Brown and Caldwell About this Newsletter Reader Kudos EPA's Water Infrastructure Security Upcoming Meetings   California Infrastructure Brief from CalRAC Agency Links Other Links Your Editors: Ken Harlow, Director of Management Services, your Crusty Editor Paul Flick, your Trusty Guest Editor Jennifer Finley, Managing Editor E-mail Ken, Paul or Jennifer Archives Aug. 25, 2003 Aug. 26, 2003 Aug. 27, 2003 Aug. 28, 2003 Aug. 29, 2003 Download Acrobat Reader

September 2, 2003 Quote Of The Day "Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason." Orson Welles Today is the birthday of Terry Bradshaw, Mark Harmon, Jimmy Connors, Linda Purl, and Keanu Reeves. On this day in 1969, NBC-TV canceled "Star Trek." The show had debuted on September 8, 1966. Hope you enjoyed the long weekend - we have plenty to catch you up on! Enjoy! Latest postings: City of Oceanside: Water Plant Operator I or II City of Redlands: Regulatory Compliance Officer-Water City of Simi Valley: Assistant Public Works Director (Utilities) Ojai Valley Sanitary District: Wastewater Collection System Supervising Operator California Water Service Company: Electrical Mechanical Technician Three Valleys MWD: Operations Superintendent City of Orange: Assistant Civil Engineer Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply News Study: Saving forests best way to cheap, clean water (Reuters, 08/29) "Major cities should focus efforts and funds on conserving forests that naturally purify their drinking water, saving them from spending billions of dollars on water treatment facilities, a study published Monday showed." Water agencies urge CPUC to keep storage options open (WaterWorld.com, 08/29) "Citing growing demands for water and the impacts of climate change, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is urging the California Public Utilities Commission to keep open the option of expanding water storage capacity on key watersheds in the state." Water well project at Morro Bay High hits snag (SLO Tribune, 08/29) "The Coastal Commission could block two new irrigation wells at Morro Bay High School that the city is in the midst of installing to cut water costs at the campus and settle a lawsuit." Nevada, MWD offers alike? (IV Press, 08/29) "The offer by Nevada to pay $82 million in environmental costs for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is no different than MWD's recent offer to do the same, according to Adán Ortega, MWD vice president for external affairs." Talks on Carlsbad desalination plant stall (NC Times, 08/30) "Plans for a desalination plant in Carlsbad may bog down in the next 30 days because tough talk and threats of litigation have trickled into a dispute over how to handle information a private company must share with the San Diego County Water Authority." Environmental report on pipeline shaft sites released (NC Times, 08/30) "Released late last week, the document could steer San Diego County Water Authority officials away from two other proposed shaft sites ---- in Beeler Canyon and Goodan Ranch ---- that are strongly opposed by Poway residents and officials." Nevada water agency puts up $82 million to end bickering (San Jose Mercury, 08/31) "Southern Nevada water officials have offered to buy $82 million worth of water from California in an effort to broker a long-delayed Colorado River water-sharing deal." Talk to put Trinity River in context of California water fights (Eureka Times Standard, 09/01) "Longtime Trinity River expert Tom Stokely will speak on Sept. 10 at Humboldt State University to outline the river's place in the California water wars." Region's dry climate poses challenge (S.F. Business Journal, 09/01) "Hollywood made a movie about Los Angeles' historic water politics and called it 'Chinatown.'" —  Water Meter News Water meter bill gets Senate's OK (Contra Costa Times, 08/29) "The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would require some cities to install water meters." Water metering measure is nonsensical on four levels (Sacramento Bee, 08/29) Column: "Assembly Bill 514, which appears to be headed to Gov. Gray Davis' desk, has the distinction, however, of legislating nonsense on four separate levels. The measure, carried by San Diego Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, is the latest in a string of bills that purport to conserve water by compelling communities to install water meters, rather than allowing unlimited water use for flat fees." —  Klamath Update Higher flows ease fears over repeat of Klamath salmon kill (Sacramento Bee, 09/01) "More water flowing down the Klamath and Trinity Rivers in Northern California is giving an American Indian tribe and California state biologists hope they will not see a repeat of last year's massive salmon kill." —  Perchlorate News Dry cleaners often clash with regulators (Associated Press, 08/29) "The ins and outs of dry cleaning are hardly a concern for most consumers. The mysterious process that takes a dirty piece of clothing and turns it into a clean, crisp garment is more often taken for granted than analyzed." —  Water Quality Well expert starts online test-kit business (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 08/31) "A Petaluma-based geologist and hydro-geologist, he started an Internet-based business to share his expertise in wells for drinking water." Cleanup of tainted site decades off (Stockton Record, 09/01) "Cleanup of contaminated groundwater at a Lathrop military site may take an extra decade or two longer than expected, according to a new report." —  Infrastructure Dated infrastructure could chill region's red-hot growth (Sacramento Business Journal, 09/01) "In 1998, the city of Lincoln had 8,500 residents and a slim bank account. Since then, almost $500 million worth of infrastructure has been sunk into the ground by developers and city and state agencies, spurring Lincoln on to become the fastest-growing city in the state. With 25,000 residents today, the city and developers have installed new infrastructure and upgraded existing roads, water systems and sewers, and a total of $36 million in infrastructure projects is in the city budget this year." —  Lakes, Creeks, and Rivers State threatens to sue L.A. County over Castaic Lake closure (LA Times, 08/29) "Despite a threat by the state to sue if Castaic Lake State Recreation Area closes, Los Angeles County officials said Friday they cannot afford to keep it open after Sept. 7." One million grant made to restore creek habitat (LA Times, 08/29) "A state grant of $1 million has been given to the Aliso Creek riparian restoration project, which seeks to restore native wetland habitat in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park." Tijuana River's bi-national flood warning system set to go (SD Union Tribune, 08/31) "A new flood warning system has been installed on both sides of the border in the Tijuana River watershed to speed advance notice of potentially devastating floods." —  Runoff News Water quality managers want more farm water rules (Chico ER, 08/31) "Plans are in the works for stricter regulations on water that makes its way from farms to waterways." Palo Alto City Council weighs overflow proposal (San Jose Mercury, 08/31) "They'll be touring a portion of the Baylands Nature Preserve tidal basin where the Santa Clara Valley Water District would like to dump overflow water from Matadero Creek during heavy rains." Complaint filed over untreated runoff (LA Times, 08/30) "A sport fishing group filed a complaint against the State Fair organization because untreated runoff from the horse track is pouring into the American River near a popular swimming hole." —  Wastewater San Dimas residents protest interest on sewer hookup charges (San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 08/29) "The measure, carried by Assembly Member Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, is the latest in a string of bills that purport to conserve water by compelling communities to install water meters, rather than allowing unlimited water use for flat fees." Smelly Escalon plant caught between law and odor (Stockton Record, 09/01) "The city has run afoul of state regulators for failing to correct an odor problem at its wastewater-treatment plant near the Stanislaus River." Fountain Valley residents protest pumping station (LA Times, 09/01) "But homeowners in a Fountain Valley neighborhood aren't happy with plans by the Orange County Sanitation District to replace a critical sewage pump station, even after being promised that it would be camouflaged to look like just another house." —  Meetings GRA: Subsurface Vapor Intrusion to Indoor Air Symposium (GRA News Release, 08/30) "The potential for human exposures resulting from subsurface vapor intrusion to indoor air is a topic of significant concern and debate. This one-day symposium will provide attendees with an overview of the issues, along with a summary of the state of the science and practice in California." 3RD International Engineering and Construction Conference (ASCE News Release, 08/30) Call for Papers: "Papers are solicited on various international and domestic engineering or affiliated scientific projects on topics related to: Engineering Analysis and Design; Project Management; Codes & Standards of Practice; Quality Control & Resource Constraints; Construction Engineering; Bidding & Contract Administration; Project Financing and Procurement; Risk Assessment and Management; Legal, Ethical and Cultural Issues; Environmental Impacts and Mitigation; Design/Build and/or Operate Projects, Scheduling and Project Delivery." —  Local/Agency News FERC staff recommend dropping claims against LADWP (Reuters, 08/29) "Trial staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recommended on Friday the commission drop all claims of possible power market "gaming" leveled against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the LADWP said." Peninsula water board bill dead in the water (Monterey Herald, 08/30) "It started as a bill to dissolve the Peninsula's water board and replace it with a council of mayors." Orange County water panel needs voices (LA Times, 08/29) Editorial: "Each of Orange County's 2.8 million residents has a vested interest in keeping coastal waters and beaches clean. So it's welcome news that a state agency is delaying a vote on a plan to reduce water pollution so all interested parties can review the proposal." $20,000 devoted by OCWD to fight West Nile Virus (LA Times, 08/30) "The Orange County Water District has earmarked $20,000 toward ongoing mosquito research to help combat West Nile Virus."   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 Brown and Caldwell 400 Exchange, Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92602 714-689-4852