A North County water rights dispute that had been stuck in federal court for decades was officially put to rest last week, along with part of an even older
WARNER SPRINGS
Runoff from big storms that soaked the region this winter have more than tripled the size of Lake Henshaw, meaning the Vista Irrigation District can cut back on its purchase of imported water potentially saving the district and its customers big money down the line.
The district owns the man-made lake near Warner Springs, as well as 43,000 acres of watershed land that lies to the east, north and south of it.
Water from the lake, held back by a dam built almost 100 years ago, is taken via canal to Lake Wohlford near Escondido and to Dixon Lake in Escondido, where it is mixed with imported water and then evenly split between Vista and Escondido water districts and piped to their customers.
YES virtual meeting coming up
The Youth Enrichment Services (YES) group holds a virtual meeting at 8:30 a.m. March 18 via Google Meets: bit.ly/30y1nfc. Speaker is Charity Brant, housing navigator at YMCA Youth & Family Services. She’ll discuss her work helping connect teens and young adults experiencing homelessness and housing instability with resources. Register to reshelman@carlsbadusd.net.
ENCINITAS
‘Working From Home’ webinar March 18
The San Dieguito High School Academy hosts a virtual forum, “Happy & Healthy, Working From Home,” at 6:30 p.m. March 18, sponsored by the academy and the San Dieguito Alliance for Drug-Free Youth. Proper body mechanics, healthy snacks and lunches, and the importance of creative outlets will be addressed by a physical therapist, SDA students and others who will help set the stage for success. Parents and students are welcome; the event is free to the public. RSVP to sda4teens@gmail.com.
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There’s nothing like launching a gardening passion by tearing out a hilly front lawn by hand with a saw and crowbar, designing a low-water garden, and then getting it installed. But that’s just what Vista homeowner and novice gardener Robin Ziegler did, starting in 2018 and going through 2019. And all that hard work yielded not just a colorful refuge for birds, butterflies and bees, but also the Vista Irrigation District’s win in the 2020 WaterSmart Landscape Contest.
Digging deep
(Robin Ziegler)
Ziegler and her husband, Michael Goryan, bought their 30-year-old house in 2017 and, while they wanted a drought-tolerant garden, they focused first on renovating the interior. In the meantime, they turned off the irrigation to kill the 150 square feet of front lawn, studded with surprise ankle-breaking dips and holes. But, Ziegler recalled, in spring 2018, there was still growth only what came up were weeds that grew 8 feet tall. At that point, determined to turn the space