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Wednesday, February 15, 2006 Quote of the Day: “I don’t know how you feel about old age, but in my case I didn’t even see it coming. It hit me from the rear.” Phyllis Diller (Thanks to Paula Zeller with the OCSD for this one.) Born on this Day Galileo Galilei, Charles Tiffany, Susan B. Anthony, John Barrymore, Harvey Korman, Jane Seymour, Matt Groening, and Chris Farley. On this Day in 1898: A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba's Havana harbor, sparking the Spanish-American War.  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: Project Engineer Long Beach Water Department: Administrative Officer City of Riverside: Utilities Water Systems Operator II Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: Principal Engineer Brownholtz & Associates LLC (Phoenix): Facility Manager Want more? See all postings. Pic of the Week Watershed for Pasadena Water "The watershed is located north of the city of Pasadena in the beautiful Arroyo Seco Canyon near Brown Mountain in the Angeles National Forest." Thanks to Jack Barnes with Pasadena Water. Do you have a photo you'd like to submit? Send us an e-mail. Today's News —  Schwarzenegger Water Policy Speech Yuba City will be setting for Gov's speech (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 2/15) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in Yuba City tomorrow to deliver a water policy speech focusing on the Strategic Plan he unveiled last month." —  Water Supply Federal review underway for California project (Fresno Bee, 2/14) "A 1992 law reforming water use in California's Central Valley is now facing its consequential review ever. The review marks the first time an administration has systematically evaluated the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, which rewrote the operating rules for the Redding-to-Bakersfield system of dams and canals." Concern swirls over Los Vaqueros Reservoir (Inside Bay Area, 2/13) "Nestled in an hilly area between Brentwood and Livermore that once was home to farmers and ranchers, Los Vaqueros took on an entirely new role when the Contra Costa Water District opened a reservoir there in 1998." —  Water Quality Hilmar Cheese settles with state for $3 million (Modesto Bee, 2/15) "The reconfigured $3 million pact, if approved by members of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, would resolve long-standing pollution problems attributed to the Merced County cheese-making giant." EPA regional chief looks at water quality, treatment after Hurricane Katrina (Water Tech Online, 2/14) "Six months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf region, many are still struggling with the aftermath. Blake Atkins, chief of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Drinking Water Section, based in Dallas, TX, sat down with Water Technology in January to discuss the impact Katrina has had on water quality and treatment issues in the affected states and what the future holds." —  Fluoride Pico Rivera water system needs close look (Pasadena Star-News, 2/14) Opinion. "The fluoridation issue in Pico Rivera is simple on the one hand and complicated on the other. It's simple, because the elements of the story - on the surface - seem quite clear." —  Surface Water Groups' bid to block border canal repair stymied (Associated Press, 2/13) "A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against environmentalists and Mexican agricultural interests trying to block a U.S. plan to rebuild a leaky stretch of a canal near the border that supplies water to farms in California's Imperial Valley." —  Stormwater/Floods Flood of tax advice offered (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 2/14) "About 300 people, many of them flood victims from 1986, crammed into the Yuba County Board of Supervisors chambers in Marysville on Monday night to listen to advice on filing out their tax returns after receiving a flood settlement check from the state." Yuba County flood victims' new disaster (Sacramento Bee, 2/13) "Twenty years after a flood washed away much of their lives, thousands of Yuba County residents are getting hit by another flood-related disaster: their tax bills." Bracing for the biggest storms; Flood agency looks at toughening the rules for urban protection (Sacramento Bee, 2/13) "A new state Reclamation Board is being asked to formally proclaim what its predecessors had been informally edging toward: 100-year flood protection just isn't good enough for Central Valley cities." —  Wastewater Escondido businessman admits to illegal dump (NC Times, 2/15) "An Escondido business owner accused of illegally dumping industrial waste into the city's sewer system ---- a move the city claims ultimately led it to face state fines nearing $1.2 million ---- has pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful discharge of pollutants." New cleanup begins at Manhattan Beach (LA Times, 2/15) "Sanitation workers have launched a new operation to remove bacteria from a large swath of sand in Manhattan Beach, the latest cleanup effort following a major sewage spill in January." County sues Napa Pipe over sludge spills (Napa Valley Register, 2/15) "County prosecutors have sued the former owners of Napa Pipe, claiming the company fouled local waterways with sludge from its south Napa plant." Colorado breweries deny beer dump into sewer (United Press International, 2/14) "Two breweries in Fort Collins, Colo., have said they did not discharge water that could have caused a city water treatment plant breakdown." —  Waste Ban on electronic waste disposal takes effect (TMC Net, 2/14) "Area residents may want to think twice about tossing out those old batteries, computers, cell phones and shoes with lighted soles. On Thursday, a state regulation took effect making it illegal to dispose of those and other items with regular trash." —  Meetings AWA Ventura official racing invitation Feb. 25. (AWA Ventura News Release, 2/14) "The Association of Water Agencies of Ventura County invites you to join us for a day of thrilling, heart-pounding Thoroughbred racing and socializing at Santa Anita Park!" The Importance of Watersheds (Yahoo! News press release, 2/14) March 25. "The Importance of Watersheds to Be Featured at Watershed Expo 2006 to Be Held at the Hermosa Beach Community Center Saturday, March 25, 2006," —  Local/Agency News Kightlinger announced as MWD general manager (MWD News Release, 2/15) "Jeff Kightlinger, the lead attorney on western water issues for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, was introduced today as the new general manager of the Southland’s major water importer and wholesaler." Deal maker selected water agency head (Riverside P/E, 2/15) "Officials at Southern California's largest urban water supplier announced Tuesday that they chose one of their own -- a legal expert in Western water rights -- to head the agency." Plumas adopts new description for director (Plumas County News, 2/14) "Late last month, the Plumas County Board of Supervisors discussed the difficult task of replacing Public Works Director Tom Hunter."   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