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Friday, March 31, 2006 Quote of the Week: "Do not be too timid and squeamish. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better." Ralph Waldo Emerson (Thanks to Brad Stompe from the North Marin Water District for this one!) Born on this Day: Rene Descartes, Edward Fitzgerald, Richard Kiley, Cesar Chavez, Liz Claiborne, John Jakes, Shirley Jones, Herb Alpert, Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Walken, Gabe Kaplan, Al Gore, Rhea Perlman, Angus Young Ewen McGregor, and OCSD's Paula Zeller. On this Day in 1998: For the first time, the federal government's detailed financial statement was released. This occurred under the Clinton administration. 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: City of Chino: Environmental Coordinator City of Huntington Beach: Water Service Worker ECO Resources, Inc.: Waste Water Treatment Operator MWD of So. Cal.: Associate Engineer MWD of So. Cal.:: Engineering Technician II Want more? See all postings. BC Exclusive The Word on Water: PBS series dives into California water issues "Producers of a series on water issues in California are counting on the 'trickle-down effect' to spread the word about watersheds, storage and flood control in an entertaining yet informative way. Filming has begun on 'California's Water,' a public television series sponsored by the Association of California Water Agencies. The first segment—'Climate Change'—airs on KCET, a PBS affiliate in Southern California, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2, and again at 6 p.m. Monday, April 17."   Today's News —  Security Breach at water tank shows vulnerabilities (Associated Press, 3/30) Thanks to Bonnie MacDonald for this one: "Jim Sawyer already had brushed his teeth, taken a shower and had a cup of coffee by the time he learned that the water flowing into his Blackstone home might have been contaminated." —  Water Supply California Water Plan Update 2005 released (DWR News Release, 3/30) Thanks to Kamyar Guivetchi for this one: "'This is not just another update of the California Water Plan. Update 2005 represents a fundamental transition in how we look at water resource management in California. It also represents a fundamental transition in the way state government needs to be involved with local entities and interest groups to deal with water issues in the state.'" Willits faces dry year water shortage (Willits News, 3/31) "While the city ponders projects that could add 200 new homes to Willits, a recently-released report warns there isn't enough water to meet existing demand in critically dry years." Supreme Court decree: Arizona v. California (U.S. Supreme Court, 3/30) Thanks to Debbie Karimoto for this one: "The United States Supreme Court ordered, adjudged and decreed that the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation has a priority date of January 9, 1884 and will receive the lesser of 77,966 acre-feet or the quantity needed to irrigate 11,694 acres in rights to mainstream water." SSJID canals idle and crops quenched (Manteca Bulletin, 3/30) "There’s plenty of water ready to flow down South San Joaquin Irrigation District canals. But there’s one problem. No one needs it. For the third time in 20 years late winter and early spring rain has made the need for irrigating the 60,000 acres of farmland in Manteca, Ripon, and Escalon served by SSJID a moot point."  Arizona goes on 'red' alert over drought (Arizona Republic, 3/30) "Arizona turned red with extreme drought Tuesday after one of the driest winters on record left the state's high country draped with too much brown and not enough white." —  Up On The Hill AWWA will urge Capitol Hill to invest in water (Water Tech Online, 3/30) "The American Water Works Association (AWWA) and drinking water professionals from across the nation plan to gather in Washington D.C. to urge Congressional lawmakers to discuss necessary investments in the drinking water infrastructure, water utility security and the need for additional research funds, according to a March 29 AWWA press release." —  Water Quality San Joaquin landfills to get overhauled (Stockton Record, 3/31) "Two landfills that swallow much of the garbage produced in San Joaquin County are to receive massive upgrades this year that officials believe will protect the surrounding air, soil and groundwater."  San Gabriel Valley a hotbed of TCE contamination (Los Angeles Times, 3/30) "Trichloroethylene contamination has hit almost every state, but none more widely than California. TCE has contaminated water supplies, indoor air near cleanup projects and the air in cities all around the state." —  Wetlands and Lagoons Preserving land along San Diego River key to plan (SD Union Tribune, 3/31) "Efforts to revitalize the San Diego River took a big step forward yesterday with the public rollout of a plan for turning the heavily developed waterway into a recreational treasure." Lack of oxygen can mean way too many male fish (Associated Press, 3/30) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "Dead zones -- oxygen-starved patches of ocean -- may be turning normal breeding grounds into the equivalent of male-dominated locker rooms for fish." Ocean salmon season my be shut down completely (Chico E/R, 3/30) "The bitter fight over west coast salmon fishing continues, with meetings set next week in Sacramento that will likely seal the fate of California recreational and commercial salmon anglers alike." Dams must pass fish (Eureka Times Standard, 3/30) "Federal officials will require the owner of the hydropower project on the Klamath River to put in fish ladders or other structures to allow salmon past its dams as a condition of getting its federal license renewed. "  China says to spend $1 billion to clean up river (Thanh Nien Daily, 3/30) "China is to spend more than $1 billion to clean up a river where a toxic spill in 2005 cut off water for millions, local media said Thursday, as auditors revealed that past funds for clean-up campaigns had been misused. " —  Wastewater Sewage spill threatens Waikiki beaches (Associated Press, 3/30) "Warning signs to keep out of the water were posted Wednesday along part of Waikiki's world-famous beaches because of high bacteria levels from a massive sewage spill." —  Runoff Law review sought in Nevada mine dispute (Las Vegas Review Journal, 3/30) "The Nevada Environmental Commission called Wednesday for more research into a new law cited by a state agency trying to limit a mining industry watchdog group's efforts to stop pollution from an old gold mine." —  Yucca Mountain Scientists tout technology, research (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3/28) "New technologies and research paid for by the Department of Energy for Yucca Mountain show promise for researching the proposed Nevada nuclear waste site and for saving millions of dollars, said scientists taking part in the studies." —  Meetings AWA Ventura: WaterWise Breakfast Series (AWA Ventura County, 3/30) April 20. "Program Topic: Updates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Guest Speakers: Steven John, EPA, Director of Southern California Field Office, and Cindy Lin, EPA, Clean Water Act – TMDLs Program." —  Local/Agency News Threat seen to Felton water-system sale (Monterey Herald, 3/31) "Felton residents are concerned that two constitutional amendments working their way through the state Legislature and a ballot initiative being circulated that would curb state and local government authority to impose eminent domain claims on private property might torpedo their efforts to force the sale of California American Water's system in Felton to a public agency." Elsinore Valley Water District goes solar (NC Times, 3/31) "The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District is going green. The agency is turning to a more environmentally friendly system of powering its operations facilities, particularly its massive sewage treatment plant on Chaney Street." Padre Dam water district will seek consultant (San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/30) "As a last resort before imposing a rate increase, Padre Dam Municipal Water District board members voted Tuesday to see if they can find a consultant willing to suggest some cost-saving measures." —  Everything Else Experiment turns waste into power (East Valley Tribune, 3/28) "Microorganisms 100 times smaller than the width of a human hair could help power America’s energy future, a professor at Arizona State University says." 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