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Friday, March 17, 2006 Quote of the Week: "He that climbs the tall tree has won the right to the fruit." Sir Walter Scott Born on this Day: Bobby Jones, Nat "King" Cole, Rudolf Nureyev, Patrick Duffy, Kurt Russell, Lesley-Anne Down, Gary Sinise, Paul Overstreet, Vicki Lewis, Rob Lowe, Mathew St. Patrick, Yanic Truesdale, and Marisa Coughlan. On this Day in 1756: St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in New York City for the first time. The event took place at the Crown and Thistle Tavern. 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: Laguna Beach County Water District: Office Specialist/Customer Service San Diego County Water Authority: Senior Information Systems Analyst American Water: Water Quality Specialist Contra Costa Water District: Assistant/Associate Engineer City of Garden Grove: Sewer Maintenance Worker Golden State Water Company: Water Quality Engineer Want more? See all postings. "Ride With Purpose" All in the spirit of raising money and awareness for Water For People. Please support your local Water Buffalos by joining fellow motorcycle riding water professionals on the motorcycle ride to end all rides. The ride will begin from several locations across the US and Canada and descend on San Antonio in time for the AWWA National Conference in June 2006. Simply click here for all the details. Today's News —  Public Works Bond Governor to retry bond in November (IBA, 3/17) "A day after lawmakers failed to pass Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's bond plan for the June ballot, the governor and legislative leaders vowed Thursday to put a proposal before voters in November — though efforts will likely get tangled in the budget and election-year politics." Bond failure clouds governor's re-election campaign (Napa News, 3/17) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's failure to put a multibillion dollar public works bond on the June ballot robs him of a fresh accomplishment just as he is poised to begin asking voters for a new term."  Bond talks broke down over water issues (San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/16) "Differences between the Assembly and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, California's seemingly endless water wars – even the governor's appetite for political extravaganzas – contributed to the failure to put a public works bond measure on the June ballot." —  World Water Forum Summit begins with dire warnings of shortages (Associated Press, 3/17) "An international summit on the world's water crisis opened Thursday with dire warnings of shortages and inequalities and a heated debate over the privatization that has forced growing numbers of poor people to buy expensive bottled water." Critics rail against 'stealth' privatization as forum (NC Times, 3/17) "Experts from 121 nations gathered Thursday for seven days of talks aimed at resolving the world's water crises as demonstrators gathered to protest against privatization, dam projects and water extraction from poor Indian communities." —  Water Supply EBMUD rep urges water conservation (Contra Costa Times, 3/17) "While the Bay Area as a whole is a leader in water conservation, Piedmonters may be guilty of watering their lawns a bit too often, said Katy Foulkes of the East Bay Municipal Utility District." Ridge residents concerned about pipeline costs (Chico ER, 3/17) "The residents on Belle Creek Lane may be out thousands of dollars due to decades-old agreements calling them to help pay to install water pipes." Yuba snow means ample water (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 3/17) "Yuba County's snowpack appears to be above average, thanks to a series of storms in the last several months, according to Curt Aikens, general manager of the Yuba County Water Agency."  Rincon and Poseidon Resources announce water purchase agreement (Ricon News Release, 3/17) "The Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District (Rincon) and Poseidon Resources Corporation (Poseidon) announce Rincon’s approval of a Water Purchase Agreement involving the Carlsbad desalination plant." Drought in Kenya has tribes fighting for water (Associated Press, 3/16) "Akiru Lomukuny's clan already has seen one boy killed, a girl raped and dozens of women beaten just for trying to get a drink of water. Now, she says, things are about to get a lot worse." Survey: Arizona leaders fail to respond to crisis (Phoenix Business Journal, 3/16) "About 63 percent of Valley residents believe the region has a water crisis and state and local governments are doing too little to promote water conservation, according to a poll conducted for Valley Forward." —  Water Quality State fines cheese factory for polluting area (Contra Costa Times, 3/17) "State water regulators fined one of the world's largest cheese factories $3 million Thursday for illegally flushing wastewater onto Merced County fields for years, creating a stink for neighbors and polluting groundwater." Iraq water memo raises eyebrows at Pentagon (Contra Costa Times, 3/17) "A Halliburton Co. expert warned in an internal report last year that the contractor had failed to ensure safe washing water for U.S. troops throughout Iraq; and the Pentagon's internal watchdog said Thursday it will investigate the matter." EPA's perchlorate goal is criticized (Associated Press, 3/16) "A panel of scientists says a proposed federal limit of 24.5 parts per billion on the toxic chemical perchlorate in drinking water is too high." —  Wetlands and Surface Water FEMA pledges $1 million to repair Mad River bluffs (Eureka Times Standard, 3/17) "Despite early predictions of little or no public financial backing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is opening its pockets to save threatened public infrastructure along the Mad River bluffs." Japan to invite Iraqi officials to marshland program (Associated Press, 3/17) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "Visiting Iraqi officials on Wednesday participated in an environmental program designed to boost efforts to restore the country's fabled marshlands, Japan's Foreign Ministry said." $20 billion sought to restore Great Lakes (LA Times, 3/17) "The Great Lakes are ecologically ill, environmentalists told a Senate committee Thursday, pleading with lawmakers to help fund a $20-billion long-term effort to restore and protect the five lakes."  —  Levees Fragile levees imperil Delta (Stockton Record, 3/17) "If just several Delta islands out of dozens flood, millions of Californians could be left without water for a year, said Raymond Seed, who teaches civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley." Fragile levee system deserves federal aid (Mercury News, 3/17) Opinion. "The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a spectacular and beautiful resource. Its 1,000 miles of levees protect the homes of thousands of people and the water used by two-thirds of the state and by our vast agricultural enterprises." —  Wastewater Berkeley council to look at sewer lateral upgrades (Contra Costa Times, 3/17) "Who should pay for inspecting and replacing the pipe that connects your home to the city's sewer mains? And how many inspectors does it take to supervise the job? Those are the questions that will face the Berkeley City Council when it returns from a one-week break Tuesday."  Los Osos CSD requests proposals to restart project (SLO Tribune, 3/16) "Los Osos officials have asked nine engineering firms to submit proposals on how to restart and recreate a stalled sewer project." —  Local/Agency News French firm looking at Cal Am parent bid (Monterey Herald, 3/17) "A French-based global water and trash recycling company is looking at buying the U.S. water holdings of California American Water's parent company, RWE AG of Germany." Brown and Caldwell appoints water tunnel chief (Water Tech, 3/17) "Brown and Caldwell, a CA-based environmental engineering and consulting firm, has named Farrukh M. Mazhar as its new vice president and director of tunneling and geotechnical practice, according to a company press release." MESA district receives three awards (MESA News Release, 3/17) "Mesa Consolidated Water District (Mesa) has been awarded three President’s Special Recognition Awards from the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority (JPIA). Mesa received the awards for achieving a low ratio of losses in its Liability, Property, and Worker’s Compensation Programs. “Mesa." 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