Today, we share our last blog post from Environmental Educator, Monica Rosquillas, who will be setting out on a new path in 2015. A member of the ILACSD team for more than two years, Monica just completed the Citizen Water Academy program and provides a brief rundown of what she learned below. You can even test your local water knowledge in a quiz she created!
Last October, I had the privilege of being part of the inaugural class of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Citizens Water Academy.
The Citizens Water Academy is open to future and emerging leaders in the San Diego region that desire to learn about critical water issues in the region.
It was a four session program the included presentations from local water experts and tours to local water facilities.
Here’s a short run-through of the academy and some interesting information I learned along the way.
Session 1 was held at the San Diego History Center in beautiful Balboa Park.
During this session, local water experts presented on San Diego’s water history and its future.
Within the last 24 years, San Diego has increased its water reliability through supply diversification.
Session 2 was held at the Escondido Operations and Maintenance Center. We learned about Regional Water Infrastructure, Water Authority Operations, and the Water Authority’s Emergency Preparedness Efforts.
Did you know that San Diego uses enough water every day to fill Qualcomm Stadium twice?
During session two I learned all about what goes into importing water to San Diego, storing it, treating it, and delivering that water to our homes. I have always been conscious of my water use but I now have a new appreciation of San Diego’s clean and reliable tap water.
Ever wonder what happens to our water supply in case of an emergency? Watch this video to find out.
Session 3 was at the North City Water Reclamation Plant.
There, we took a tour of San Diego’s Advanced Water Purification Facility, where wastewater is treated and recycled.
Session 4 was a busy day!
After breakfast and check in at the Escondido office, we got on a bus and headed over to the Carlsbad Desalination Plant.
The Desalination plant is a $ 1 Billion project expected to produce drinking water for the San Diego region as soon as fall 2015. The plant will meet about 7% of the county’s water demands in 2020.
Here’s how it works.
We then headed over to Olivenhain Reservoir. This is the region’s first major new dam and reservoir in 50 years. The Olivenhain Reservoir can store 24,000 Acre Feet of Water.
Afterwards, we took a trip over to Stone Brewery in Escondido and were able to tour their water recycling facility.
Finally, we headed back to the Escondido office for our Graduation Ceremony.
The Citizens Water Academy provided me with the opportunity to learn firsthand from local water experts about the region’s water supply that I have shared with hundreds of students in San Diego County, hopefully inspiring them to conserve this precious natural resource. If you’re interested in participating in the Citizens Water Academy, a project of the San Diego County Water Authority, they are currently accepting applications for their Spring 2015 class. Learn more information online.
Think you’re a water expert? Test your local water knowledge in a quiz that Monica created based on what she learned in the Citizens Water Academy!
