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Friday, April 14, 2006 Quote of the Day: "It is healthier to see the good points of others than to analyze our own bad ones." Francoise Sagan Born on this Day: Rod Steiger, Jay Robinson, Frank Serpico, Loretta Lynn, Joan Darling, Julie Christie, Pete Rose, John Shea, Brad Garrett, Robert Carlyle, Anthony Michael Hall, DaBrat and Sarah Michelle Gellar. On this Day in 1865: President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. He actually died early the next morning. 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 Glendale: Water System Mechanic City of Glendale: Water System Equipment Operator Contra Costa Water District: Services Coordinator - Engineering/Construction Department City of Oceanside: Water/Wastewater Project Manager Fallbrook PUD: Associate Engineer/Engineering Associate Santa Margarita Water District: Maintenance Tech or Mechanic For Sewage & Domestic Water Treatment Plant Santa Margarita Water District: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator or Senior Maxwell Public Utility District: Water/Wastewater Superintendent Santa Clara Valley Water District: Public Information Representative II Wash: City of Bellevue, Utilities Department: Utilities Engineer Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Oceanside expands local water supplies (SD Union Tribune, 4/14) "Years before a company proposed purifying ocean water to make drinking water at a beachfront desalination plant, Oceanside embarked on a smaller project that does something similar with groundwater." EPA officials to speak at area water meeting (Ventura County Star, 4/14) "The Association of Water Agencies of Ventura County will host a water information breakfast series with speakers from the federal Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday in Thousand Oaks."   A wave of water challenges (Modesto Bee, 4/14) "It's not every day that the federal government offers California water free for the taking. But the surplus water now being offered out of Friant Dam near Fresno is a measure of the Golden State's soggy spring."  Farmers lose water subsidies (Associated Press, 4/14) "State utility regulators voted Thursday to phase out electricity subsidies for California farmers along the Klamath River, a move anglers and environmentalists hope will help save struggling salmon. " Del Oro Water Co. pipeline project moves forward (Chico ER, 4/14) "After years of planning, the Del Oro Water Co. is nearly ready to complete its water system in the Lime Saddle District." Mission Springs stops work on water line (The Desert Sun, 4/14) "Construction crews discovered a water line that was buried only a foot deep and were forced to stop work for four weeks while the city and the Mission Springs Water District decided why the line was not the required 3 feet deep and which entity should pay to bury it deeper." Editorial: Deadline on the San Joaquin River (Fresno Bee, 4/13) Editorial: "U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton has wisely threatened to take the 18-year legal battle to restore the San Joaquin River to trial if progress isn't made immediately on the protracted settlement negotiations." —  Across the Globe China villagers attack polluting factories (Reuters, 4/13) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "About 200 Chinese villagers, angry over pollution of their water supply, attacked three factories and a sewage treatment plant, a Hong Kong newspaper said on Wednesday." South Africa: Rat-tailed maggots turn up in water (Independent Online, 4/13) "Cape Town's watery creepy crawlers have found their way to Gauteng. After several complaints were made in Cape Town over the past days by consumers who found rat-tailed maggots in or near water-supply points, a similar claim was made on Wednesday in Gauteng." Centre sets up panel on Delhi water-sharing (Hindu, 4/13) "The Centre on Wednesday set up a high-powered Steering Committee to deal with the water-sharing problems of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan." Ashghal to undertake wastewater project (Peninsula Online, 4/13) "Doha: The Qatar Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has embarked up on a major initiative in the waste water management sector."   Costa Rica project aims to bring back tourists (MSNBC, 4/13) "Tourists once flocked to the surf and wildlife of this tropical town on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, but the filth of a sewage-rich river that oozes through Tarcoles has driven them away." —  Arsenic New Mexico arsenic removal plant hailed (New Mexico Utilities, Inc. News Release, 4/13) "Two cutting-edge arsenic removal facilities, among the first to be put into service in New Mexico since a new federal standard went into effect, were lauded today by state legislators and industry officials alike." —  Floodwater Governor sees peril firsthand (Sacramento Bee, 4/14) "The San Joaquin River looked broad and swift Thursday from an airborne Blackhawk helicopter that carried Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on an inspection tour of the soggy San Joaquin Valley." Levee repairs, clear skies lead to brief respite (Modesto Bee, 4/14) "Clear skies Thursday didn't mean emergency crews watching the San Joaquin River could relax, but officials said the river's high water didn't present any new problems in populated areas."  Sun brings Valley new flood worries (Fresno Bee, 4/13) "Federal authorities keep pouring water out of Millerton Lake into the San Joaquin River as another storm approaches California, again raising anxieties over possible flooding." Officials continue to monitor Sacramento River (Oroville Mercury-Register, 4/13) "Sacramento River continued rising Wednesday, but was expected to crest below flood stage." Levee scares (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 4/13) Editorial: "Weather forecasters offered some good news this week in announcing that the thrust of the latest storm had moved farther north - lessening concerns about more levee breaks in California." —  Dams State promises Oroville Dam benefits (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 4/14) "Oroville Mayor Gordon Andoe says he's happy with what the state has promised in the relicensing of Oroville Dam."  Friant Dam: Quick to go with flow (Sacramento Bee, 4/13) "It's not every day that the federal government offers California water free for the taking. But the surplus water now being offered out of Friant Dam near Fresno is a measure of the Golden State's soggy spring." Auburn dam may have sponsor (Sacramento Bee, 4/13) "The American River Authority, an obscure joint-powers agency with a modest budget, is considering stepping forward as the local sponsor for building a multipurpose dam at Auburn that could cost $3 billion, and perhaps a lot more." —  Wastewater Former resident working to stop sewage spills (NC Times, 4/14) Opinion: "North County's most effective environmental leader is not a member of the Surfrider Foundation or the Sierra Club." —  Toxic Cleanups Mine pollution flows into Sierra creek (KRNV News, 4/13) "Pollution from an old sulfur mine on the east slope of the Sierra in California is overflowing into a creek that runs into the East Fork of the Carson River, which flows into Nevada." Leviathan Acid Mine treatment ponds overflow (Record-Courier, 4/13) "Leviathan Mine started overflowing on Thursday, according to The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. A combination of acid mine drainage and rainwater stored in ponds at the Leviathan Mine Superfund Site in Alpine County is spewing into Leviathan Creek." EPA: $6.1 million for Casmalia Superfund site (EPA News Release, 4/13) "Last Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed two settlements totaling $6.1 million with 283 small waste generators that will help pay for the ongoing cleanup of the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site, near Santa Maria, Calif." —  Local/Agency News Consolidation of Santiago County Water District and Irvine Ranch Water District approved by Local Agency Formation Commission (IRWD News Release, 4/14) "The proposal to combine Santiago County Water District (SCWD) with Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) was approved unanimously yesterday by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). The consolidation will become effective July 1, 2006."   Answers not on tap at Modesto rate meeting (Modesto Bee, 4/13) "Modesto's water-rate review committee promised answers, so people showed up to hear them. When there were no answers given, though, an information-hungry crowd turned on the group. " 'Water' drips with savvy humor in local play (Deseret News, 4/13) Thanks to Tina Mullis for this one: "Nine writers, six actors, 12 plays and nine directors add up to one evening (or afternoon) of alternately savvy, sharp, hilarious and thought-provoking entertainment." —  Everything Else Power plants' seawater intake spurs outcry (SD Union Tribune, 4/14) "Each day, the 21 power plants along California's coast pull in nearly 17 billion gallons of seawater. The ocean water is used as a kind of radiator fluid to help cool the systems that generate 40 percent of the state's electricity. But the practice has killed billions of fish eggs, larvae and other marine life."   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