Quote of the Week:
"Human beings are seventy percent water,
and with some the rest is collagen."
Martin Mull

Born on this Day:
Max Factor, Caspar Weinberger, Shelley Winters,
Rosalynn Carter, Roman Polanski, Robert Redford,
Martin Mull, Nona Hendryx, Patrick Swayze,
Madeleine Stowe, Edward Norton, Christian Slater,
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Mike Boorem.

On this Day in 1966:
The first pictures of earth taken
from moon orbit were sent back to the U.S.

Pic of the Week

The Water Tree
(PHOTO: by Tom Reel/Express-News)

"Lucille Pope drinks the water that is mysteriously leaking out of a tree in her backyard in San Antonio, Texas."

Do you have a photo you'd like to submit?
Send us an e-mail.
 

Arizona News

—  Water

• Desert Hills Water co. water service protested
  (Arizona Republic, 8/17) "About 40 to 50 residents in the North Valley rallied Friday night at North 24th Street and Carefree Highway to call attention to their area's water woes."
  
  
• Water harvests sinking in at Univ. of Ariz.
  (Tucson Citizen, 8/17) "Chet Phillips and Emilie Brill-Duisberg, who are part of a student resource conservation group, managed to get campus leaders to start thinking about water harvesting - a practice that could solve much of Tucson's water needs, they say."
   
• Payson sets water, growth timeline
  (Payson Roundup, 8/15) "On Monday, the Town of Payson staff met to outline a procedure for implementing the 17-point plan for water and growth presented by Mayor Bob Edwards and passed unanimously by the Payson Town Council at its Aug. 3 meeting." 
  
  
• Safford, prison move toward water agreement
  (Eastern Arizona Courier, 8/14) "The federal prison on Swift Trail and the city of Safford are working on an agreement that will provide more water for both parties."
  
  
• Rainfall drops Tucson water use by 17 percent
  (Arizona Daily Star, 8/14) "Abnormally high rainfall pushed down Tucson Water customers' use by more than 17 percent last month."
  
  
• Water: The lifeblood of the West
  (National Ledger, 8/14) "The story of Arizona is in many respects the story of our effort to secure adequate water for our future. Figuring large in this effort is the mighty Colorado River, long considered to be the 'lifeblood of the West.'"
  
  
• Study: Northern AZ will face water shortage
  (Kingman Daily Miner, 8/13) "By 2050, communities throughout Northern Arizona will use more water than they can sustainably draw from the ground, according to a study by the Bureau of Reclamation."
  
  
• Mohave faces hurdles in acquiring ranch water
  (KVOA, 8/13) "Mohave County faces numerous hurdles if it's going to attempt to acquire a ranch to gain access to its water."
  
  
• Panel keeps Chandler's tap water tasty
  (Arizona Republic, 8/12) "Two things to keep in mind as you pour a glass of Chandler's tap water: it's safe to drink and it should taste fine."
  
  
• Residents rally to draw attention to water plight
  (AZ Central, 8/12) "For Desert Hills residents with troubled water service, it's been a long summer. Desert Hills Water Co. customers have been experiencing frequent water outages and low water pressure for the past year. Residents are still waiting for full water service."
  
  
• House, Senate candidates discuss water issues
  (Prescott Daily Courier, 8/12) "Candidates for the House and Senate seats of District 1 regard water as a serious issue that intensifies with unregulated wells and lot splits."
  
  

—  Water Resources

• Campaign launched to protect the Verde River
  (E-Wire, 8/17) "The Center for Biological Diversity announced this week that it is launching a long-term campaign to protect the Verde River in Arizona."
  
  

—  Wastewater

• Probation given in '01 Yuma sewer deaths
  (Occupational Hazards, 8/14) "A former Arizona company president convicted of negligent homicide in connection with the deaths of two workers was sentenced to 7 years' probation and 840 hours of community service, all of which must be spent teaching safety classes."
  
  

—  Solid/Toxic Waste

• Brownfields grant awarded to City of Flagstaff
  (ADEQ, 8/17)  NEWS RELEASE. "Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens today announced that the department has awarded a $50,000 grant through its Brownfields Program to the City of Flagstaff to begin assessment, cleanup and revitalization of a local neighborhood."
  
  

—  Local/Agency

• Looming A.J. water deficit surprises board
  (East Valley Tribune, 8/16) "The Apache Junction water district will sink into a multimillion dollar deficit if it doesn’t raise rates soon, a consultant warned the district board on Tuesday."
  
  
• Robert Hardy tagged to serve on SWAG
  (Verde Independent, 8/10) "Surprisingly, or maybe not, Arizona cowboys, the Army, city and county representatives, farmers, tribal officials, business people and environmentalists are creating a framework for rural water management. Add the governor's office and state agencies, and some of the most astute water authorities in the state have rolled up their sleeves and are working elbow-to-elbow at the same table."
  
  

—  Everything Else

• Power generation tied to supplies of water
  (Arizona Daily Star, 8/14) "As interstate disputes over the Colorado River and other water fights loom large in future years, power-supply problems promise to be twice the headache."
  

From Around the Southwest

—  Water

• Next step for Moss Landing desal plants
  (Monterey Herald, 8/17) "Permits for the two pilot seawater desalination plants, and renewal of outfall permits at Moss Landing, will be considered at a public hearing by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board when it meets Sept. 7 in Monterey."
  
  

• Central Iron hearing centers on Lake Powell
  (St. George Daily Spectrum, 8/17) "The biggest concern raised by residents at the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District's budget hearing on Tuesday surrounded the Lake Powell pipeline."
  
  

• Desal plant test wells near Cambria approved
  (SLO Tribune, 8/17) "County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to install test wells near the mouth of San Simeon Creek, despite the objections of the local Sierra Club and other environmentalists."
  
  

• Monsoon brings flooding, some drought relief
  (Associated Press, 8/17) "An energetic summer monsoon system that has fed a stream of moisture into portions of Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas is on a record pace in at least one part of the Southwest, weather officials say."
  
  

• Carlsbad desalination project given permit
  (North County Times, 8/17) "With no debate and little comment, San Diego County's regional water cops unanimously approved awarding a key permit Wednesday to a project that could eventually turn millions of gallons a day of the Pacific Ocean off Carlsbad into 'drought-proof' drinking water."
  

• Ogallala Aquifer starting to run on empty
  (San Antonio Express, 8/16) "About 40 percent of the water used in Texas comes from the Ogallala, and almost all of that is poured onto farmland — in staggering amounts."
  
  
• Alamogordo water committee gets into the flow
  (Alamogordo Daily News, 8/16) "The Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce began a new committee on Monday that will focus on water issues in the area."
  
  

• San Diego County contaminations not linked
  (NC Times, 8/16) "County health officials said Tuesday a recent rash of water contamination cases were just coincidence and not an indication of a rampant, growing problem."
  
  

• Albuquerque water costs rise
  (New Mexico Business Weekly, 8/15) "Albuquerque saw a big jump in the average price of water from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006, but the cost remains below average, according to a new survey by New Jersey-based NUS Consulting Group."
  
  

• A dry topic in Texas? Hardly
  (Dallas Morning News, 8/15) "By January 2007: Water supplies like Lake Lavon and Lake Chapman could be exhausted, if the drought persists."
  
  

• Nevadans don't want to gamble with water
  (Washington Post, 8/15) "Las Vegas is a parched desert city in a four-year drought, with new residents pouring in at a rate of at least 5,000 per month. So water officials plan to tap a great system of aquifers that form underground lakes in a swath across Nevada, some of them hundreds of miles away."
  
  

• Las Vegas, N.M., lifts water restrictions
  (Santa Fe New Mexican, 8/15) "The reservoirs that provide water for this northern New Mexico city have filled, prompting the city to lift water restrictions."
  
  

• State seizes Wrenwood water system
  (Houston Chronicle, 8/15) "The troubled water system in the Wrenwood subdivision, where residents have been forced to boil water for the past week, has been temporarily seized by the state and handed to a new operator."
  
  

• Otis residents told to boil water
  (KOB-TV, 8/15) "The state issued the advisory Friday for the Otis Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association after E-coli bacteria was found in the water."
  
  

• Wake Village looks to replace water lines
  (Texarkana Gazette, 8/14) "Wake Village has some original water lines about as old as the city’s 1944 charter, and the City Council is looking for state financial spigots to help replace them."
  
  

• Texas tree gurgles water
  (Express-News, 8/14) "Lucille Pope's red oak tree has baffled tree experts, water specialists and nursery professionals. The knotted, towering tree, more than 100 years old, has become the root of scrutiny in her East Side neighborhood. The tree has gurgled water from its trunk for the past three months."
   

• Water board OKs Fort Ord fund transfer
  (Monterey Herald, 8/13) "Funding transfers for recycled water systems and pipelines at Fort Ord were approved Wednesday by the Marina Coast Water District board."
  
  

• North County deal plans remain iffy
  (NC Times, 8/13) " San Diego County Water Authority officials say it could be a very long time before they identify any new seawater desalination projects to chase seriously after abandoning long-discussed hopes of helping build a Carlsbad plant that would turn ocean water into drinking water."
  
  

• Perchlorate: Water-quality board under fire
  (Riverside P/E, 8/13) "Three regional water-quality board members appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger will undergo further scrutiny after a state senator complained the board has done little to clean up perchlorate contamination in a key Inland drinking water source."
  
  

• Las Vegas agency pays $22 million for ranch
  (KLAS, 8/12) "Southern Nevada water officials are defending the decision to pay $22 million to a land and water development company for a 7,150-acre ranch and its water rights in rural White Pine County."
   
• Baytown Council puts hold on new pipelines
  (Baytown Sun, 8/12) "Concern over a lack of permits and the impact on the city’s water and sewerage system compelled city council on Monday night to table a decision on whether to approve an extensive new underground pipeline network."
  
  
• Las Vegas, farmers scrap over water
  (Washington Post, 8/12) "Farmers in Nevada are predicting an ecological disaster if the state allows Las Vegas to tap their aquifers, The Washington Post reports." 
  
  
• Funds commemorated for Churchill plant
  (Nevada Appeal, 8/11)"Churchill County Commissioners, along with County Manager Brad Goetsch and other officials, met with Sen. Harry Reid to commemorate funds for the county's Sand Creek water treatment facility Wednesday." 
  
  

—  Dams and Levees

• Levees inadequate in one percent of cases
  (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 8/14) "In Yuba County, that effort found that the levees may not hold up against a flood with a 1 percent chance of occurring, said Eric Simmons, an engineer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency."
  
  

• Feinstein raises dam seismic, cost issues
  (Auburn Journal, 8/13) "U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is adding a potential roadblock to Rep. John Doolittle's renewed push for a multipurpose dam at Auburn."
  
  

—  Water Resources

• Officials take on Santa Margarita River pollution
  (Riverside P/E, 8/16) "Concerns over the Santa Margarita River have prompted state officials to monitor worrisome pollution levels in the 744-square-mile region that feeds the historic waterway that runs from Temecula to the ocean."
  
  

• Toxic algae in Klamath River prompts warnings
  (Sacramento Bee, 8/15) "A record bloom of toxic algae in Klamath River reservoirs prompted health warnings Monday from state and federal officials."
  
  

• Napa switches treatment of lake water
  (Napa News, 8/14) "After local environmentalists sounded the alarm on the city's use of copper sulfate to kill algae in Napa's main reservoir, water officials are switching to an alternative herbicide."
  
  

• Mercury risk in Feather fish
  (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 8/14) "A state agency has released a draft advisory about elevated mercury levels in fish found in the lower Feather River in Sutter, Yuba and Butte counties." 
  
  

• Genetic testing to help anglers, fish
  (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/14) "The last time Scott Boley came home from salmon fishing, he had 17 fish to show for three days of work."
  
  

• Failed season; Federal declaration
  (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 8/14) EDITORIAL: "U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez stated the obvious when he declared this year's salmon fishing season a disaster." 
  
  

• Salton Sea restoration can’t wait
  (The Desert Sun, 8/14) EDITORIAL: "The 3 million or so dead tilapia that ringed the northern shore of the Salton Sea last week offered a stark visual reminder that California’s largest inland body of water could easily become its biggest ecological nightmare."
  
  

• Lake Tahoe's water warms up
  (Nevada Appeal, 8/12) "More people may be finding it easier to take a dip in Lake Tahoe this summer, as a combination of hot weather and lack of wind has made the lake unusually warm."
  
  

—  Wastewater

• Camp Pendleton unveils new wastewater plant
  (NC Times, 8/17) "The Marines took a major step Wednesday toward conquering one of the region's bigger water pollution problems."
  
  

• Calif. water plant accusation leads to arrest
  (Monterey Herald, 8/17) "A Santa Cruz man has been arrested on charges of running a wastewater treatment plant in Monterey County without a license."
  
  

• Sludge dispute grows; L.A. sues Kern County
  (LA Daily News, 8/16) "To protect its $45 million investment in its sewage-treatment system, Los Angeles filed suit Tuesday against Kern County, where voters have banned the import of sludge on a city-owned farm."
  
  

• River Rock expansion a step closer
  (Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, 8/14) "The Indian tribe that operates River Rock casino is seeking federal approval to expand its wastewater treatment system, a first step for building its long-planned destination hotel and resort."
  
  

• Wastewater halt cost Hollister 2,500 jobs
  (The Pinnacle Online, 8/13) "There are zero choices. People seem to understand that the city of Hollister must charge increased sewer fees to build a new wastewater system. The alternative is leaden with so many downsides it becomes almost unthinkable to pursue any other course.
   

• EPA backs state on withdrawal of sewer loan
  (SLO Tribune, 8/14) "A federal agency has backed state water officials’ decision to withdraw a $135 million low- interest sewer loan from the Los Osos services district after the local agency stopped construction on a sewer project last fall."
  
  

• Rio Del Oro wastewater plant ready for growth
  (Valencia County News Bulletin, 8/12) "New Mexico Water Service Company's wastewater treatment system is ready for the growth on the east mesa."
  

—  The Nukes

• Old reactor at Onofre leaked; no danger seen
  (SD Union Tribune, 8/15) "The San Onofre nuclear power plant's retired reactor has leaked several thousand gallons of radioactive water containing tritium over an unknown period of time, its operator confirmed yesterday."
  

—  Everything Else

• Air pollution rapidly killing Joshua trees
  (The Desert Sun, 8/15) "Writhing stands of Joshua trees like the ones that mesmerize visitors to Joshua Tree National Park have survived thousands of years in the notoriously inhospitable climate just north of the Coachella Valley."
  
  

• Some in California seek ice to ease crunch
  (Associated Press, 8/12) "City and utility officials throughout Southern California are eyeing a new system that relies on ice to store energy for air conditioners as a possible way to cut peak commercial consumption and reduce the threat of crippling blackouts."
  
  

International and National News

— Water Security

• Practical Guide to Water Supply and Terrorism
  (Water Tech Online, 8/15) BOOK REVIEW: "The Practical Guide to Water Supply and Terrorism will help water professionals understand and implement ways to safeguard their water supplies and protect their customers from terrorist attack." | GET IT HERE

—  Water

• Drought in China worst in 50 years
  (Associated Press, 8/17) "A severe drought in southwestern China has forced authorities to begin trucking in water to millions of people after wells and rivers went dry, state media said Wednesday.
  
  

• Water shortage 'a global problem'
  (BBC, 8/16) "Rich countries face increasing water shortages, a report by conservation organization WWF warns."
  
  

• Sunken tank will provide Glasgow water
  (The Herald, 8/16) "A massive architectural achievement which created an 80 million litre underground water tank to provide Glasgow's supply was unveiled yesterday. "
  
  

• Irish pollution study blames farms, industry
  (RTE News, 8/16) "A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency has blamed agricultural run-off and industrial spillages for ongoing contamination in Irish rivers, lakes and groundwater."
  
  

• Rapper fights for cleaner water
  (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/15) "MTV and rap mogul Jay-Z is joining forces with the United Nations to take on the global water crisis."
   

• Indonesia's river water quality declining
  (Antara News, 8/15) "The quality of water of the rivers in Indonesia has been declining due to contamination, so that water supply became limited, an official said." 
  
  

• AWWA: Coordinate aldicarb risk assessment
  (WaterWeek, 8/15) NEWS RELEASE. "In recent comments to USEPA, AWWA called on the agency's Office of Pesticide Programs and Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water to ensure that their separate actions to assess the health risks of aldicarb and its metabolites are 'scientifically consistent.'"
  
  

• Water near Oregon border highly toxic
  (KESQ, 8/13) "A new analysis of water samples from two reservoirs near the California-Oregon border has revealed extremely high levels of a toxic blue-green algae that's known to cause liver failure and promote tumor growth."
   

• China drought leaves 17 million without water
  (Washington Post, 8/13) "About 17 million people in southwest China don't have access to clean drinking water due to sustained drought, state media reported on Sunday."
   

• U.S. water costs climb even higher, survey says
  (Yahoo News, 8/13) "The annual survey conducted by the NUS Consulting Group found that the average price of water in the United States climbed by 4.4 percent for the period of July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006."

— Water Resources

• Applicants sought for watershed grants
  (EPA, 8/17) NEWS RELEASE. "EPA plans to award up to $19 million in grants to help clean up and restore the nation's waterways. Proposals must reach EPA by October 16, 2006, for capacity-building grants and November 13, 2006, for project-implementation grants."
  
  

• Dead Canadian fish couldn't stand the heat?
  (Ottawa Sun, 8/17) "Preliminary findings of an investigation into why hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of dead catfish washed up on the Ottawa River suggest a waterborne bacterial fish disease is the cause, the Ministry of Natural Resources said yesterday."
  
  
• Alleged 'cocktail of poisons' in Nigerian delta
  (All Africa News, 8/13) "The WRPC waste dump site (sludge pit) and the two effluent discharge points into the Warri river had become a re-occurring source of pollution that affected associated creeks, farmlands and underground water for more than 10 years."
   
• Work to start in Ontario on water tunnel project
  (Buffalo News, 8/10) "An Ontario company hopes to begin drilling a 7-mile tunnel within 10 days to divert hundreds of thousands of gallons of water from the Niagara River for hydropower production."

• EPA memo clarifies 'Phased TMDL' terminology
  (Water World, 8/10) "Benita Best-Wong, Director of EPA's Assessment and Watershed Protection Division, has issued a memo clarifying the Guidance for Water Quality-Based Decisions:The TMDL Process, issued in 1991."

—  Stormwater

• Storm surge from Katrina is flood, judge says
  (Washington Post, 8/16) "A federal judge sided with the insurance industry yesterday and against water-battered victims of Hurricane Katrina by ruling that storm-induced surges are floods and therefore not covered by standard homeowner policies."
  
  

— Wastewater

• Cold can't stop Alaska sewage composting
  (Associated Press, 8/14) "Environmental consultant Mike Pollen remembers standing on a pile of sewage sludge composting outside the Fairbanks treatment plant on a November day in 1997. The temperature was 40 degrees below zero but his feet were warm. Then sweaty. Then uncomfortably hot inside his insulated rubber boots. "
  
  

• Sewers, not Alaskan oil pipes, are the danger
  (Boston Globe, 8/15) "As bad as they are, the corroding Alaskan oil pipelines in the news are far from the worst in America. Only a few people are talking about the broken pipes that really hurt our environment, get people sick, cause people to die, and cost even more money than oil pipeline shutdowns. We are talking about sewer pipes, of course."

— Hazardous/Toxic Waste

• Lebanon to start mopping up oil spill
  (Reuters, 8/15) "Lebanon will on Tuesday start mopping up 10,000-15,000 tonnes of oil that spilled into the Mediterranean Sea and covered the coast with sludge after Israel bombed a power plant over a month ago."

• Little switches add up to big cuts in mercury
  (EPA, 8/11) NEWS RELEASE: "EPA announced a national program today that will help cut mercury air emissions by up to 75 tons over the next 15 years. The National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program is designed to remove mercury-containing light switches from scrap vehicles before the vehicles are flattened, shredded, and melted to make new steel."

— Perchlorate

• Macho moms: Perchlorate masculinizes fish
  (Science News, 8/12) "Known largely as a component of rocket fuel, perchlorate is a pollutant that often turns up in soil and water. In dozens of studies, it has perturbed thyroid-hormone concentrations, which can affect growth and neurological development. Data from fish now indicate that perchlorate can also disrupt sexual development."

• Perchlorate risk douses fireworks plan
  (Cape Cod Chronicle, 8/10) "Plans for a fireworks show at the Harwich Cranberry Festival have been doused as water commissioners fear the debris will infiltrate the groundwater supply."

— Oceans

• Pacifici 'dead zone' said to exceed fears
  (CBS News, 8/11) "Scientists say the oxygen-starved 'dead zone' along the Pacific Coast that is causing massive crab and fish die-offs is worse than initially thought."
   

• Japanese tanker spills oil in Indian Ocean
  (Associated Press, 8/15) "A Japanese tanker spilled about 1.4 million gallons of crude oil in the eastern Indian Ocean following a collision with a cargo ship, the tanker’s operator said Tuesday."
  
  

— Climate Change

• Study: Warming affects hurricane intensity
  (Reuters, 8/16) "Global warming is affecting the intensity of Atlantic hurricanes, according to a new study by a university professor in Florida who says his research provides the first direct link between climate change and storm strength."
  
  

• Sea may be rising faster than previously thought
  (Boston Globe, 8/14) "Two new scientific studies measuring Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet and the pace of Antarctic snowfall suggest that the sea level may be rising faster than researchers previously assumed."
   
• Tourists flock as warming Alps crumble
  (Reuters, 8/11) "Glaciers in the Alps may have lost up to a tenth of their volume in the hot 2003 summer alone, researchers at Zurich university have said, and the ice now only occupies between half and a third of its volume in 1850."

• Cities, states take action on global warming
  (MSNBC, 8/11) "With Washington lawmakers deadlocked on how best to curb global warming, state and local officials across the country are adopting ambitious policies and forming international alliances aimed at reducing greenhouse gases."

—  Meetings/Conferences

• 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  

• Opportunities and Challenges in Agricultural Water Reuse
  OCT. 29-31, SANTA ROSA, CA  

• Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration
  DEC. 9-13, NEW ORLEANS  

• NACWA 2007 Winter Conference
  JAN. 30-FEB. 2, ST. PETERSBURG
   

—  Everything Else

• AWWA and AWWARF offers report: "Formation of Hydrazine as a Chloramine By-Product"
  (AWWA, 8/15) NEWS RELEASE. "This report presents results of a study done to evaluate the formation of hydrazine during the chloramination of water and wastewater. Hydrazine is the product of the reaction between chloramine and free ammonia and is classified by the EPA as a “probable human carcinogen” with a 10-6 cancer risk level of 10 ng/L in drinking water. Model simulations were performed to predict hydrazine formation under a variety of water and wastewater treatment and distribution conditions."
   

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