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Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Quote of the Day: "The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not its mineral rights." J. Paul Getty Born on this Day: Tallulah Bankhead, Jackie Robinson, Carol Channing, Chuck Willis, Philip Glass, Suzanne Pleshette,  Richard Gephardt, Nolan Ryan, Phil Collins, Kelly Lunch, John Dye, Minnie Driver, and Justin Timberlake. On this Day in 1990: McDonald's Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow, Russia. 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: Orange County Water District: Engineer City of Irvine: Management Analyst I/II Helix Water District: Safety/Risk Administrator Valley County Water District: Utility Service Worker - Meter Reader Valley County Water District: Administrative Assistant I (Part-time) Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply Peninsula-wide water plan funded (Monterey Herald, 1/30) "A Peninsula-wide plan to manage water got a substantial boost from the state Department of Water Resources last week." Plans for desalination project at a standstill (San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/30) "After years of negotiation, the San Diego County Water Authority and the developer of a proposed seawater desalination plant still have not reached an agreement on the project." —  Drinking Water Quality Drug traces found in Los Angeles water (Monterey Herald, 1/31) "Water quality officials have found traces of resilient prescription drugs in waste water that has been filtered and recycled into a Southern California aquifer for eventual use as drinking water. But the amounts are so small that the health effects are unclear, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday." Pendleton Marines wrestle with water threat (NC Times, 1/30) "Five months after tests revealed Camp Pendleton's southern water system was tainted with unhealthy levels of lead, base officials say they don't know what caused the contamination." Welsh water firm fights to regain trust (BBC, 1/30) Thanks to John Kabot for this one: "The source of the bug was thought to be the Llyn Cwellyn reservoir, but that has not been confirmed. To date, about 230 people have fallen ill with the bug." —  Toxic Cleanups Living in Wyle’s back yard (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 1/30) "Low levels of tricloroethylene, an organic solvent known as TCE that has been linked to cancer, was found near these three homes in June 2004. As a result, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the state agency overseeing the site cleanup, required that Wyle install the wells to monitor and reduce the levels of the contaminant." Treatment site to remove perchlorate planned (Pasadena Star-News, 1/29) "Windsor Avenue near Ventura Street in Altadena could be the site for a new water treatment plant to remove the toxic chemical perchlorate from four Pasadena-owned wells." Whittaker-Bermite bidders present cleanup plans (Santa Clarita Signal, 1/29) "In the ever-progressive saga that is the cleanup of the Whittaker-Bermite site, the final bidders who wish to own the perchlorate-contaminated property presented their plans for cleaning up the nearly 1,000 acres to clear the way for future development." —  Dams Republicans: No dam, no waterworks deal (Stockton Record, 1/30) "A hardscrabble valley 10 miles west of the Colusa County town of Maxwell has become the Promised Land for Republicans in the Legislature." —  Surface Water Agencies win court's favor in logging debate (Contra Costa Times, 1/31) "In a setback for loggers, the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the authority of state water regulators to require timber companies to monitor water quality in streams and rivers where they cut trees." Plumas programs split $200,000 developer fine (Sacramento Bee, 1/30) "A $200,000 fine to settle criminal charges over egregious degradation of two creeks will flow into local programs benefiting watershed protection and education in eastern Plumas County." As the Delta turns (Sacramento Bee, 1/30) Editorial: "The other day a small group of environmentalists gathered near the Capitol wearing black. The "funeral" honored the dying smelt of the Delta." Judge says Colorado River fish plan inadequate (Salt Lake Tribune, 1/29) "A federal judge has ruled that a recovery plan for an endangered Colorado River fish isn't good enough." —  Flooding Mount Diablo homes in flood catastrophe zone (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/30) "Developers of a tract in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta east of Mount Diablo don't worry that the land is 6 feet below sea level and kept dry by a system of pumps and aging levees not considered adequate for urban growth. " In the end, flooding a crapshoot in Woodland (Woodland Daily Democrat, 1/29) "Woodland has between a 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 chance of flooding compared to Sacramento where the chance of flooding is 1 in 100. " Lake Hennessey adds to flood flows (Napa Valley Register, 1/29) "Does Lake Hennessey contribute to the city of Napa's troubles during floods? There's no doubt it does, and some residents are concerned about that. Local water officials acknowledge that water spilling out of the Conn Dam can add to the level of the river when it reaches Napa." —  Wastewater Chain of failures cited in South Bay sewage spill (LA Times, 1/31) "All four safeguards designed to prevent a major sewage spill failed this month at a Manhattan Beach pumping station, leading to a huge leak into the ocean, according to a preliminary investigation to be released today." Board takes action against Osos residents (SLO Tribune, 1/31) "Cracking down on pollution originating in Los Osos, regional water quality regulators are ordering 50 randomly selected homes to start pumping their septic tanks every other month until the community builds a sewer." Murrieta's sewer system to end septic tanks (Riverside P/E, 1/31) "Residents in one of Murrieta's last rural areas can bid farewell to their aging septic tanks when a new $11-million sewer system starts flowing this summer." —  Meetings 2006 California Water Law Symposium - Feb. 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."    Hydrologic, Environmental and Legislative Challenges to Southern California’s Present and Future Managed Aquifer Recharge Programs Feb. 6.  "This one day conference has a focus on the major water supply issues and the engineering & management solutions in Southern California. Conjunctive use of surface water and ground water, use of brackish water, desalination and the reuse of waste water are management strategies that have important hydrologic, economic, environmental and regulatory implications.”   —  Local/Agency News Pamela Creedon named Executive Officer by Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board (YubaNet.com, 1/30) "Pamela C. Creedon has been named by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board as its new Executive Officer." New board opens doors to Cal Am (Monterey Herald, 1/30) Guest Commentary: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In Monterey County, Cal Am is king." Salton Sea Authority cash tank nearly empty (IV Press, 1/29) "Time and money are running out for the Salton Sea Authority, the joint-powers agency founded in 1993 to manage the state’s largest inland lake." Nipomo water connection fee suit filed too late (San Luis Obispo Tribune, 1/28) "A judge ruled Thursday that a group suing the Nipomo Community Services District over an increase in water connection rates filed the lawsuit too late." 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