“Water Supply Reliability Through Innovation” Airs in San Diego June 3

The latest segment of the “California’s Water” series for public television airs June 3 at 8 p.m. on KPBS in San Diego. The segment, called “Water Supply Reliability Through Innovation,” follows producer Huell Howser as he visits three locations in San Diego County to explore how agencies there are generating alternate water supplies.

Huell’s first stop is San Vicente Dam, which is being raised by 117 feet to more than double the surface storage of its reservoir. Expecting to complete the dam raise in 2012, the San Diego County Water Authority will gain an additional 150,000 acre-feet of storage water, or enough water to supply 300,000 households, according to General Manager Maureen Stapleton.

“This is just one part of our entire water supply system, and we need all of the parts to ensure a reliable supply,” Stapleton says.

Next, Huell stops by the desalination facilities of Sweetwater Authority in San Diego County, where the salt is being removed from previously untapped brackish groundwater. The facility is generating about 16% of the agency’s water supply.

During the last portion of the segment, Huell tours the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department’s water recycling plant, where wastewater is being recycled into clean drinking water.

“Water Supply Reliability Through Innovation” debuted March 2 in Sacramento and will continue airing on PBS affiliates around the state in the coming months. The “California’s Water” series began airing in April 2006 and covers issues identified in ACWA’s comprehensive policy document, “No Time to Waste: A Blueprint for California’s Water.” More than 20 segments have aired to date.

The segment will be available for viewing soon on www.acwa.com.