Tuesday, March 21,
2006
Quote of the Day: "If voting changed anything, they'd
make it illegal."Emma Goldman
Born on this
Day: Johann Sebastian
Bach, Florenz Ziegfeld, Julio Gallo,
On this Day in
1851: Yosemite Valley
was discovered in California.
Sent to more than
23,000 readers nationwide... and thousands more via our lineup of online
ads
watertechonline.com
Latest
postings:
Want more? See
all postings .
Today's News
— Water
South
Sacramento area water deal blasted (Sacramento Bee, 3/20)
" A
troubled south Sacramento water company plans to use $8.4 million in
state money to solve an acute supply shortage that has stalled new
housing developments planned for an economically depressed portion of
the county. "
Madera County water bank idea keeps resurfacing (Fresno Bee, 3/20) "On
this March morning, the biggest excitement here amounts to a
cow-versus-bird misunderstanding. Ducks madly flee large, grazing
cattle that clearly have no interest in waterfowl for breakfast. The
scene might have been the same 100 years ago. "
Mojave River Pipeline draws to a close
(Mojave News Release, 3/20) "Unlike
the rest of the High Desert, the rural community of Newberry Springs
received water on Saturday morning, but not from the predicted rain
showers. The water—about 10 acre feet—was delivered by the
long-awaited final stretch of the Mojave River Pipeline. "
Roles shift but farm water talks continue (Sacramento Bee, 3/20)
"New
resignations and secret negotiations are shaking up California's water
world. On Friday, the engineer who has overseen the dams and canals of
the vast Central Valley Project announced he would be stepping down.
The resignation of Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys III,
in turn, comes as the bureau prepares for a big role in settling a
long-running San Joaquin River dispute.
Can Peripheral Canal idea float this time?
(Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 3/20)
Editorial:
" Perhaps
enough time has passed since 1982, when Northern Californians waged an
emotional campaign against a plan to divert more water to Southern
California by building the Peripheral Canal, that the state can
revisit a similar idea. "
Mexico City struggles with water management
(NPR, 3/17) Audio .
Thanks to Jan Bush for this one: "The
Fourth World Water Forum opens in Mexico City, a city that would flunk
almost any test of good water management. The city sits on a huge
aquifer. But to make room for this sprawling metropolis, the water is
being pumped out faster than it is being filled. "
—
Infrastructure
DWR: Oroville Dam agreement shows trust
(Mercury-Register, 3/21) " When
the Department of Water Resources and 50-odd other "stakeholders" sign
an agreement today concerning the future of the Oroville Dam project,
it will culminate an effort that has had as much to do with building
trust as any offers put on the table. "
Levees need help now (Contra Costa Times, 3/21)
Editorial. " Homeland
Security Chief Michael Chertoff and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on
Friday put a different spin on the perfunctory photo-opportunity
disaster tour. They took this tour before the disaster happened. "
Myriad factors killed California infrastructure deal
(Sacramento Bee, 3/20) " Whoever
coined the aphorism that success has many fathers while failure is an
orphan perfectly described the aftermath of California's political
stalemate on a much-needed, long-term plan to improve the state's
deteriorating highways, levees, water systems and other public works. "
Back to drawing board after bond issue failure
(LA Times, 3/20) Opinion from
director of USC's Keston Institute for Infrastructure Richard Little :
"The
Times' analysis of the failure of the infrastructure bond (March 17)
quotes GOP strategist Kevin Spillane as saying that average voters feel
little passion about infrastructure and would prefer that state leaders
focus on schools, healthcare and jobs. Perhaps that is the real failure
— to help the public see the fundamental link between infrastructure and
the high quality of life we take for granted. "
Water's two religions
(Sacramento Bee, 3/20)
Editorial:
" I n
the recent failed bond talks, legislators debated the merits of new
reservoirs for California with a religious-type fervor that bordered
on the bizarre. It is appropriate to take an agnostic view on the
matter. "
Tour brings no promise of levee aid (Contra Costa Times, 3/19)
" Homeland
Security Secretary Michael Chertoff took an aerial tour of some of
California's most fragile levees Friday, pledging support but no firm
commitments to help fix them. "
—
Wetlands and Lagoons
—
Wastewater
—
MTBE
—
Local/Agency News
—
Everything Else
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 Harlow400 Exchange, Suite 100
Irvine, CA 92702
