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July 31, 2003 Quote Of The Day "Man is the artificer of his own happiness." Henry David Thoreau Today is the birthday of Gary Lewis, Bill Berry, Sherry Lansing, Wesley Snipes, and Robert Telfer. On this day in 1971, men rode in a vehicle on the moon for the first time in a lunar rover vehicle (LRV). The latest California Infrastructure Brief is out and don't miss the new job postings above! Enjoy! Our latest postings: West Basin & Central Basin Municipal Water Districts Finance & Administration Manager United Water Conservation District Administrative Assistant Yorba Linda Water District Plant Operator I or II City of Fresno Senior Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Want more? See all postings. —  Water Supply News Seal Beach takes desal plant with a grain of salt (Long Beach Press-Telegram, 07/30) "With reservations about environmental and economic issues, the Seal Beach City Council this week gave its blessing to a pilot testing system for a possible desalination plant that the Long Beach Water Department hopes to build." Yes, it's been wet, but we shouldn't be wasteful (Washington Post, 07/30) Opinion: "A century ago, the average American used only about 10 gallons of water a day to drink, cook, clean, bathe and water the geraniums. Today, when water is an increasingly costly and precious resource in many regions, we use 85 to 100 gallons a day per person, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."  —  Watershed Research News EPA to fund new clean water research (Water Tech Online, 07/30) "The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will provide over $10 million in research grants, some of which will be spent on studying the long-term health effects of watershed protection, according to a news release." —  PCBs News High levels of PCBs in farmed salmon, study finds (SF Chronicle, 07/30) "Farmed salmon purchased from grocery stores in the Bay Area, Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C., carried levels of PCBs five times higher than in wild salmon, according to a new report." Farmed salmon high in PCBs? (MSNBC, 07/30) "A sharp rise in the consumption of farmed salmon may be posing a health threat to millions of Americans because of high levels of PCBs that have been found in limited samples of the popular fish, according to a study released yesterday." —  Dam News Dams get new attention (Capital Press, 07/30) "U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., renewed his push to erect a larger dam on the upper San Joaquin River and separately proposed another measure to give the Interior Department even more clout in erecting dams." —  Orange County Ocean Quality News Surf zone testing to begin (LA Times, 07/31) "Two Stanford professors will conduct a revolutionary study into Huntington's biggest unsolved mystery; the source of pollution in its coastal waters." —  Runoff and Stormwater News Runoff rules have long reach, says expert (Capital Press, 07/30) "The rancorous debate on how farmers should monitor and then reduce any potential runoff of contaminants is far from over." Stinky dairy dilemma (Vacaville Reporter, 07/30) "The overloading of cropland by manure generated at the nation's dairies, pig and poultry farms, and beef feedlots can lead to pollution of nearby streams and groundwater from nutrients in the manure." Settlement reached in Pajaro River flooding case (KSBW-TV, 07/30) "A multimillion dollar settlement has been reached in the Pajaro River flooding case. Action News has learned that Caltrans, one of several defendants in the case, has agreed to pay $11 million to property owners for damage from the 1995 flood. The state agency decided to settle to avoid a jury trial and possibility of getting hit even harder." A bug in runoff control (OC Register, 07/31) "Building artificial wetlands to reduce water pollution appears to be having an unintended side effect: providing ideal places for mosquitoes to breed." —  Lakes and Rivers Missouri River - Senator upholds Corps nominee (SF Chronicle, 07/30) "In a dispute over water levels along the Missouri River, Sen. Max Baucus is holding up President Bush's nomination of John P. Woodley to oversee the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers." Lake Davis - lots of trouble coming down the pike  (SF Chronicle, 07/30) "The fuse is burning at Lake Davis in the Sierra Nevada. The growing population of an invasive predator fish, northern pike, is like an awaiting storehouse of dynamite for the Bay-Delta."  Saving fish in the Russian River (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 07/30) Editorial: "Reducing the level of chemicals in the Russian River and its tributaries is a good thing." Diamond Valley Lake excites (OC Register, 07/31) "The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is not allowing body contact, and only boats with four-stroke or direct-fuel-injection, two-stroke combustion engines will be allowed, because the reservoir is storing drinking water."  Colorado's River cleanup hearing postponed (Desert Sun, 07/31) "The California Environmental Protection Agency postponed a hearing to determine which state regulators are best suited to lead efforts to prevent a toxic chemical plume from reaching the banks of the Colorado River." Irrigators threaten feds with suit (Capital Press, 07/31) "Two groups whose members reap their livelihood from the life Columbia and Snake River water gives to their crops and livestock are planning to put as much pressure as they can on the federal government to update salmon and steelhead run-health assessments." —  Wastewater Sewer district inks deal with Sunnyside Farms (Daily Republic, 07/30) "Sunnyside Farms ships out the fruit drinks, orange juice, milk and other beverages it makes to stores - and a flood of waste to the sewer system." —  Wyle Cleanup News Norco City Manager asked to resign (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 07/30) "Focus on Wyle Laboratories' suspected groundwater contamination played a central role in the community in recent week's when Assemblyman Todd Spitzer attended a concerned citizen's meeting." —  Meetings Stormwater Quality Standards Task Force announces Santa Ana Basin Plan Triennial Review (SAWPA News Release, 07/16) July 31 "The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board is continuing the triennial review process to update the Santa Ana Watershed Basin Plan." WACO meeting agenda now available (WACO News Release, 07/21) August 1: "Program features: The Nuts and Bolts of Water Lobbying: A View from a Sacramento Insider: Christopher Townsend, President, Townsend Public Affairs;and Innovative Water Management in South Orange County: Triumphs and Challenges: John Schatz, General Manager, Santa Margarita Water District."  Joint Instrumentation Conf. for Water Pros (Santiago Canyon College, 07/21) August 13: "Santiago Canyon College and the California/Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association (CA-NV-AWWA) will co-sponsor the annual Joint Instrumentation Conference on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at the college campus. The JIC workshop features state-of-the-art training tailored to professionals in the water/wastewater industry and will provide contact hours required for license renewal."  —  Local/Agency News CLWA raising rates to retailers (LA Daily News, 07/30) "The Castaic Lake Water Agency will hike its water rates by 25 percent -- the first increase imposed on its retailers in 18 years -- but only a small portion is expected to trickle down to the bills of most Santa Clarita residents, officials said Wednesday." CVWD taps assistant manager (Desert Sun, 07/30) "Working in Los Angeles at the nation’s largest treated drinking water supplier, Mark Beuhler didn’t spend much time thinking about how people in the Coachella Valley got water." Low-flow toilet exchange program a hit in Rialto (San Bernardino Sun, 07/30) "The city was flooded with calls after offering the toilet exchange, and by the end of last week, officials couldn't promise any more." American States Water suffers earnings drought (SGV Tribune, 07/30) "A wetter, milder spring wasn't such good news for American States Water Co., that on Tuesday said its second-quarter earnings plummeted 46.3 percent from the same period a year ago." —  Everything Else Crime fight unites Orange County sheriff, EPA (LA Times, 07/31) "The Orange County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are teaming up to fight environmental crimes ranging from large-scale eco-terrorism to illegal dumping."   About the California Water News The California Water News is a weekday e-mail with links to current news stories in the California water resources industry.  Subscription is free to qualified persons!  Please go to our subscription page to subscribe.  For more information, you can also see some frequently asked questions. Referrals to new subscribers are welcome, as are suggestions for new links, news stories, opinion pieces, and your agency's press releases.   Any documents you e-mail me may be published on our web site and linked to from the News, subject to editorial discretion. Ken Harlow