS T O M E R S OF T HE OTAY W A TER DISTRICT FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT CALL 619.670.2222 OR GO TO WWW.OTAYWATER.GOV The Pipeline Newsletter is published quarterly by the Otay Water District and can also be found online at www.otaywater.gov. Copyright © 2013 Otay Water District. All rights reserved. spring 2013 Follow otay water on... / Siga al DiStrito De agua De otay en... Investing in Our Future Anyone who runs a business or household realizes that it takes hard work and a financial commitment to keep things in good working order. Equipment wears out and has to be replaced. Technology advances and computers, phones, or software needs to be upgraded. Money has to be set aside to pay for future expenses, both known and unknown. The region’s water delivery system faces similar challenges. However, what is at stake includes a $188 billion economy that has a direct financial impact on more than 3 million people who call San Diego County home. Strategic investments in the water system have helped the region’s gross domestic product grow by 70 percent between 1991 and 2013. That couldn’t have happened without the public’s investments in new infrastructure, maintenance, and addressing future needs – even preparing for natural disasters. Think about the power outage in September of 2011. While businesses and homes across much of the county went dark, water service throughout Otay Water District continued as normal and could have continued operating normally for an extended period of time. Emergency generators had been strategically installed and maintained for circumstances just like the power outage. The District anticipated a potential emergency situation and prepared by having the equipment, resources, and people in place to ensure service continued uninterrupted. Like Otay, local and regional water managers are continually assessing the thousands of miles of pipes and hundreds of related structures that move our water when and to where it’s needed, even as conditions change. Sometimes major pieces of infrastructure including pipelines, pump stations or other facilities need to be rehabilitated or replaced so they don’t fail and create more costly problems. To do this, water agencies are continually investing in system maintenance, repairs and upgrades, and planning for the future. Working on behalf of their customers, local agencies are also investing in new sources of supply, such as expanding our water recycling network and supporting ocean water desalination. By increasing regional supply, it allows us to better withstand droughts and always meet the needs of the region and of future generations. We have to do all these things because being at the very end of a long water supply network, as San Diego county residents, we understand that our community and economy is very susceptible to any supply disruption that can occur anywhere upstream. When considering the value of water, remember that delivering water to your tap is no easy task. Not only does it travel hundreds of miles to reach your home or business, but getting it here requires operating and maintaining a vast network of aqueducts, canals, pipelines, pump stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, and other facilities. Yet even with the extensive efforts that go into developing and maintaining your water supply and the infrastructure behind it, water is still the best value at less than a penny a gallon. Invirtiendo en Nuestro Futuro Cualquier persona que tiene un negocio o está encargado de su hogar sabe hay que trabajar duro y tener un compromiso financiero para que todo marche bien. Equipo se desgasta y tiene que ser reemplazado. La tecnología avanza y las computadoras, teléfonos o software necesitan ser actualizados. Siempre hay que guardar dinero para pagar próximos gastos, tanto conocidos como desconocidos. El sistema de suministro de agua de la región se enfrenta a retos similares. Sin embargo, lo que está en juego incluye una economía de $ 188 billones que tiene un impacto económico directo a más de 3 millones de personas que viven en el condado de San Diego. Inversiones estratégicas en el sistema de agua han ayudado a que el producto interno bruto (PIB) de la región crezca un 70 por ciento entre 1991 y el 2013. Eso no habría sido posible sin las inversiones del público en la nueva infraestructura, el mantenimiento, y al hacer frente a las necesidades futuras - incluso la preparación para los desastres naturales. Piense en el apagón en septiembre del 2011. Mientras se fue la luz dentro de empresas y hogares en gran parte de la región, el servicio de agua a lo largo del Distrito de Agua de Otay continuó con normalidad y podría haber seguido funcionando normalmente durante un período prolongado de tiempo. Generadores de emergencia se habían instalado estratégicamente y mantenido en caso de circunstancias como el apagón. El Distrito anticipó una posible situación de emergencia y se preparó teniendo en su lugar equipo, recursos y personas para garantizar un servicio sin interrupciones. Como en Otay, los directores de agencias locales y regionales de agua están continuamente evaluando los miles de kilómetros de tuberías y cientos de estructuras relacionadas que mueven el agua cuando y en donde más se necesita, sin importar las condiciones. A veces las piezas principales de la infraestructura como oleoductos, estaciones de bombeo y otras instalaciones necesitan ser rehabilitadas o reemplazadas para que no fallen o generen problemas más costosos. Para ello, las agencias de agua están continuamente invirtiendo en el mantenimiento del sistema de agua, reparaciones y actualizaciones, y en la planificación para el futuro. Con el mejor interés en mente para sus clientes, agencias locales de agua también están invirtiendo en nuevas fuentes de suministro, tales como la ampliación de nuestra red de reciclaje de agua y el apoyo a la desalinización de agua del mar. Al aumentar el suministro regional, se nos permite aguantar las sequías y satisfacer las necesidades de la región y de futuras generaciones. Tenemos que hacer todas estas cosas, porque al estar hacia el final de una larga red de suministro de agua, los residentes del condado de San Diego entendemos que nuestra comunidad y la economía es muy susceptible a cualquier interrupción del suministro que puede ocurrir en cualquier lugar. Al considerar el valor del agua, recuerde que la entrega de agua para su grifo no es tarea fácil. No sólo viaja cientos de kilómetros para llegar a su casa o negocio, pero su llegada aquí requiere de la operación y mantenimiento de una amplia red de acueductos, canales, tuberías, estaciones de bombeo, plantas de tratamiento, depósitos y otras instalaciones. Sin embargo, aun con los grandes esfuerzos que son parte del desarrollo y mantenimiento del suministro de agua y la infraestructura detrás de él, el agua sigue siendo teniendo su mejor valor a menos de un centavo por galón. It has been reported that it is another dry year in the Sierras and the Colorado River system, where we import most of our water from. Yet the dry sources do not pose a significant threat because the reservoirs we use are full or near full. Recent investments in infrastructure has allowed us to increase the capacity of reservoirs as well as increase the number of reservoirs available, which has proven to be essential in keeping our water supply reliable. Hay informes de que será otro año seco en la Sierra y el sistema del Río Colorado, donde importamos la mayor parte del agua. Sin embargo, las fuentes secas no plantean una amenaza debido a que los depósitos que utilizamos están llenos o casi llenos. Las inversiones recientes en infraestructura han permitido incrementar la capacidad de los embalses, así como aumentar el número de depósitos disponibles, que ha demostrado ser esencial para mantener nuestro suministro de agua confiable. San Vicente reservoir Dam expansion San Vicente reservoir Dam expansion Copyright © Nan Sterman 2013. All rights reserved. Nan Sterman’sPlant Soup Inc. Otay Water District – Board of Directors The Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 3:30 pm in the Board meeting room. The public is encouraged to attend at 2554 Sweetwater Spring Bvd., Spring Valley, CA. PresidentJose Lopez, Division 4jlopez@otaywater.gov Vice PresidentMitch Thompson, Division 2mthompson@otaywater.gov treasurerDavid Gonzalez, Division 1dgonzalez@otaywater.gov Board MemberGary Croucher, Division 3gcroucher@otaywater.gov Board MemberMark Robak, Division 5OtayWater@cox.net update your Contact information! A Good Samaritan called the Otay Water District to inform us of water coming out of a neighbor’s garage. Checking our account records, customer service personnel were quickly able to identify the property and the account holder. The customer was notified at work and was able to meet with field staff at their home. The cause of the problem was a broken water heater that was leaking water into the garage and out into the street. Because we had current phone numbers on file, we were able to quickly reach the customer and assist them in minimizing the damage. Do we have your current phone numbers or an email address on file? Could we reach you in a similar situation? Update your contact information quickly and easily by visiting www.otaywater.gov and click on Update Your Account under the Quick Links section. CoMing Soon new Pipeline to Serve east Palomar Customers In the spring of 2013, Otay will begin construction of a new, larger diameter potable water pipeline to serve customers in the east Palomar community of Chula Vista. The 12-inch steel pipeline will cross I-805 at the East Orange Avenue - Olympic Parkway Overpass and will increase total water delivery capacity to customers in this section of the District’s service area. The new pipeline will enhance overall system reliability, improve redundancy, and increase fire flow capacity. Crews will utilize the existing utility easement on the I-805 bridge to cross the section of the freeway. Construction will be conducted at night to reduce traffic impacts and there will be no interruption in water service. Blooms, Birds, and Butterflies I’m sitting at my computer, looking at the guava tree just outside my window. This past winter’s freezing temperatures killed the top foot of the tree, leaving branches of bare gray wood. I’d be tempted to cut it back if not for the birds. All day long, tiny birds take turns perching at the top, surveying the garden and courting potential mates. Animals and insects are at home in the garden. Their flitting and fluttering, chirping and zooming add a dimension of life and habitat integral with the plantings. Food, water, and shelter are the three main ingredients of a wildlife-friendly garden. I learned that years ago when my garden became a National Wildlife Federation Certified Backyard Habitat. Fortunately, being wildlife friendly and being low water go hand-in-hand. You too can make your garden a haven for birds and butterflies without using more water. Here are some tips. Use plants with dense foliage where birds can hide from predators. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a great option. In addition, toyon’s red berries are a favorite wintertime food for many kinds of birds. Scrub oak (Quercus berberidifolia) provides prime nesting real estate while its acorns are also good food sources. Both plants are low water natives that are easy to grow in San Diego gardens. To attract hummingbirds to your garden, choose plants with tubular flowers. Hummers’ long beaks poke deep into the flowers’ throats to sip nectar. Native monkey flowers (Mimulus) are a good choice, as are the very drought tolerant Australian grevillea. These shrubs feature clusters of curly flowers in shades of white to pink, orange to gold to red. Plant them, then stand back and watch the hummingbird battles begin! Bird gardening requires a bit of a different mindset, too. For example, your first impulse might be to cut back flowers of sages and other flowering plants as soon as their blooms are over. If instead, you let those flowers go to seed, you’ll be providing an important food source for birds. The seeds of sages in particular are a favorite of goldfinches, while mourning doves prefer seeds of yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium). If butterflies are your love, plant California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica), willows, and sycamores to support yellow and brown swallowtail butterflies. Milkweed, (Asclepias sp), another low water plant, is everything to a monarch. When my children were small, I planted milkweed outside our living room windowseat. We spent hours with noses pressed against the glass, watching black, white, and yellow striped monarch caterpillars climb up and down the milkweed stems. The children were concerned when the caterpillars ate the leaves down to nubs. I explained that this was part of the cycle. Without milkweed leaves, the caterpillars have nothing to eat. Once they morph from caterpillars to chrysalises, the milkweed would grow more leaves, and the plants would live on. Soon the emerald green, jewel-like chrysalises hung everywhere – on pots, leaves, overhang, even fence posts. Within a short time, the air was alive in flapping orange and black as the butterflies emerged, each pumping up its wings before making its inaugural flight to find nectar in the yellow and red flowers of the now-recovered milkweed. Planting milkweed is especially important today, as monarch populations are in serious decline, a result of coastal development, illegal logging in overwinter grounds in Mexico, climate change, and increased use of pesticides that kill off wild milkweed, the Monarch’s main food source as they migrate to Mexico each winter. Planting milkweed is something we can all do to help worldwide Monarch populations. There are many more types of butterflies to attract to your garden with plants for caterpillars to eat, for butterflies to sip nectar and others where they lay their eggs. Supporting birds and butterflies in a low water garden is simple. Create a nice place to live with food to eat, and water to drink. And after all, isn’t that what all of us want? For more class information and prices visit www.thegarden.org every Saturday at 10:30 am Free garden tours Tour the lush, colorful and water-wise garden with a Garden docent. Bring your questions and hear the secrets and stories that make our garden special. Check our website for a listing of one-a-month themed tours. every third Sunday at 9:30 am Free Special access tour Have trouble navigating the terrain of the Garden but no trouble appreciating its beauty? Let us take you for a ride! Explore the Garden from the comfortable Verbeck Shuttle with a Garden Docent. This tour seats only 4-5 people. Advanced reservations required. Call 619-660-6841. on going opportunities Professional landscape Design Consultations Spend 45 minutes one-on-one with a professional landscape designer and you will leave with a complete design plan, and list of suggested plants for your own drought tolerant landscape. Bring a photo of your house and a list of areas you want to re-design, the dimensions of the space, and photos of design styles you love. Call 619-660-0614 x10 for appointment availability, designer information and reservations. $60 Members, $75 non-Members Free Spanish language tours Ven y conoce El Jardin de Conservacion de Agua. Para reservar tu lugar con un guia que hable espanol llame a elizabeth al 1 619 660 0619. (Tus donaciones son bien recibidas). Ms. Smarty-Plants™ and the Magic of water School tours and assembly Program Calling all kids groups! Join Ms. Smarty Plants as she magically takes you on a fun, interactive journey through plant adaptations, the water cycle, conservation, and much more. Become a Smarty-Plants™ Earth Hero! To book an educational tour of The Garden or a school assembly program, contact Jillian Chu at 619-660-6841 ext 16. Otay Receives National Awards Awards mark significant achievement in government budgeting The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has presented the Otay Water District with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its 2012 budget. The 2012 budget also received special recognition as “Outstanding as a Policy Document” and “Outstanding as a Communications Device” from GFOA. The GFOA is a professional association serving more than 17,500 government finance professionals across North America, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting. As an example of the significance of the award, the GFOA has started using the District’s budget in its member training courses as an example of how to put together a great budget document. Go to otaywater.gov to read more. Check Your Water Pressure Have you experienced a leaking faucet or a constantly running toilet? Do the pipes in your home rattle or bang? A faulty water pressure regulator may be the cause. Even in new homes, pressure regulators can wear out and fail. The quality of your pressure regulator dictates the years of service to expect. Regulators may last as little as one year, or as many as twenty years or more. To ensure proper water pressure in your home, it is your responsibility to have and maintain a working water pressure regulator. When doing any plumbing work around your house, ask your licensed plumber to check your water pressure. Pressure regulators can wear out and should be checked whenever you are doing any plumbing work around your house. Copyright © Nan Sterman 2013. All rights reserved. Nan Sterman’sPlant Soup Inc. Otay Water District – Board of Directors The Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 3:30 pm in the Board meeting room. The public is encouraged to attend at 2554 Sweetwater Spring Bvd., Spring Valley, CA. PresidentJose Lopez, Division 4jlopez@otaywater.gov Vice PresidentMitch Thompson, Division 2mthompson@otaywater.gov treasurerDavid Gonzalez, Division 1dgonzalez@otaywater.gov Board MemberGary Croucher, Division 3gcroucher@otaywater.gov Board MemberMark Robak, Division 5OtayWater@cox.net update your Contact information! A Good Samaritan called the Otay Water District to inform us of water coming out of a neighbor’s garage. Checking our account records, customer service personnel were quickly able to identify the property and the account holder. The customer was notified at work and was able to meet with field staff at their home. The cause of the problem was a broken water heater that was leaking water into the garage and out into the street. Because we had current phone numbers on file, we were able to quickly reach the customer and assist them in minimizing the damage. Do we have your current phone numbers or an email address on file? Could we reach you in a similar situation? Update your contact information quickly and easily by visiting www.otaywater.gov and click on Update Your Account under the Quick Links section. CoMing Soon new Pipeline to Serve east Palomar Customers In the spring of 2013, Otay will begin construction of a new, larger diameter potable water pipeline to serve customers in the east Palomar community of Chula Vista. The 12-inch steel pipeline will cross I-805 at the East Orange Avenue - Olympic Parkway Overpass and will increase total water delivery capacity to customers in this section of the District’s service area. The new pipeline will enhance overall system reliability, improve redundancy, and increase fire flow capacity. Crews will utilize the existing utility easement on the I-805 bridge to cross the section of the freeway. Construction will be conducted at night to reduce traffic impacts and there will be no interruption in water service. Blooms, Birds, and Butterflies I’m sitting at my computer, looking at the guava tree just outside my window. This past winter’s freezing temperatures killed the top foot of the tree, leaving branches of bare gray wood. I’d be tempted to cut it back if not for the birds. All day long, tiny birds take turns perching at the top, surveying the garden and courting potential mates. Animals and insects are at home in the garden. Their flitting and fluttering, chirping and zooming add a dimension of life and habitat integral with the plantings. Food, water, and shelter are the three main ingredients of a wildlife-friendly garden. I learned that years ago when my garden became a National Wildlife Federation Certified Backyard Habitat. Fortunately, being wildlife friendly and being low water go hand-in-hand. You too can make your garden a haven for birds and butterflies without using more water. Here are some tips. Use plants with dense foliage where birds can hide from predators. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a great option. In addition, toyon’s red berries are a favorite wintertime food for many kinds of birds. Scrub oak (Quercus berberidifolia) provides prime nesting real estate while its acorns are also good food sources. Both plants are low water natives that are easy to grow in San Diego gardens. To attract hummingbirds to your garden, choose plants with tubular flowers. Hummers’ long beaks poke deep into the flowers’ throats to sip nectar. Native monkey flowers (Mimulus) are a good choice, as are the very drought tolerant Australian grevillea. These shrubs feature clusters of curly flowers in shades of white to pink, orange to gold to red. Plant them, then stand back and watch the hummingbird battles begin! Bird gardening requires a bit of a different mindset, too. For example, your first impulse might be to cut back flowers of sages and other flowering plants as soon as their blooms are over. If instead, you let those flowers go to seed, you’ll be providing an important food source for birds. The seeds of sages in particular are a favorite of goldfinches, while mourning doves prefer seeds of yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium). If butterflies are your love, plant California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica), willows, and sycamores to support yellow and brown swallowtail butterflies. Milkweed, (Asclepias sp), another low water plant, is everything to a monarch. When my children were small, I planted milkweed outside our living room windowseat. We spent hours with noses pressed against the glass, watching black, white, and yellow striped monarch caterpillars climb up and down the milkweed stems. The children were concerned when the caterpillars ate the leaves down to nubs. I explained that this was part of the cycle. Without milkweed leaves, the caterpillars have nothing to eat. Once they morph from caterpillars to chrysalises, the milkweed would grow more leaves, and the plants would live on. Soon the emerald green, jewel-like chrysalises hung everywhere – on pots, leaves, overhang, even fence posts. Within a short time, the air was alive in flapping orange and black as the butterflies emerged, each pumping up its wings before making its inaugural flight to find nectar in the yellow and red flowers of the now-recovered milkweed. Planting milkweed is especially important today, as monarch populations are in serious decline, a result of coastal development, illegal logging in overwinter grounds in Mexico, climate change, and increased use of pesticides that kill off wild milkweed, the Monarch’s main food source as they migrate to Mexico each winter. Planting milkweed is something we can all do to help worldwide Monarch populations. There are many more types of butterflies to attract to your garden with plants for caterpillars to eat, for butterflies to sip nectar and others where they lay their eggs. Supporting birds and butterflies in a low water garden is simple. Create a nice place to live with food to eat, and water to drink. And after all, isn’t that what all of us want? For more class information and prices visit www.thegarden.org every Saturday at 10:30 am Free garden tours Tour the lush, colorful and water-wise garden with a Garden docent. Bring your questions and hear the secrets and stories that make our garden special. Check our website for a listing of one-a-month themed tours. every third Sunday at 9:30 am Free Special access tour Have trouble navigating the terrain of the Garden but no trouble appreciating its beauty? Let us take you for a ride! Explore the Garden from the comfortable Verbeck Shuttle with a Garden Docent. This tour seats only 4-5 people. Advanced reservations required. Call 619-660-6841. on going opportunities Professional landscape Design Consultations Spend 45 minutes one-on-one with a professional landscape designer and you will leave with a complete design plan, and list of suggested plants for your own drought tolerant landscape. Bring a photo of your house and a list of areas you want to re-design, the dimensions of the space, and photos of design styles you love. Call 619-660-0614 x10 for appointment availability, designer information and reservations. $60 Members, $75 non-Members Free Spanish language tours Ven y conoce El Jardin de Conservacion de Agua. Para reservar tu lugar con un guia que hable espanol llame a elizabeth al 1 619 660 0619. (Tus donaciones son bien recibidas). Ms. Smarty-Plants™ and the Magic of water School tours and assembly Program Calling all kids groups! Join Ms. Smarty Plants as she magically takes you on a fun, interactive journey through plant adaptations, the water cycle, conservation, and much more. Become a Smarty-Plants™ Earth Hero! To book an educational tour of The Garden or a school assembly program, contact Jillian Chu at 619-660-6841 ext 16. Otay Receives National Awards Awards mark significant achievement in government budgeting The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has presented the Otay Water District with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its 2012 budget. The 2012 budget also received special recognition as “Outstanding as a Policy Document” and “Outstanding as a Communications Device” from GFOA. The GFOA is a professional association serving more than 17,500 government finance professionals across North America, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting. As an example of the significance of the award, the GFOA has started using the District’s budget in its member training courses as an example of how to put together a great budget document. Go to otaywater.gov to read more. Check Your Water Pressure Have you experienced a leaking faucet or a constantly running toilet? Do the pipes in your home rattle or bang? A faulty water pressure regulator may be the cause. Even in new homes, pressure regulators can wear out and fail. The quality of your pressure regulator dictates the years of service to expect. Regulators may last as little as one year, or as many as twenty years or more. To ensure proper water pressure in your home, it is your responsibility to have and maintain a working water pressure regulator. When doing any plumbing work around your house, ask your licensed plumber to check your water pressure. Pressure regulators can wear out and should be checked whenever you are doing any plumbing work around your house. T H E O T AY W A TER DISTRICT • P R OUDL Y SERVING E A ST C OUNT Y A ND TH E S OUTH B AY SINC E 1956 A NE W SLE T T E R FOR CUS T O M E R S OF T HE O TAY WATER DISTRICT FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT CALL 619.670.2222 OR GO TO WWW.OTAYWATER.GOV The Pipeline Newsletter is published quarterly by the Otay Water District and can also be found online at www.otaywater.gov. Copyright © 2013 Otay Water District. All rights reserved. spring 2013 Follow otay water on... / Siga al DiStrito De agua De otay en... Investing in Our Future Anyone who runs a business or household realizes that it takes hard work and a financial commitment to keep things in good working order. Equipment wears out and has to be replaced. Technology advances and computers, phones, or software needs to be upgraded. Money has to be set aside to pay for future expenses, both known and unknown. The region’s water delivery system faces similar challenges. However, what is at stake includes a $188 billion economy that has a direct financial impact on more than 3 million people who call San Diego County home. Strategic investments in the water system have helped the region’s gross domestic product grow by 70 percent between 1991 and 2013. That couldn’t have happened without the public’s investments in new infrastructure, maintenance, and addressing future needs – even preparing for natural disasters. Think about the power outage in September of 2011. While businesses and homes across much of the county went dark, water service throughout Otay Water District continued as normal and could have continued operating normally for an extended period of time. Emergency generators had been strategically installed and maintained for circumstances just like the power outage. The District anticipated a potential emergency situation and prepared by having the equipment, resources, and people in place to ensure service continued uninterrupted. Like Otay, local and regional water managers are continually assessing the thousands of miles of pipes and hundreds of related structures that move our water when and to where it’s needed, even as conditions change. Sometimes major pieces of infrastructure including pipelines, pump stations or other facilities need to be rehabilitated or replaced so they don’t fail and create more costly problems. To do this, water agencies are continually investing in system maintenance, repairs and upgrades, and planning for the future. Working on behalf of their customers, local agencies are also investing in new sources of supply, such as expanding our water recycling network and supporting ocean water desalination. By increasing regional supply, it allows us to better withstand droughts and always meet the needs of the region and of future generations. We have to do all these things because being at the very end of a long water supply network, as San Diego county residents, we understand that our community and economy is very susceptible to any supply disruption that can occur anywhere upstream. When considering the value of water, remember that delivering water to your tap is no easy task. Not only does it travel hundreds of miles to reach your home or business, but getting it here requires operating and maintaining a vast network of aqueducts, canals, pipelines, pump stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, and other facilities. Yet even with the extensive efforts that go into developing and maintaining your water supply and the infrastructure behind it, water is still the best value at less than a penny a gallon. Invirtiendo en Nuestro Futuro Cualquier persona que tiene un negocio o está encargado de su hogar sabe hay que trabajar duro y tener un compromiso financiero para que todo marche bien. Equipo se desgasta y tiene que ser reemplazado. La tecnología avanza y las computadoras, teléfonos o software necesitan ser actualizados. Siempre hay que guardar dinero para pagar próximos gastos, tanto conocidos como desconocidos. El sistema de suministro de agua de la región se enfrenta a retos similares. Sin embargo, lo que está en juego incluye una economía de $ 188 billones que tiene un impacto económico directo a más de 3 millones de personas que viven en el condado de San Diego. Inversiones estratégicas en el sistema de agua han ayudado a que el producto interno bruto (PIB) de la región crezca un 70 por ciento entre 1991 y el 2013. Eso no habría sido posible sin las inversiones del público en la nueva infraestructura, el mantenimiento, y al hacer frente a las necesidades futuras - incluso la preparación para los desastres naturales. Piense en el apagón en septiembre del 2011. Mientras se fue la luz dentro de empresas y hogares en gran parte de la región, el servicio de agua a lo largo del Distrito de Agua de Otay continuó con normalidad y podría haber seguido funcionando normalmente durante un período prolongado de tiempo. Generadores de emergencia se habían instalado estratégicamente y mantenido en caso de circunstancias como el apagón. El Distrito anticipó una posible situación de emergencia y se preparó teniendo en su lugar equipo, recursos y personas para garantizar un servicio sin interrupciones. Como en Otay, los directores de agencias locales y regionales de agua están continuamente evaluando los miles de kilómetros de tuberías y cientos de estructuras relacionadas que mueven el agua cuando y en donde más se necesita, sin importar las condiciones. A veces las piezas principales de la infraestructura como oleoductos, estaciones de bombeo y otras instalaciones necesitan ser rehabilitadas o reemplazadas para que no fallen o generen problemas más costosos. Para ello, las agencias de agua están continuamente invirtiendo en el mantenimiento del sistema de agua, reparaciones y actualizaciones, y en la planificación para el futuro. Con el mejor interés en mente para sus clientes, agencias locales de agua también están invirtiendo en nuevas fuentes de suministro, tales como la ampliación de nuestra red de reciclaje de agua y el apoyo a la desalinización de agua del mar. Al aumentar el suministro regional, se nos permite aguantar las sequías y satisfacer las necesidades de la región y de futuras generaciones. Tenemos que hacer todas estas cosas, porque al estar hacia el final de una larga red de suministro de agua, los residentes del condado de San Diego entendemos que nuestra comunidad y la economía es muy susceptible a cualquier interrupción del suministro que puede ocurrir en cualquier lugar. Al considerar el valor del agua, recuerde que la entrega de agua para su grifo no es tarea fácil. No sólo viaja cientos de kilómetros para llegar a su casa o negocio, pero su llegada aquí requiere de la operación y mantenimiento de una amplia red de acueductos, canales, tuberías, estaciones de bombeo, plantas de tratamiento, depósitos y otras instalaciones. Sin embargo, aun con los grandes esfuerzos que son parte del desarrollo y mantenimiento del suministro de agua y la infraestructura detrás de él, el agua sigue siendo teniendo su mejor valor a menos de un centavo por galón. It has been reported that it is another dry year in the Sierras and the Colorado River system, where we import most of our water from. Yet the dry sources do not pose a significant threat because the reservoirs we use are full or near full. Recent investments in infrastructure has allowed us to increase the capacity of reservoirs as well as increase the number of reservoirs available, which has proven to be essential in keeping our water supply reliable. Hay informes de que será otro año seco en la Sierra y el sistema del Río Colorado, donde importamos la mayor parte del agua. Sin embargo, las fuentes secas no plantean una amenaza debido a que los depósitos que utilizamos están llenos o casi llenos. Las inversiones recientes en infraestructura han permitido incrementar la capacidad de los embalses, así como aumentar el número de depósitos disponibles, que ha demostrado ser esencial para mantener nuestro suministro de agua confiable. San Vicente reservoir Dam expansion San Vicente reservoir Dam expansion