Wednesday, February 23, 2011

whats in your water

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Escondido Creek has high levels of nitrogen and the
Tijuana River has rising levels of raw sewage, including fecal matter, San
Diego Coastkeeper announced today.
The environmental organization released its 2010 Water Quality
Monitoring Data, which tabulates monthly sampling throughout nine of the 11
watersheds in San Diego County.
The high nitrate levels in Escondido Creek could come from fertilizer
runoff, sewage or animal manure, and could clog water flow and impact acquatic
organisms, according to Coastkeeper.
``The Regional Water Quality Control Board does not currently list
Escondido Creek for nitrates,'' said Travis Pritchard, the organization's water
quality lab coordinator. ``We submitted our data showing the elevated levels to
the regulators to be considered under the next listing process. This is how our
Water Quality Monitoring program and its team of volunteers are making San
Diego's water healthier.''
Escondido Creek runs 28 miles from near Lake Wohlford through Elfin
Forest and Rancho Santa Fe to the San Elijo Lagoon.
Raw sewage flows into the Tijuana River during rainstorms and fouls
beaches in the South Bay, according to Coastkeeper.
Pritchard said the data will help government decision-making regarding
bodies of water.

San Diego State Student Frenzy

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego State University students began lining up
today to get their hands on the 2,500 general admission student tickets
available for Saturday's men's basketball showdown with Brigham Young
University.
The tickets won't be handed out until Friday at 4 p.m.
Abigail Goode told NBC 7/39 that she was the first in line outside the
Viejas Arena ticket office at 1:30 a.m., and has since been joined by groups of
students.
The students say working together in groups allows them to attend class
and handle other matters before re-claiming their spot in line, and cover for
others in the group who leave temporarily.
``If you're not in class, you should be here saving spots in line,''
Goode said.
Other students were splitting their gatherings between the ticket office
and the Viejas Arena gate, which is scheduled to open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday --
90 minutes ahead of the contest, which will be nationally televised on CBS.
Camping out for basketball tickets is typical at hoops hotbeds like Duke
University, but is only a recent phenomenon in San Diego, where the Aztecs
have compiled a best-ever record of 27-1 and climbed to a No. 6 national
ranking.
Excitement for the game also extended to City Hall, where Mayor Jerry
Sanders encouraged San Diegans to wear red and black, the school's colors, on
Friday, when a downtown rally is scheduled for 10 a.m.
City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, an SDSU alumnus, placed a sign in his
office window that reads ``Brigham Down Aztecs!''
The Aztecs are seeking to avenge their only loss of the season in the
game against the No. 7 Cougars.