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Friday, January 13, 2006 Quote of the Week: "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate." Henry J. Tillman Born on this Day: Jeff Morrow, Robert Stack, Billy Gray, Richard Moll, Kevin Anderson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus,  Penelope Ann Miller and Patrick Dempsey. On this Day in 1957: Wham-O began producing "Pluto Platters." This marked the true beginning of production of the flying disc. 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: City of Garden Grove: Public Works Foreman - Wastewater Section MWD of So. Calif: Chief Executive Officer/General Manager MWD of So. Calif: Junior Chemist Coachella Valley Water District: Civil Engineer - two positions Coachella Valley Water District: Laboratory Director Valley County Water District: General Manager Alameda County Water District: Environmental Engineer I/II Western Municipal Water District: Engineering Technician I/II Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply Friant farmers get first dibs on surplus (Stockton Record, 1/13) "A surplus of water in Millerton Lake that can't be stored is being released downstream for the second straight year." Economist says Valley saw loss due to fallowing (IV Press, 1/12) "The Imperial Irrigation District board Tuesday was handed what could prove an important weapon in its fight to prove the Imperial Valley has been financially harmed by the fallowing of farmland." Mulroy to offer money for White Pine water (Las Vegas Sun, 1/12) "For years Southern Nevada water officials have been battling for water in the state's rural counties. Today, they'll try to buy it." —  Water Quality Water board changes course on treating arsenic (NC Times, 1/13) "Board members of the Rancho California Water District reversed course Thursday on how to deal with higher than acceptable levels of arsenic in a well." Escondido soils itself again (NC Times, 1/12) OPINION. "Escondido is sitting on a fat wad of cash, so why can't it clean up its water? On Monday night, the city again allowed untreated sewage to contaminate its waterways." —  Surface Water Delta's dying fish, toxic water may not be new (Contra Costa Times, 1/13) "The environmental crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta might be part of a decades-long decline and not just a recent event, according to a team of independent scientists." DWP to restore flow to portion of Owens River (NC Times, 1/13) "The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has begun construction on a project that will allow water to flow back into a 62-mile stretch of the Lower Owens River, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday." SDCWA board approves canal lining agreements (SDCWA News Release, 1/12) "The San Diego County Water Authority board of directors today unanimously approved construction and financing agreements between the Water Authority, the Imperial Irrigation District and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for construction the All-American Canal Lining Project." Riverbend Park withstands high-water flows (Oroville Mercury-Register, 1/12) "It’s still there. With recent swells in the Feather River, some people were concerned the new Riverbend Park improvements would wash away, but park officials say the park passed the high-water test." Colusa leaders against river restoration projects (Chico ER, 1/12) "Colusa County leaders are frustrated with the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum and have passed resolutions calling for the halt of new habitat restoration projects along the river in the county." —  Floods/Levees/Dams Clean-water fee campaign begins in Encinitas (SD Union Tribune, 1/13) "Supporters and opponents of a proposed $5-a-month fee to clean storm-water runoff are finally campaigning in earnest – just one week before property owners begin voting on the issue." Guerneville rises to a river's challenge (LA Times, 1/13) "When the big storm clouds park over the wine country and the rain-swollen Russian River tops its banks, folks here shrug their shoulders, pull on rubber boots and begin what's become a time-honored ritual." Napa's new creek cleanup man starts just in time (Napa News, 1/13) "Napa County has a new watershed and flood control manager, and among his first chores is to see that local streams and channels and even the Napa River are free of flood-causing debris." Folsom Dam fix back on track (Sacramento Bee, 1/12) "Federal officials declared this week that plans to modify Folsom Dam are back on schedule and could even give Sacramento a boost in flood protection sooner and cheaper than expected." Knowing levees are at risk, what now? (Oakland Tribune, 1/12) EDITORIAL. "A year ago at this time, the world was awash in the tragedy of the tsunamis that devastated Southeast Asia. Little did we know the theme of unimaginable water destruction would play out again later in the year in our own country." —  Wastewater Encinitas sewage pump station being built (SD Union Tribune, 1/13) "A new sewage pump station that is quiet, odorless and less prone to spills will help keep Moonlight Beach cleaner."   The earth is no place for cheesemaker's brine (Modesto Bee, 1/12) EDITORIAL. "It's bad enough that Hilmar Cheese will very likely be allowed to get rid of its salty waste water by pumping it thousands of feet underground. What's worse is that it could set a precedent. " —  Toxic Cleanups EPA, Union Pacific agree to $10,000 settlement for alleged oil discharges in Martinez (EPA News Release, 1/12) "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently settled with Union Pacific Railroad Company for $10,000 in fines for alleged oil discharges into Suisun Bay from its Ozol Service Track Area in Martinez, Calif." —  Meetings Hydrologic, Environmental and Legislative Challenges to Southern California’s Present and Future Managed Aquifer Recharge Programs (AGWT News Release, 1/12) February 6. "The population of the US is growing by 6,000 people a day. Southern California is one of the principal areas of growth. Increasing demand for water requires sophisticated management strategies and imaginative use of water sources." —  Local/Agency News S.D. fiscal ills trickle down to water, sewer users (SD Union Tribune, 1/13) "The ripple effect from San Diego's inability to borrow money in the municipal bond market is generating another wave of rate increases for water and sewer customers." Tracy hires public works director (Stockton Record, 1/13) "City Manager Dan Hobbs announced the hiring of Pat Wiemiller as Tracy's new director of the Public Works Department." New Los Osos board has been busy (SLO Tribune, 1/13) OPINION from Julie Tacker, Los Osos Community Services District board of directors. "What, besides clean up messes, has the 'new' Los Osos Community Services District done in 24 meetings over just 12 weeks since taking control after the recall election was certified?" PWP accused of overbilling in 2000-01 (Pasadena Star-News, 1/12) "California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has accused Pasadena Water and Power and more than a dozen other municipal utilities of systematically overcharging for electricity sold during the energy crisis of 2000-01." FPUD names employee of the year (NC Times, 1/11) "Fallbrook Public Utility District employee Tony Pacheco has been named Employee of the Year out of a pool of about 80 employees." —  Everything Else Scent of a Lamprey (Earthwatch Radio, 1/12) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "Sea lampreys depend on natural odors released by their young to find the best places to spawn. After 15 years of research, scientists have identified this chemical cue. They might be able to use it to lure the parasitic fish out of the Great Lakes."   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