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Wednesday, January 11, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." Alexander Hamilton Born on this Day: Alexander Hamilton, Nat Turner, Alice Paul, Jim Hightower, Naomi Judd, Ben Crenshaw, Stanley Tucci, Mary J. Blige. On this Day in 1964: U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report saying that smoking may be hazardous to one's health. Sent to more than 20,000 readers nationwide... and thousands more via our lineup of online ads like the one above that appears on watertechonline.com Latest postings: Golden State Water Company: Water Quality Engineer Golden State Water Company: Water Quality Technician II Golden State Water Company: Water Quality Technician III Alameda County Water District: Engineering Technician 1 County Sanitation Districts of L.A. County: Project Engineer Western Municipal Water District: Public Information and Conservation Representative Valley County Water District: Treatment and Production Operator City of Fresno: Water System Operator III City of Riverside: Utilities Chief Water Systems Operator County of Nevada: Wastewater Treatment System Operator IV Want more? See all postings. Pic of the Week   City of Rio Dell's New Raw Water Intake Facility "This photo shows an aerial view of the City of Rio Dell's new raw water intake facility on the west bank of the Eel River in Humboldt County. The project was funded in part by a $3.6 million loan/grant from California Drinking Water State Revolving Fund with the assistance of the California Rural Water Association." Many thanks to Neil Worthen, DWSRF Program Coordinator, California Rural Water Association. Do you have a photo you'd like to submit? Send us an e-mail. Today's News —  Water Lake Arrowhead: Both sides agree on water limit (Riverside P/E, 1/11) "Days before a state board is slated to rule on water rights to Lake Arrowhead, a utility district and a state prosecution team sought changes Tuesday to a proposed decision to limit water use." Stanislaus County to study water on its own (Modesto Bee, 1/11) "A proposal for Stanislaus County and the Modesto Irrigation District to jointly study the feasibility of providing water to unincorporated communities stalled Tuesday when MID directors failed to approve the plan." Stanislaus County plans need to be seen in light (Modesto Bee, 1/11) "Stanislaus County officials insist they've made no firm plans to start providing water for new homes or industries anywhere in the county." Tracy to study groundwater (Stockton Record, 1/10) "Six months after tapping into the Stanislaus River for surface water supplies, the city plans to study the condition of its underground aquifer." Nevada pitches $2 billion groundwater plan (Las Vegas Sun, 1/9) "Southern Nevada Water Authority chief Pat Mulroy will pitch her agency's plan to pipe groundwater to Las Vegas."   —  Dams and Levees Levee improvements at top of wish list (Stockton Record, 1/11) "San Joaquin County officials want state and federal lawmakers to focus in the coming year on improving the Delta's aging levees to prevent potential flooding." After 18 years, Friant Dam fight near resolution? (Stockton Record, 1/10) "State wildlife and water officials already have reviewed restoration plans for the San Joaquin River as part of a proposed settlement to an 18-year lawsuit between farmers, environmentalists and the federal government." —  Surface Water Water hopes form Salton Sea of controversy (Riverside P/E, 1/10) "Southern California's largest urban water supplier is seeking the right to take major flows from two rivers that feed the Salton Sea so it can send the water to city taps or farm crops, officials said Monday." Marine water invaders on most wanted list (Boston Globe, 1/10) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "The sea slime alarm was sounded in 2002. Scientists discovered small, dense mats of a strange gooey creature on the ocean floor more than 100 miles offshore. A year later, the sea squirts had carpeted more than 6 square miles there and kept going. Soon, the bizarre, stringy squirts were showing up in enormous colonies in new places along the shoreline and fishermen began complaining they were smothering shellfish beds." —  Wastewater Hilmar Cheese gets permit for injection well (Modesto Bee, 1/11) "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday gave Hilmar Cheese permission to drill a well to inject waste water deep underground as a potential solution to the cheese company's pollution problems." Sewage spills after malfunction at pump station (SD Union Tribune, 1/11) "About 4,500 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a storm drain that flows into Lake Hodges, city and county officials said yesterday." Sewage spill pollutes Escondido park creek, lake (NC Times, 1/10) "City crews were trying Tuesday to corral whatever sewage was still in a storm drain, a Kit Carson Park creek and Lake Hodges after a 4,500-gallon spill." Pier owners, contractor billed for Tahoe spill (Tahoe Daily Tribune, 1/10) "Another hefty bill was handed to the two property owners and the contractor involved in July's sewage spill at Kings Beach when the North Tahoe Public Utility District recently sent a 'demand for payment' worth $248,000." —  Stormwater/Flooding Finger-pointing won't solve drainage problems (Vacaville Reporter, 1/10) "The floodwaters that inundated Vacaville may have receded, but the frustration, outrage, concerns and complaints that rose in their wake have not." — Toxic Cleanups/Pollution Toxic waste creates hermaphrodite Arctic polar bears (UK Independent, 1/10) "For several years, scientists have observed how the concentrations of the pollutants are magnified as they ascend the food chain, from plankton to fish and then to marine mammals such as seals, whales and polar bears."   Cleaning up the cleaners (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/10) "New methods offer alternatives to toxic solvents. Environmental experts praise carbon dioxide cleaning as less harmful to human health than perchloroethylene, the solvent used by about 80 percent of dry cleaners." —  Meetings Water and the West – Meeting Supply Challenges Today and Beyond (Center for the New West News Release, 1/10) January 12-13. "The Center for the New West is proud to present Water and the West – Meeting Supply Challenges Today and Beyond, to be held at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 12th and 13th, 2006. This event will kick-off a new project for the Center and we hope you can join us in Las Vegas."   New Water and Power Conference (Urban Water Institute, 1/10) January 29, 30, 31. Featuring MWD Chairman of the Board Wes Bannister! "Water Cutbacks from the Colorado River – Collapse of Delta Environment Not to mention Dire Predictions of “Delta Levee Failures” and Rapid Population Growth What “New Water” Will Take Its Place? Desalination, Wastewater Reclamation, Conservation? What Will Be The Cost of Power To Make New Water Economically Viable? Are there new technologies, ideas that should be considered?" 2006 California Water Law Symposium (Water Law Symposium, 1/10) February 4. "Panel Topics: Desalination in California: Should Ocean Waters be Utilized to Produce Freshwater?; The Efficacy and Morality of Private Sector Participation in Water Services ... and more." —  Everything Else Duke Energy plans to sell Moss Landing plant (Monterey Herald, 1/10) Thanks to Jim Graham for this one: "Duke Energy announced Monday it plans to sell the Moss Landing Power Plant and most of its other power plants to a subsidiary of LS Power Equity Partners for about $1.5 billion." U.S. has improved environmental performance, panel says (EPA, 1/10) NEWS RELEASE: "The United States has significantly improved its environmental performance in the last eight years even as its economy and population have grown substantially, according to a report from the Environmental Performance Review Program of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD)."   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 us 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 92702 714-689-4852