About Brown and Caldwell

Specialty Pages Asset Management Infrastructure Funding Water Resources BC News Exclusives Water in the West Water Mission in Iraq Big Changes for Little Walnut Creek Hurricane Katrina  Grizzly Water Veterans Road Warrriors: Water pros kick-start 'Buffalos' motorcycle gang Bennett's Beacon Going Coastal With Ellen Stern Harris

Staff Ken Harlow, Crusty Editor Jennifer Finley, Managing Editor (E-mail Jennifer)

Recent News 1/27/2006 1/30/2006 1/31/2006 2/2/2006 2/3/2006 Archives About this newsletter Reader kudos Reader FAQs

Resources Meetings Agency links Other links Blogs: Hill Water Issues blog Los Osos Sewer blog Notakeover.info Politics of water ScienceBlog.com Tothelastdrop

Monday, February 6, 2006 Quote of the Day: "I distrust camels, and anyone else who can go a week without a drink." Joe E. Lewis Born on this Day: Aaron Burr, Babe Ruth, Ronald Reagan, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rip Torn, Franηois Truffaut, Mike Farrell, Tom Brokaw, Bob Marley, and Natalie Cole. On this Day in 1911: The first old-age home for pioneers opened in Prescott, AZ. 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: Santa Margarita Water District: Lab Tech Santa Margarita Water District: Maintenance Tech or Mechanic For Sewage & Domestic Water Treatment Plant Santa Margarita Water District: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator or Senior San Diego County Water Authority: Rate and Debt Administrator Marina Coast Water District: Project Engineer Marina Coast Water District: Operations Engineer Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply Cal Am, district near aquifer agreement (Monterey Herald, 2/5) "In the wake of a judge's decision settling water rights in the Seaside Basin aquifer, California American Water and the Peninsula water district have reached a draft agreement on operation of the aquifer storage and recovery project." Water plan falls short on storage needs (Contra Costa Times, 2/5) EDITORIAL. "THREE YEARS LATE, the California Department of Water Resources finally issued its comprehensive water plan to meet the state's needs through 2030. Unfortunately, the plan departed from its normal policy of forecasting how much water a more populous state would need and delineating ways to increase supplies to meet demand." Ag water rights sold in Sutter growth deal (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 2/4) "Natomas Central Mutual Water Co., which supplies water to agricultural customers in Sacramento and Sutter counties, will sell the rights to 5,000 acre-feet of water from the Sacramento River."  Watershed moment for High Desert (Daily Breeze, 2/4) Thanks to Debbie Benson for this one: "How the Victor Valley takes care of its water supply will determine the economic prosperity of this area, Mojave Water Agency General Manager Kirby Brill said." Ventura County's dry winter no worry so far (Ventura County-Star, 2/3) "The life of a farmer is always a roller coaster, but the past year has included an extra loop or two. The wettest winter in recent memory has been followed by one of the driest in years." La Quinta boosts water savings (Desert Sun, 2/6) "A new way to conserve water is available to La Quinta residents now that the city has joined a program that provides weather-based irrigation controllers at a reduced rate." —  Water Quality MWD's plan for fluoridating county water is a boon for valley residents (Desert Sun, 2/5) OPINION. "When I permanently arrived here in the valley a little more than a year ago, I was surprised to learn that our drinking water contained very little concentration of fluoride." Fire Dept. fined for contaminating groundwater (Ventura County-Star, 2/3) "The Ventura County Fire Department has been fined more than $350,000 for 125 violations of state water rules." Required water tests not done in Murrieta County (NC Times, 2/3) "A local water well that was shut down earlier this week because of high levels of nitrates should have been more rigorously tested by the Murrieta County Water District, officials said Thursday." High nitrate levels prompt Murrieta well closure (NC Times, 2/2) Thanks to Laura Mitchell for this one: "Western Municipal Water District has shut down one of its local water wells due to high nitrate levels, which can be harmful to infants and pregnant women, authorities said." —  Dam It Gate malfunctions at Nimbus Dam (Sacramento Bee, 2/5) "A glitch during a controlled water release at Nimbus Dam on Saturday forced operators to shut the dam's gate and begin searching for bystanders caught in the unexpected gush." —  Wetlands and Surface Water Sacramento Delta in decline (SD Union Tribune, 2/5) "Every time farmers till their ground on the puzzle-piece islands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, they threaten a prime source of drinking water 500 miles south in San Diego." Wetland is for the birds -- and people and ocean (LA Times, 2/5) "South Los Angeles seems like the last place you'd expect to find wetlands. Especially in an industrial corridor of junkyards, scrap-metal shops and fast-food restaurants." New DeltaKeeper hits ground running (Stockton Record, 2/6) "Some say Carrie McNeil has big shoes to fill, but she doesn't have time to worry about that now." L.A. River can flow better (UCLA Daily Bruin, 2/6) "The way things are set up now, all the street-water runoff is washed into the storm drains, which lead to the Los Angeles River, which in turn, runs into the ocean. The whole system is full of pollutants and it's not a pretty picture – trust me, I've seen it." China pledges to protect dwindling wetlands (ENN.com, 2/4) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "China will boost investment in wetlands protection and put more wetland areas under state protection in an effort to save them from destruction, state media said Thursday." —  Toxic Cleanups/Spills Gasoline cleanup in Temecula nears three years (NC Times, 2/5) "Almost three years after a gasoline leak from an underground tank at an ARCO station on Winchester Road was discovered, the oil company is still working to clean it up." Bleach hits the beach: Crew tries to clean spill (Daily Breeze, 2/5) "Workers soaked a small patch of sand on Manhattan Beach with a strong chlorine bleach solution Friday, gathering data for next week's likely effort to rid the shoreline of lingering residue from last month's massive sewage spill."   Santa Susana: Contamination critical mass (LA Daily News, 2/5) OPINION. "Two studies released last week looking at cancer rates close to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory provide the strongest evidence so far that the toxic chemicals and materials used for decades on the site might be harmful to neighbors." PG&E raises ante in toxic chromium 6 suit (Sacramento Bee, 2/5) "In a real-life sequel to the hit movie ''Erin Brockovich,'' Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Friday that it had agreed to pay an additional $295 million to settle claims over the cancer-causing chemical made famous in the movie." —  Meetings AWRA SoCal dinner meeting announcement (AWRA News Release, 2/4) February 8. "February Topics: (1) Status of the OCWD/OCSD Ground Water Replenishment System (GWR System) & (2) the MWDOC - Dana Point Ocean Water Desalination Plant Feasiblity Study." —  Local/Agency News Elsinore Valley directors paid far more than other local elected officials (NC Times, 2/5) "For the countless hours she put in last month sitting through long meetings, visiting schools and huddling with members of the community, school board Trustee Sonja Wilson took home a check for $391." ACID deluged by disputes (Redding Record Searchlight, 2/4) "The Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District has halted advertisements to fill the seat of one of its board members."  Fountain Valley resident named OCWD employee of the year (OCWD News Release, 2/3) "When you walk up to or call the Orange County Water District (OCWD) reception desk, you are immediately greeted with a warm smile and a cheerful greeting followed by efficient and friendly service." —  Everything Else State tries to get a jump on global warming (Contra Costa Times, 2/5) "Scientists say California's iconic landscapes -- from beaches to snow-capped mountains and fog-shrouded redwoods -- are in for dramatic changes as the world gets warmer."   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