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Friday, February 17, 2006 Quote of the Day: "What's another word for Thesaurus?" Steven Wright Born on this Day: Hal Holbrook, Alan Bates, Mary Ann Mobley, Gene Pitney, Dodie Stevens, Rene Russo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Jordan, Michael Bay, Bryan White, Jerry O'Connel, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. On this Day in 1878: The first telephone exchange in San Francisco opened. It had only 18 phones. 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: Inland Empire Utilities Agency: WWT Operator OIT to Gr. V San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Director of Finance Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency: Engineer Suburban Water Systems: Quality Assurance Manager Otay Water District: Assistant Disinfection Technician Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Public Works Spending Plan Parties disagree on public works spending plan (Associated Press, 2/17) "Members of a two-house conference committee outlined sharply different priorities Thursday as they began working over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $222.6 billion public works spending plan." Water agency is no model of accord (Riverside P/E, 2/17) "The Inland agency held as the model for the regional approach envisioned in Gov. Schwarzenegger's $29 billion waterworks plan has come out against a key part of the legislation." Governor pitches benefits of water storage plan (Stockton Record, 2/17) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to this Sacramento Valley city Thursday to stump for his $35 billion waterworks plan, part of the governor's three-stop 'water week' tour." Governor courts crowd at World Ag Expo (Fresno Bee, 2/16) "Gov. Schwarzenegger paid a return visit to the World Ag Expo on Wednesday to tout the benefits of a proposed $35 billion investment to strengthen the state's levees, control floods and provide for safe and reliable water supplies." —  Water Supply Baja California sees dangers in canal project (Daily Journal, 2/16) "Baja California Gov. Eugenio Elorduy accused the U.S. government Thursday of inaction on a controversial border canal project, warning of a political backlash in Mexico if this country fails to act." EPA aims to assist small water systems (EPA News Release, 2/16) "EPA has released two new tools and a suggested affordability approach for small water utilities trying to balance the demands for quality water with their financial ability to deliver." Lake placid water rights (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 2/16) Editorial: "Lake Arrowhead water officials wisely decided not to appeal a water rights decision last week, thus protecting what they had gained -- and avoiding a legal money drain." —  Water Treatment Vista looks at Oceanside water expansion (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/16) "Over the strong objections of one member, the Vista Irrigation District board voted 4-1 yesterday to negotiate to buy into a proposed expansion of Oceanside's water-treatment plant." —  Water Quality Pombo, Feinstein team up on perchlorate (Associated Press, 2/17) "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, want Congress to approve $50 million to clean up perchlorate contamination in California." San Diego water-quality board goes from 'worst to best' (SD Union Tribune, 2/17) "Bit by bit, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board is creeping into our everyday lives." OCWD initiates groundwater project (NBGPP) (OCWD News Release, 2/16) "The Orange County Water District has initiated a groundwater protection and pollution containment project in the northern portion of Orange County’s large groundwater basin." —  MTBE Refiners to phase out use of MTBE (Baltimore Sun, 2/17) "MTBE, the gasoline additive that has become synonymous with tainted wells, including many throughout the Baltimore suburbs, is finally on the way out - but some in the oil industry warn that gas prices could soar this summer as a result." —  Surface Water Agencies told to meet Delta water standards (Sacramento Bee, 2/17) "State and federal agencies were ordered this week to immediately comply with water quality standards in the California Delta, a ruling that could mean more water flowing out of reservoirs to benefit fish and less water exported to Southern California." State agency losing patience on Delta cleanup (LA Times, 2/17) "State regulators this week threatened to take steps that could curb water shipments to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley if long-sought water quality standards aren't met in the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta." Third parties fidget over San Joaquin water talks (Fresno Bee, 2/16) "Capitol Hill alarms are sounding over an ambitious, potentially costly and undeniably sensitive plan to resolve the San Joaquin River's future and end a long-running lawsuit." —  Stormwater, Levees and Dams Reports on dam sent to regulators, governor (Chico ER, 2/17) "A pair of reports detailing the economic impact of the Lake Oroville water and power project on Butte County have been handed to federal regulators and the governor." Levee price tag startles Natomas (Sacramento Bee, 2/17) "Fixing weak levees in the Natomas basin will take at least $270 million and may require a new tax assessment on homeowners, local flood control leaders announced Thursday." Natomas flood safety disputed (Sacramento Bee , 2/16) "New engineering studies indicate Natomas may not have the minimal 100-year level of flood protection that marked the safety threshold for opening the area to widespread development less than a decade ago." Legislators: Act wraps levee repairs in red tape (Stockton Record, 2/16) "Three Central Valley lawmakers unveiled flood-control bills Wednesday as part of a larger rollout of public works legislation sponsored by Assembly Republicans." AG owners may avoid annual soaking (SLO Tribune, 2/16) Editorial: "About 300 homeowners and farmers in the lower Arroyo Grande Creek area may escape a soaking from exorbitant annual flood control fees." —  Wastewater Murrieta district adding sewer line (NC Times, 2/17) "New residential developments in the far western part of the city have spurred water district officials to begin construction on a sewer line west of Murrieta Creek." Agency OKs sewage plant for Mexico (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/16) "A U.S. border agency announced yesterday that it has signed an agreement allowing a San Diego County company to build and operate a sewage treatment plant in Mexico." —  Local/Agency News Ridge water board voices opposition to meter fee (Chico ER, 2/17) "As state lawmakers battle over future public works projects, a ridge water district board has voiced its objections to a proposed fee." Land removed from Yolo bid to seize ranch (Sacramento Bee, 2/16) "In a move that could delay and drive up the cost of Yolo County's effort to seize Conaway Ranch, a judge on Wednesday agreed to remove more than 1,100 acres from the plan." Echo Lake Tunnel repaired so water can flow (Sacramento Bee, 2/16) "Emergency repairs have been completed to the Echo Lake Tunnel, a key link in El Dorado Irrigation District's hydroelectric system." —  Global Warming Governor to push global warming fight (San Francisco Chronicle, 2/17) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is expected this month to release a plan to combat global warming that recommends raising petroleum prices and requiring industries to report, for the first time, their greenhouse gas emissions." Flooding fears as glaciers melt faster (The Age, 2/17) "Greenland's glaciers are melting into the sea twice as fast as previously believed, the result of a warming trend that renders obsolete predictions of how quickly the Earth's oceans will rise over the next century." —  Everything Else No-flush urinals still are not fixtures (Riverside P/E, 2/16) "More than a decade after they first appeared in men's restrooms, waterless, no-flush urinals continue to lack blanket approval for widespread use in California." Scientists may have found new fish species (Associated Press, 2/16) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "Scientists have discovered what they believe is a new fish species and at least 20 types of previously unknown seaweeds during a recent expedition to one of the Caribbean's most diverse marine areas -- a coral-covered underwater mountain off the Dutch island of Saba."   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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