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Thursday, January 19, 2006 Quote of the Day: "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." Henry Ford Born on this Day: Robert E. Lee, Edgar Allen Poe, Paul Cezanne, Jean Stapleton, Michael Crawford, Janis Joplin, Shelley Fabares, Dolly Parton, Ann Compton, Robert Palmer, Desi Arnaz Jr., Katy Sagal, Junior Seau, Trey Lorenz, and Shawn Wayans. On this Day in 1949: The salary of the President of the United States was increased from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance for each year in office. 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: San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Water Utility Distribution System/SCADA Analyst San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Senior Database Analyst San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Water Utility Distribution Superintendent San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Water Reclamation Process Control Supervisor San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Water Reclamation Plant Supervisor City of Burbank: Customer Programs Assistant Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Bonds Water bond begins to flow through legislature (Central Valley Business Times, 1/18) "State Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, says it’s imperative that reconstruction begin as soon as possible on the network of levees protecting Northern California and the Central Valley." GOP puts strings on support for bonds (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18) "Republican lawmakers -- whose support is critical to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 10-year spending plan on public works -- are premising their support on relaxation or elimination of environmental review of levee and flood control projects." Aanestad bill would raise funds through bonds (Chico Enterprise-Record, 1/18) "State Sen. Sam Aanestad is co-author of a bill that advances the governor's plan to raise bond money to repair levees and increase water storage." —  Water Supply San Diego water system said to need money (SD Union Tribune, 1/19) "Keeping San Diego's drinking-water system in good shape and in compliance with state and federal regulations will require capital spending to rise to $100 million annually." DWR increases 2006 SWP allocation to 70% (Business Wire, 1/18) "The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced it is increasing its allocation of 2006 State Water Project (SWP) water for long-term contractors from 65% to 70% of requests." Central Valley water project releases increase (Central Valley Business Times, 1/18) "The California Department of Water Resources says it’s increasing its allocation of 2006 State Water Project water for long-term contractors from 65 percent to 70 percent of requests." Texas: A thirsty land (Knight Ridder Newspapers, 1/18) Thanks to John Dickerson for this one: "After the driest fall on record, and more than two months since North Texas has had a decent rain, people are sensing that the problem extends beyond the smoke and the dust." —  Water Quality Chief opposed to delaying perchlorate hearing (Riverside P/E, 1/19) "The region's chief water-quality regulator signaled Wednesday that she would refuse to delay a July hearing for a company accused of being a key contributor to perchlorate contamination that has closed 20 drinking-water wells in the San Bernardino Valley." AT&T settles suit for $25 million (Contra Costa Times, 1/18) "AT&T Corp. agreed to a $25 million settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the company risked polluting ground water with toxic chemicals by failing to properly test and repair hundreds of underground storage tanks for gasoline and diesel fuel, California officials said Tuesday." —  Levees State's levee system tempting fate (Tri-Valley Herald, 1/18) "Two-thirds of the California levee maintenance districts that experienced problems during the New Year's storms are among the districts a recent Bee investigation found to be in poor financial shape." —  Salton Sea Locals pan state's Salton Sea plans (The Desert Sun, 1/19) "California's largest lake is going to get a lot smaller and more expensive to maintain. That's the scenario for the Salton Sea under proposals from the state." State, advocates see a transformed Salton Sea (Desert Sun, 1/18) "It will be years before construction workers dig into the restoration of California's largest lake." Public input sought for Salton Sea (Imperial Valley Press, 1/18) "With the future of the Salton Sea in the balance, the state will conduct a series of public meetings Wednesday, including one in this city, to discuss sea restoration alternatives with the public." —  Other Surface Water Water sought in the Klamath Basin for salmon (Redding Record Searchlight, 1/19) "Federal officials in the Klamath Basin again are calling on irrigators to change their operations to help protected salmon in the Klamath River." Winning the Ludwigia war (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 1/18) "What a difference a spray makes. The first year of a water weed eradication program in the Laguna de Santa Rosa that used a combination of herbicide and heavy equipment showed signs of success, despite costing more than expected, officials said." —  Wastewater Sewer project upsets Loma Portal residents (SD Union Tribune, 1/19) "For many Loma Portal residents, the canyon behind Evergreen Street is a neighborhood escape, a wildlife refuge away from urban frustrations." San Mateo sewer probe yields no charges (San Mateo County Times, 1/18) "Four Public Works employees were disciplined Tuesday for doing side jobs on private sewers that they solicited on city time and completed without required permits — although the San Mateo County District Attorney did not find that they did anything criminal, city officials said." Beach contamination may not be as bad as feared (Daily Breeze, 1/18) "County health officials say they believe that beach water contamination in the South Bay may not be as widespread as was feared in the wake of this week's sewage spill, the area's largest in recent history." —  Local/Agency News Firm Fights DWP critics on Owens Valley project (Los Angeles Times, 1/19) "Targeted by an audit and facing the potential loss of a city contract, the engineering firm CH2M HILL on Tuesday challenged criticism by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power board members about the expensive Owens Valley dust-reduction project." Coffeehouse owner tapped for ridge water board (Chico ER, 1/19) "The Paradise Irrigation District's board selected a coffeehouse owner as its latest member." Cal-EPA's leader set to retire (Sacramento Bee, 1/18) "The Schwarzenegger administration learned Wednesday that Alan C. Lloyd is retiring as secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and will be stepping down from his position next month." Glenn Steiger to resign from IID next month (Imperial Valley Press, 1/18) "Imperial Irrigation District Energy Manager Glenn Steiger, whose proposed Green Path project has been a source of controversy, will leave his job at the end of February." Westlands Water District wins appeal (Central Valley Business Times, 1/18) "The Westlands Water District, which serves much of the west side of the Central Valley, can collect unpaid water assessments from a property owner, the 5th District Court of Appeal has ruled."   —  Everything Else Landslides could worsen with global warming (ENN, 1/18) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "Landslides kill 800-1,000 people a year and climate change may be adding to the risks from hillside slums in Latin America to Egypt's Valley of the Kings, U.N. experts said on Tuesday." RWE shares reach record on report of Thames water bid (Bloomberg, 1/18) Thanks to Jim Graham for this one: "Shares of RWE AG, Europe's fourth- largest power company, rose to a record on reports that buyout firm Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd., led by the British financier Guy Hands, plans to buy the company's U.K. water unit for 8 billion pounds ($14.2 billion)." 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. 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