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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 Quote of the Day: "When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it." Clarence Darrow Born in the Day: George Washington, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Don Pardo, Edward Kennedy, Jonathan Demme, Julius Erving, and Vijay Singh. On this Day in 1980: In a dramatic upset, the underdog U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the defending champion Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal. 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: Yuba County Water Agency: Hydroelectric Powerplant Operator Yuba County Water Agency: Assistant Power Systems Manager Inland Empire Utilities Agency: WWT Operator OIT to Gr. V San Bernardino Municipal Water Department: Director of Finance Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency: Engineer Want more? See all postings. Pic of the Week Lake Skinner Filtration Plant (Photo from Mike Verrett of Filanc Construction Company) "MWD inspector Dannie Hall visited the Lake Skinner filtration plant in Winchester California for an early morning (3 am) concrete placement, which was called off due to weather conditions." Thanks to Mark Mabry, Engineering Tech II, MWD. Do you have a photo you'd like to submit? Send us an e-mail. Today's News —  Clean Water Act Roberts, Scalia see limits to the reach of act (LA Times, 2/22) "The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., gave a skeptical hearing Tuesday to the government's contention that it has broad powers to block development on private wetlands that are far from rivers or bays." Justices to study scope of '72 Clean Water Act (LA Times, 2/21) "The Supreme Court will take up a property rights case today that could greatly curtail the federal law credited with cleaning up the nation's rivers, lakes and bays after decades of industrial pollution." Supreme Court to hear suits on dry-river laws (Arizona Republic, 2/21) "The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in two cases that ask the question on the lips of most Arizona newcomers: If there's no water in a riverbed, is it still a river?" Water wars await Alito in debut on high court (LA Times, 2/21) Thanks to John Dickerson for this one: "Samuel Alito will make his Supreme Court debut with a splash this week when the justices hear two cases that could determine the future of the Clean Water Act." —  Water Riverside water users asked to save (Riverside P/E, 2/22) "Two water agencies are asking residents from Riverside to Menifee to conserve water voluntarily while a filtration plant undergoes repairs." Help on the way for San Jerardo's dirty water (Monterey Herald, 2/22) "After about 15 years of dealing with bad water, residents at the San Jerardo Cooperative south of Salinas secured promises of immediate help from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday." Oil well suspected in gush of foul water in L.A. (NC Times, 2/22) "A foul-smelling stream of water oozed from a bulge in a downtown street Tuesday and authorities were investigating whether the flow was triggered by a nearby oil well operation." Navy struggles with storage-tank plume (SD Union Tribune, 2/22) "Despite a $53 million effort to stop the leaks and repair the 70-year-old tanks, the fuel has seeped into the groundwater. Now the plume, up to 6 feet deep, has moved east within 340 yards of San Diego Bay and north under the base's boundary with the pricey La Playa neighborhood." Lawsuits filed over Field Lab pollution (Ventura County Star, 2/20) "Three environmental groups filed suit Tuesday asking the federal court in Los Angeles to order the Boeing Co. to adhere to established limits on how much pollution in surface water can flow off the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the hills south of Simi Valley."   —  Rivers Utah signs seven-state Colorado River agreement (Tooele Transcript-Bulletin, 2/22) "Utah recently signed an informal agreement with the six other Colorado River Basin States, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming, which could potentially avoid bickering over the use and storage of water from the Colorado River." PCWA prepares renewal of river project license (Auburn Journal, 2/21) "The Placer County Water Agency is gearing up for the lengthy process to renew its new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the agency's Middle Fork American River Project." Colorado River: Don't delay Moab cleanup (Denver Post, 2/21) Editorial. "Buried in President Bush's 2007 budget plan is a funding cut that many Western states will find disquieting, with the potential to affect all seven states that share the Colorado River." —  Public Works Plan Governor's public works plan faces road bumps (SD Union Tribune, 2/21) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's massive, $222 billion public works plan to rebuild neglected roads, water systems and public buildings to prepare for more growth is reopening old conflicts at the Capitol." —  Infrastructure Bonds Speaker proposes about $35 billion in bonds (Riverside P/E, 2/22) "Saying the governor's $68 billion infrastructure bond plan was not 'fiscally prudent,' Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez on Tuesday proposed borrowing about half as much to pay for schools, transportation, flood control and other public works projects." ACWA voices concerns with water bond package (Business Wire, 2/22) "The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today credited the Schwarzenegger Administration for advancing a bold infrastructure and water resources plan for the state, but said concerns with a proposed new fee on water users are preventing the association from supporting the Water Resources Investment Fund in the Governor's water infrastructure financing package." —  Levees and Dams When the levees collapse (Monterey Herald, 2/21) Opinion. "Nothing focuses a bureaucracy's attention like a disaster it should have anticipated. This is not a consequence of shame or guilt; public agencies and private corporations alike are immune to the afflictions of human conscience. But when things go wrong, the angry gods of public opinion must be appeased." Setback in Coyote Dam project (Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, 2/21) "Mendocino County water interests are scrambling because of a Bush administration blow to their campaign to raise Coyote Dam to increase local water supplies." Auburn Dam: Tempting fate, a torrent of doubts (Sacramento Bee, 2/20) "American taxpayers have had an unsteady relationship with the Auburn dam: $400 million spent so far on a dam that was never built; another $30 million through the end of this year to restore the former construction site; and now $1 million more to study whether to build the dam after all." Governor taps dam to boost water plan (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 2/18) "Gov. Schwarzenegger, standing atop Prado Dam near Corona on Friday, touted the cooperation among Inland and Orange County agencies that led to the upgrading of the river barricade as a regional approach he wants to see statewide under his proposed $35 billion waterworks plan." —  Floods New flood district in financial crunch (Contra Costa Times, 2/22) "Nearly eight months have passed since residents of this tiny East County community formed a flood control district, but it could be at least five years before they start reaping the benefits." Bill opens flood debate (Sacramento Bee, 2/21) "Virtually every Sacramento home or business owner, and hundreds of thousands statewide, would be required to buy federal flood insurance under a new legislative proposal." —  Local/Agency News Three dollar per month fee finds few friends (Stockton Record, 2/22) "A $3-per-month water fee proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appears to be drowning beneath a torrent of criticism from both the political left and right." Changes sought in hiring, promotion at DWP (LA Times, 2/21) "Shortly after being appointed last September, members of the board that guides the nation's largest municipal utility began receiving complaints about cronyism and nepotism from employees at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power." —  Everything Else AWWA announces the availability of an updated WSO Student Workbook or Water Quality: Water Quality, Student Workbook, 3e (AWWA News Release, 2/22) "This workbook is designed for use with the text Water Quality (AWWA #1958), which is the fifth volume in the series Principles and Practices of Water Supply Operations. Updated from the 1995 edition, this companion workbook provides thorough understanding of analytical techniques and drinking water regulations." 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