Quote of the Week:
 "I worry that the person who thought up
Muzak may be thinking up something else."
Lily Tomlin

Born on this Day:
 Englebert Humperdinck, Edgar Burroughs,
Rocky Marciano, Conway Twitty, Lily Tomlin,
Barry Gibb, Dr. Phil, and Gloria Estefan.

On this Day in 1972:
 Bobby Fischer beat Russian world champion
Boris Spassky inReykjavik to become the
first American world chess champion.

Arizona News

—  Water

• Youngtown, Sun City: Task force talks water
  (News Zap, 8/29) "A task force last year drafted a report outlining reasons how added water production capacity, water storage capacity and water pressure from fire hydrants in Youngtown and Sun City could be improved to provide the proper fire protection desired by these communities."
  
  
• Strong rainy season just swell for reservoirs
  (Tucson Citizen, 8/29) "The summer's monsoon hasn't ended the drought that has gripped Arizona for more than a decade, but water levels in key reservoirs across the state have climbed by about 4 percent since Aug. 1."
  
  
• Gilbert gardener passionate about conservation
  (KVOA Tucson, 8/28) "For a master gardener, Cathy Rymer doesn't get a chance to fuss over the vivid penstemon plants and snapdragon flowers at her Gilbert home as much as she'd like. Instead, she spends a lot of her time offering advice to Gilbert residents on cultivating their own gardens and conserving their water."
  

—  Water Resources

• Supervisor Searle did the right thing
  (San Pedro Valley News, 8/30) OPINION. "The issue was the canal built by the Pomerene Canal Association in 1908 to bring water to farmlands from St. David to Pomerene. The canal was built before rural electrification, when nobody had well pumps."
  
  
• ADEQ to host water quality grant workshop
  (Eastern Arizona Courier, 8/28) "The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will host a water quality grant workshop in Safford on Oct. 11."
  

—  Wastewater

• ADEQ, DWR clogging up sewer expansion
  (Camp Verde Bugle, 8/30) "The Camp Verde Sanitary District is in a regulatory disagreement with two state agencies responsible for approving the district's expansion and upgrade plans. And it is beginning to wear on the patience of those responsible for making the project a reality."
  
  
• ADEQ fiddles while Camp Verde squirms
  (Verde Independent, 8/30) "If there is one project of primary importance to citizens of Camp Verde it is the improvement and expansion of the town's water treatment plant and sewage collection system."
  
  
• Legal battle to protect sacred site
  (Indymedia.org, 8/29) "Tribes and environmental groups have unified to halt Arizona Snowbowl’s development plans to expand the current ski area and use treated sewage effluent to make artificial snow on the sacred Peaks."
  
  
• Gold Canyon citizens to raise sewer stink
  (News Zap, 8/28) "For hundreds of Gold Canyon residents something smelled afoul when they were notified in January their $37 monthly sewer bill would increase to $75 — and it was not just the 100 percent rate hike they questioned."
  
  
• Pima County sewage issues linger
  (Arizona Star, 8/28) OPINION. "We must decide how to best improve our regional sewage system. The foul odor emanating from the Roger Road plant must be addressed. Pima County has new environmental regulations it must meet."
  

—  Hazardous Waste

• Arsenic, lead contaminate Tucson site
  (Arizona Star, 8/30) "The city is fencing off a West Side site — vacant but next to residential areas — where authorities found levels of arsenic and lead in the soil up to 150 times what the state allows near homes or businesses."
  
  
• Miami slag pile reclamation under way
  (Arizona Silver Belt, 8/30) "The project involves a resloping of the slag pile to make it less steep, capping it with up to two feet of soil, installing appropriate drainage features to collect and manage runoff and revegetating the surface to return the area to a more natural, sustainable condition."
  
  
• Penalty against Roadway Express announces
  (ADEQ, 8/29) NEWS RELEASE. "Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard announced today that Roadway Express, Inc., has agreed to pay $65,000 in civil penalties for violations of the Arizona Hazardous Waste Management Act. The company, based in Akron, Ohio, transports industrial, commercial and retail goods."
  

—  Everything Else

• Water workers imposters try to enter homes
  (Arizona Star, 8/31) "People posing as Tucson Water employees tried to get inside homes in Midvale Park Tuesday night. In each case the individuals told residents that their tap water was contaminated and asked to come inside, according to a Tucson Water news release."
  
  
• Tempe Vice Mayor elected to water board
  (East Valley Living, 8/29) "Tempe Vice Mayor Hut Hutson has been elected to serve as Secretary/Treasurer of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) Board of Directors. His term will be fiscal year 2006-2007."

From Around the Southwest

—  Water

• Rainfall nourishes New Mexico water compact
  (Ruidoso News, 8/31) "One of the most significant monsoon seasons ever recorded in New Mexico is expected to help the Interstate Stream Commission meet its downstream compact deliveries on the Rio Grande this year, according state water officials."
   
• Lincoln rains have fallen
  (Ruidoso News, 8/31) "Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Dunlap attended the directors meeting of the New Mexico Rural Water Association in Carlsbad. We missed all the activities in Lincoln County that weekend."
  
  
• Dayton, Stagecoach water subject of meeting
  (Nevada Appeal, 8/30) "Lyon County residents will get a second chance to voice their concerns about new orders limiting water appropriations in Dayton Valley and Stagecoach."
  
  
• Central Texas counties having water issues
  (KCEN Temple, 8/30) "About 20,000 Central Texas water customers either have no water, or will need to boil what comes out of the faucets."
  
  
• GBRA asks landowners to suspend watering
  (Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, 8/30) "Because of the continued drought, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority is urging landowners who live along rivers, streams and lakes to follow a voluntary request from the state to immediately suspend lawn and landscape watering."
  
  
• Mulroy: Vegas growth stops without WP water
  (Ely Times, 8/29) "There is less than a month to go before a decisive state hearing on plans to pipe water to Las Vegas from White Pine County, and Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy says she is finished being subtle."
  
  
• Water grant application okayed at Lyon airport
  (Reno Gazette Journal, 8/29) "The Lyon County Board of Commissioners took several actions this month regarding the Silver Springs Airport, including accepting two grants and requesting approval for another."
  
  
• Drought sends Texas a clear warning
  (Dallas Morning News, 8/29) OPINION: "Looking down from this altitude, most of the lakes are surrounded by sandbars that look like those big whitewalls you used to see on old Chevys."
  
  
• SNWA's WET program offers rebates
  (Ely Times, 8/28) "Using the latest technology and a little help from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, a North Las Vegas linen company is bringing new meaning to the phrase 'wash, rinse and repeat.'"
  
  
• Looking at the Lake Tahoe water wars
  (Sierra Sun, 8/28) "While the most outlandish schemes to appropriate Tahoe’s water were ultimately unsuccessful, today the magnificent alpine lake is primarily operated as a reservoir for irrigation storage and municipal water use in Nevada."
  
  
• Not everyone in Las Vegas wants W.P water
  (Ely Times, 8/28) "Not everyone in Las Vegas supports the Southern Nevada Water Authority's proposed $2 billion project to pipe ground water from White Pine County to Las Vegas."
  
  
• Taylor sued to reopen SNWA comments
  (Ely Times, 8/28) "A group of White Pine County residents and conservationists are suing for the right to participate in upcoming state hearings on a $2 billion plan to pipe groundwater to Las Vegas from across Eastern Nevada."
  
  
• Lubbock's main water source reaches record low
  (Daily Troubadour, 8/28) "Recent rainfall could not prevent Lake Meredith from reaching a record low this month. Chad Pernell, deputy general manager of the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, said there are many factors why the rain has not helped."
  
  
• Lampasas drinking water quality
  (KXAN Austin, 8/28) "Brown drinking water is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of residents in one Hill Country community."
  
  
• Former SLC chief warns lawmakers about plan
  (KSL Salt Lake City, 8/27) "Controversy is heating up over a plan by Las Vegas officials to drill for water near the Utah-Nevada border. One man meeting the lawmakers is coming from California to deliver a warning: 'Don't let Las Vegas do to you... what Los Angeles did to us.'"
  

• What will we do when the wells run dry?
  (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8/27) "Rural areas throughout North Texas, water wells are running dry or losing pressure because of the drought and the region's population growth. Some residents and local officials also blame lack of water conservation and increased groundwater use by gas-drilling companies."
  
  
• Drought leads to Austin-area fire, water troubles
  (Austin Statesman, 8/27) "Weeks of hot, dry weather continued taking a toll Saturday as water lines cracked and brush fires erupted across Central Texas. A 12-inch line broke near Pond Springs Road and Eddystone Street in southern Williamson County, cutting off water to a largely commercial area on Pond Springs."
  
  
• Water 'stewards' seek to protect God's creation
  (Gallup Independent, 8/26) "It's hard to talk about New Mexico's severe, long-term drought when almost each day Gallup is getting drenched with summer rain showers and it's hard to remember that this water is mostly surface moisture that's not really feeding the underground aquifers very much."
   
• Water group discusses Lake Fastrill study
  (Lufkin Daily News, 8/25) "A study on the impact Dallas' proposed Lake Fastrill would have on the upper Neches River was ranked fifth in a prioritized list of 11 projects East Texas Region I Water Planning Group discussed Wednesday in Lufkin, submitting its report to Texas Water Development Board for funding."
  

—  Water Resources

• Otters enjoy life in Gila and Rio Grande
  (Farmington Daily Times, 8/31) "River otters are thought to have been common in New Mexico hundreds of years ago. It is believed that unregulated trapping and water-quality issues are responsible for their demise."
  
• Monitoring water quality in Lake Mead
  (Water Online, 8/29) "Nevada is America’s driest state. Lake Mead, an impoundment of the Colorado River, lies on the Nevada-Arizona border and is one of the most intensely used reservoirs in the western United States."
  
  
• Dam broken to restore California wetlands
  (Associated Press, 8/25) "The ocean flowed into historic wetlands Thursday for the first time in more than a century after bulldozers peeled back the last layer of an earthen dam."
  

—  Wastewater

• Sewage backups costly to Huntsville residents
  (Huntsville Item, 8/26) "There have been Huntsville folks who have experienced the worst days imaginable when it comes to home repair, remodeling and construction, but then there are the few who have found themselves in a devastating foul, wretched, smelly mess that takes thousands of dollars to clean up."
  

—  Seminar

• Water quality, storm water seminar in Austin
  (TCEQ News Release, 8/25) SEPT. 14-15 "This seminar by the Water Quality Division focuses on Phase II MS4 storm water permits, wastewater permitting, new EPA initiatives, compliance improvement strategies, pretreatment, and Homeland Security."
  

—  Everything Else

• Facility may bring 300 jobs to New Mexico
  (My West Texas, 8/30) "Groundbreaking on the National Enrichment Facility outside Eunice, N.M., Tuesday signals a nuclear energy renaissance in America, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici said."
  
  
• Socorro sets infrastructure priorities
  (El Defensor Chieftain, 8/26) "New landfill construction, sewer line extension and replacement, development of a civic center recreation facility, work on J.O. Gallegos Road and industrial park planning and construction rank as top infrastructure priorities for Socorro in coming years."
  

International and National News

—  Water Security

• Researchers test water security warning system
  (Newswise, 8/25) "A real-time monitoring system being tested by Colorado State University engineers is designed to help city officials combat potential terrorist threats to the water supply."

—  Water

• EPA offers guidance for new DBP rules
  (Water Tech Online, 8/31) "The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water has developed a draft of a manual intended to help water systems and states comply with the new disinfectant byproduct and surface water treatment rules."
  
  
• UNM center develops model water compact
  (UNM Today, 8/30) "During the past half-century, American states have entered into some 26 interstate water allocation compacts, primarily in the western part of the country. As water conflicts increased, so did the realization among experts that most existing compacts were inadequate."
  
  
• Profile America: Water use
  (Kansas Info Zine, 8/28) "Whether too much or too little, water is vital, not only to human life, but to our ability to grow the things we need for food and clothing. Each day in the U.S., more than 400-billion gallons of water is removed from the nation's rivers, lakes and underground supplies."
  
  
• Water theft rampant in Buffalo
  (Buffalo News, 8/28) "City officials are promising a crackdown on water theft after more than 1,000 illegal hookups were discovered during the past year."
  
  
• 20-year wait for lead-free water in S.C. over
  (The State, 8/28) "Residents who have spent the last two decades attempting to secure lead-free drinking water finally have reason to celebrate."
  
  
• WASA challenges EPA complaint on LCR
  (AWWA, 8/28) "The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) said it will challenge a recent USEPA administrative complaint assessing the utility a $27,500 civil fine for alleged violations of Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) reporting requirements set forth in an earlier administrative order."
  
  
• Iemma: Taking river water best for all
  (Sydney Herald, 8/28) "The plan to use more water from the Shoalhaven River is the most environmentally friendly way to replenish Sydney's dwindling supply, the Premier says. Morris Iemma said at the weekend that the Government supported the plan because it enabled water to be secured for the river as well as for Sydney."
  
  
• 48 killed in India water tank collapse
  (Voice of America, 8/28) "Authorities in western India say at least 48 people were killed and about 30 injured when the large water tank they were sitting on collapsed during a village fair."
  
  
• Spill threatens water for 100,000 in China
  (People's Daily, 8/27) "A chemical spill has left one person dead and another seriously burnt, and polluted a source of drinking water for 100,000 residents in northwest China's Shaanxi province, a local official said Saturday."
  
  
• Everest region to get water stations
  (Oh My News International, 8/27) "In a bid to control pollution, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) will build drinking water refilling stations in the Mt. Everest region."
  

—  Infrastructure

• Nation receives 'D' on overall infrastructure
  (Austin American-Statesman, 8/27) "The American Society of Civil Engineers last year graded the nation 'D' for its overall infrastructure conditions, estimating that it would take $1.6 trillion over five years to fix the problem."
  

—  Water Resources

• Architect Rebuild New Orleans wetland
  (Reuters, 8/30) "New Orleans should embrace its watery environment and restore wetlands as it rebuilds, suggests a prize-winning architect hired to design a modernistic central park in the city's downtown."
  
  
• Acid rain affects large swathes of China
  (Reuters, 8/28) "Acid rain caused by sulphur dioxide spewed from factories and power plants affected a third of China's vast land mass last year, posing a threat to food safety, Xinhua news agency said citing a parliamentary report."
  
  
• Oklahoma: Water pollution brings lawsuits
  (Washington Post, 8/28) "Every time the rain comes down, muddy water laden with phosphorus, arsenic and other contaminants flows into the Illinois River from chicken farms nearby and just across the border in Arkansas."
  
  

—  Ocean News

• Ocean energy gets a deeper look
  (Springfield News-Leader, 8/28) "New projects seeking ways to use the oceans' thermal energy, tidal power and wave action are under way from Maine to Oregon to Hawaii in the United States and are widespread in Europe."
  

—  Pesticide

• Judge strikes down pesticide usage rule
  (Associated Press, 8/25) "A federal judge on Thursday rejected a Bush administration decision to weaken rules governing pesticide use, saying the change lacked scientific justification."
  

—  Wastewater

• Florida sending wastewater underground
  (Poet Charlotte Sun-Herald, 8/31) "A plan to store treated wastewater in underground wells for dry spells is moving forward after the Sarasota County Commission voted 3-1 to appropriate $3.2 million for the project."
  
  
• WERF project looks at wastewater mercury
  (WERF, 8/31) NEWS RELEASE. "The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) is accepting research proposals to develop a guidance document to be used by wastewater treatment plants in measuring mercury discharge."
  
  
• Wastewater flow produces electricity
  (Tampa Bay Business Journal, 8/30) "An alternative energy power system recently installed at Earth First Technologies will use wastewater to generate electricity for the plant."
  
  
• Wastewater groups want D.C. decision reversed
  (Waste News, 8/28) "Two wastewater associations are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court decision that could impact wastewater plants across the country."
  

—  Solid/Toxic Waste

• 300 tons of pesticide cleaned from Adriatic plant
  (Associated Press, 8/31) "More than 300 tons of pesticides and other toxic chemicals considered a public health risk have been removed from a communist-era chemical plant that has been closed for 15 years, authorities said Wednesday."
  
  

—  Warming

• Landmark warming legislation clears hurdle
  (NRDC, 8/30) NEWS RELEASE. "Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act, cleared a major milestone today when the Governor issued a statement saying, 'Today, I am happy to announce we have reached a historic agreement on legislation to combat global warming.'"
  
  
• Scientists pinpoint polar cataclysm date
  (Associated Press, 8/30) "A 30-mile maze canyons in Antarctica was carved out of bedrock by the catastrophic draining of subglacial lakes during global warming between 12 million and 14 million years ago, according to university researchers who warn a similar event today could have serious environmental consequences."
  
  
• Global Environment Fund hears warnings
  (Associated Press, 8/29) "Climate change risks devastating South Africa's wine and fruit industries, the country's deputy president warned Tuesday at the opening of an international environment conference."
  
  
• Washington's glaciers eyed for warming
  (Olympian, 8/26) "With more glaciers than any state in the Lower 48, Washington has emerged as a bellwether for global warming."
  
  
• Arctic freshwater pouring into Atlantic
  (NPR, 8/25) AUDIO. "Freshwater from the Arctic Ocean is pouring into the North Atlantic at record rates, scientists say. The latest figures show a virtual deluge, caused by rising rainfall and runoff from land, as well as melting sea ice and glaciers."
  

—  Meetings

• 2006 Water Security Congress
  SEPT. 10-12, WASHINGTON, D.C.
  
• Stars of the Future: Reuse and Desalination
  SEPT. 10-13, HOLLYWOOD, CA
  
• AWWA conference for water plant pros
  SEPT. 17-20, PHOENIX
  
• 30th annual Public Land Law Conference
  SEPT. 25-27, MISSOULA, MT
  
• Pacific Northwest Pretreatment Conference
  SEPT. 27-29, VANCOUVER, WA
  
• Community Action, Innovation for Watershed Sustainability
  OCT. 16-20, WALLA WALLA, WA
  
• Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration
  DEC. 9-13, NEW ORLEANS
  
• NACWA 2007 Winter Conference
  JAN. 30-FEB. 2, ST. PETERSBURG
  

—  Everything Else

• EPA first fed agency powered 100% green
  (EPA, 8/31) NEWS RELEASE: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has closed a deal making it the first federal agency to purchase renewable energy, or 'green power,' equivalent to 100 percent of its annual electricity needs."
  
  
• Canadian receives Stockholm Water Prize
  (Associated Press, 8/28) "An Indian-born Canadian man received the US$150,000 (euro124,000) Stockholm Water Prize on Thursday. Asit K. Biswas heads the Mexico City-based Third World Centre for Water Management. He was cited for helping "foster a critical rethink" among U.N. agencies, governments and others about how to improve the delivery of water and sanitation services."
  
  

• A man, a plan, a dam. then, an F.B.I. call
  (NY Times, 8/28) Thanks to Dr. Bob Hill for this one. "On July 25, Jim Bensman of Alton, Ill., attended a public meeting on the proposed construction of a bypass channel for fish at a dam on the Mississippi River. Less than a week later, he was under investigation by the F.B.I. — the victim, depending on how you look at it, of either a comedy of errors or alarming antiterror zeal."
  
  

• AWWA and AWWRF  announces new research report: "Characterizing and Managing Salinity Loadings in Reclaimed Water Systems"
  (AWWA, 8/30) "The problem of salinity in reclaimed water is growing as more utilities choose to use reclaimed water for irrigation and other purposes.  This project is the first comprehensive look at this problem on a national level. The project conducted literature reviews on the sources of salinity to municipal wastewater and on constraints to using reclaimed water, conducted two surveys of utilities that reclaim water, and summarized regulations regarding reclaimed water."
  
  

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