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Thursday, March 9, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Her virtue was that she said what she thought, her vice that what she thought didn't amount to much." Peter Ustinov Born on this Day: George Griffin, Mickey Gilley, Raul Julia, Bobby Fischer, Charles Gibson, Michael Kinsley, Benito Santiago, Linda Fiorentino, Juliette Binoche, and Emmanuel Lewis. On this Day in 1793: Jean Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon flight in North America. The event was witnessed by  U.S. President George Washington. Sent to more than 23,000 readers nationwide... and thousands more via our lineup of online ads like the one above that appears on watertechonline.com Latest postings: East Bay Municipal Utility District: TC Assistant Engineer (Electrical) East Bay Municipal Utility District: LT Associate Electrical Engineer Palmdale Water District: Facilities Superintendent Victor Valley Water District: Conservation Specialist City of Oceanside: Industrial Waste Inspector Fallbrook PUD: Assistant General Manager Want more? See all postings. BC EXCLUSIVE CWA: A Watershed Moment "A showdown over water quality is simmering in the nation's highest court, as justices consider the definition of "navigable waters" — a decision that could dilute the authority of the Clean Water Act." Today's News —  The Bond Deal State bond deal near (San Jose Mercury, 3/9) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators appeared close Wednesday to a deal for the state's largest ever borrowing plan, aimed at reducing freeway congestion, building thousands of classrooms and fortifying century-old levees." Public-works bond up to Democrats (Tracy Press, 3/9) Opinion: "Whoever would have thought that 'infrastructure' — California’s long-neglected investment in highways, levees, water storage and other vital public works — would have become the preoccupation of Capitol politicians from the governor down?" Accord sought on works measure (LA Times, 3/8) "Facing a Friday deadline, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers are scrambling to compromise on a colossal public works package that they hope will demonstrate renewed bipartisan cooperation."  Legislators must vote to back repair bond (Los Angeles Daily News, 3/8) Opinion from Jerry Brown, George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis: "Beginning in the 1960s, California's population explosion necessitated giving priority attention to growth in our schools, health and welfare case loads and prisons. Now is the time to shift our attention to our state's most critical transportation and water-supply infrastructure needs. " —  Water Supply Lawsuit to determine Pajaro Valley's future (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 3/9) "The future of Pajaro Valley's water and the way in which it is being managed is all coming down to a court hearing this summer in the Sixth District Appellate Court in San Jose." South County water rights now in judge's hands (San Luis Obispo Tribune, 3/8) "A judge should decide Friday what rights a group of landowners from the South County have to groundwater." —  Levees DWR offers new video on levee failures (DWR News Release, 3/89) "A major levee break in the Central Valley or Delta would have devastating consequences, as shown on this new DWR-produced video." Levee District 1, former engineer disagree (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 3/9) "A former engineer for Levee District 1 says in a letter filed with the district that the levee near Star Bend south of Yuba City is washing away thanks to a district-built road." If the state doesn't shore up levees, we could be drinking salt water (LA Times, 3/9) Column: "Right up front, I'll admit to having a conflict of interest: I live under the shadow of a leaky levee along the Sacramento River." Governor signs order on 24 critical levee sites (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 3/8) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order Tuesday pushing forward repairs on 24 identified critical levee-erosion sites in the state." —  Flooding Shifting flood cleanup liability stirs debate (SD Union Tribune, 3/8) "As a series of late-winter storms keeps Northern Californians on edge, lawmakers are piecing together a series of measures that could fundamentally shift the financial responsibility for flood cleanup to homeowners and local agencies." —  Fish Emergency protection sought for delta smelt (Associated Press, 3/9) "A tiny, nearly see-through fish once common in the waters feeding the San Francisco Bay should be listed as endangered immediately to protect it from extinction, environmentalists told the federal government Wednesday." Bid to aid Delta smelt (The Argus, 3/9) "A tiny fish native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta deserves stronger protection under the Endangered Species Act, based on mounting evidence that preservation efforts have done nothing to staunch its rapid decline, environmentalists said Wednesday." Feds float three options on salmon (SF Chronicle, 3/9) "A federal agency announced on Wednesday three scenarios for the 2006 Pacific salmon fishing season that range from a greatly reduced catch to banning ocean fishing entirely along the California coast to protect chinook runs on the Klamath River." —  Oil Spill Alaska oil spill could be area's largest (Associated Press, 3/8) "An oil spill in Alaska's North Slope could end up being one of the region's largest, officials said Wednesday as the cleanup continued." —  Meetings/Events NACE International Annual Conference & Exhibition San Diego - CORROSION/2006 (EPA News Release, 3/8) March 12-16. "CORROSION/2006 will provide you with answers to your corrosion questions on topics ranging from corrosion control of pipelines, tanks, and marine structures to technologies such as coatings and linings, chemical treatment, and corrosion monitoring." Mesa featured on Costa Mesa's CMTV24 (Mesa News Release, 3/8) "Mesa Consolidated Water District (Mesa) is currently featured on a second show of CMTV24’s "Discovering Costa Mesa." Part II of the program about Mesa’s Colored Water Treatment Facility will air during the month of March, typically on Mondays at 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 6:00 p.m."   —  Local/Agency News Tracy water rates may jump nearly 30 percent (Stockton Record, 3/9) "Residents could pay nearly 30 percent higher wastewater rates after May 15. The Tracy City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve the rate increase on first reading. Councilwoman Irene Sundberg was absent." Ripon users will decide fate of rate hike (Manteca Bulletin, 3/9) "It’s now up to residents to decide whether they want to cover the cost of $9 worth of capital improvements to Ripon’s water system." Rainbow customer to help water district (NC Times, 3/9) "The Rainbow Municipal Water District is getting assistance from one of its customers in the selection of a professional firm to conduct the district's consumer survey." EMWD district official to step down (Riverside P/E, 3/9) "A Temecula-area member of the Eastern Municipal Water District governing board will step down. His colleagues plan to appoint an interim until an election is held in November, officials said Wednesday." Obit: Luna Leopold, 90; Earth scientist and pioneer in the study of rivers with USGS (LA Times, 3/8) "Luna B. Leopold, a gifted scientist and influential conservationist who turned the study of rivers and how they shape the landscape into a science, died Feb. 23 at his Berkeley home." —  Everything Else AWWA announces the publication of new manual: PE Pipe - Design and installation (M55) (AWWA News Release, 3/9) "This new manual provides the reader with both technical and general information to aid in the design, specification, procurement, installation, and understanding of HDPE (polyethalene) pipe and fittings. It covers engineering properties of polyethylene; manufacturing, testing, and inspection; hydraulics of PE pipe; working pressure rating; external load design; joining and fitting; transportation, handling, and storage of PE pipe; installation; hydro testing and commissioning; maintenance, and repair." 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