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Tuesday, April 18, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." George Burns Born on this Day: Clarence Darrow, Barbara Hale, Hayley Mills, James Woods, Rick Moranis, Eric Roberts, Conan O'Brien, Eric McCormack, Sean Maguire, Melissa Joan Hart, and Alia Shawkat. On this Day in 1906: The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake took place at almost precisely 5:12 a.m., local time, a foreshock occurred with sufficient force to be felt widely throughout the Bay area. The earthquake broke loose some 20 to 25 seconds later, with an epicenter near San Francisco. Violent shocks punctuated the strong shaking which lasted some 45 to 60 seconds. The earthquake was felt from southern Oregon to south of Los Angeles and inland as far as central Nevada. The frequently quoted value of 700 deaths caused by the earthquake and fire is now believed to underestimate the total loss of life by a factor of 3 or 4. Most of the fatalities occurred in San Francisco, and 189 were reported elsewhere. See: How San Francisco Was Destroyed (American Heritage) 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: Delta Diablo Sanitation District: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III West Valley Water District: Information Technology Support Specialist West Valley Water District: Customer Service Supervisor City of American Canyon: Civil Engineering Tech I City of Santa Monica: Water Production and Treatment Plant Operator Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District: Water Quality Technician Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Lodi council to review water plans (Lodi Sentinel, 4/18) "The city of Lodi may finally come to a decision on what to do with the water it buys from the Woodbridge Irrigation District at a Lodi City Council meeting Wednesday." USEPA to study water use in new homes (WaterWeek, 4/17) "USEPA announced that it will join with nine water agencies in eight states to conduct a 33-month study comparing water use in new homes using 'standard' and 'high efficiency' fixtures, appliances and irrigation systems." Are spring floods a missed opportunity? (Oroville Mercury-Register, 4/17) "The elaborate system of water conveyance that provides water to California is pretty much full and huge amounts of water are dumping out through the Delta and into the ocean." West's water future may float on cloud plan (Rocky Mountain News, 4/17) "Colorado is at the center of an ambitious, multistate cloud-seeding plan that could boost mountain snowpack and potentially make available billions of gallons of new water." —  Power Plants No seawater cooling for new Calif. power plants (SD Union Tribune, 4/18) "The State Lands Commission yesterday unanimously approved a resolution discouraging power plants from using seawater to cool their electric-generating systems." More answers needed on Lake Elsinore hydro plant (NC Times, 4/18) "A controversial project since it was first proposed a decade ago, the $1.3 billion Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage project calls for the water stored in the reservoir to flow down the mountain toward the lake during the day to power electricity-producing turbines on hot summer days." —  Levees and Floodwater Funding denied for state levees (San Jose Mercury, 4/18) "Drawing criticism from the governor's office, a top Bush administration official said Monday she didn't see any need for emergency federal assistance to shore up California levees." No flood umbrella for state agencies (Sacramento Bee, 4/18) "California's legislators drafted laws with pen and paper for generations, and they could do it again if they had to in the event of a downtown flood, said Beard, who, as the Senate's chief sergeant-at-arms, helps brace lawmakers for disaster." Creaky levees ripe for disaster (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/17) "As rains pelt Northern California, threatening the 1,100 miles of levees that shield the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, government officials admit they have their fingers crossed that the system of flood barriers that has been starved for maintenance funding will survive the next few months and beyond without a disaster." Putting a price on flood protection (Sacramento Bee, 4/17) "The need for better flood protection is dawning on communities across the region. So is the price tag." —  MTBE Ethanol's downside (Newsday, 4/18) "The growing use of ethanol to spike gasoline seems like a win-win for Americans. Most of the stuff is made in the United States, mostly from corn grown here. Some of the ethanol is replacing a groundwater-polluting chemical called MTBE."   —  Surface Water Report on Humboldt Bay plan released (Eureka Times Standard, 4/17) "The potential effects on Humboldt Bay's rich environment from a set of policies being proposed by the harbor district are examined in a draft document presented to commissioners." River Wild; High water levels a blessing (Modesto Bee, 4/17) "When rivers such as the Tuolumne, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced run "high and hard," experts say, they often expand their natural channels into the flood plain, bringing needed nutrients to thirsty trees and other vegetation." —  Endangered Species Act Endangered Species Act report mixed on Pombo (Stockton Record, 4/17) "A recent federal analysis of the Endangered Species Act rapped Rep. Richard Pombo's rhetoric on the controversial law at the same time it bolstered his argument that the act needs overhauling." —  Toxic Cleanups Official hopes overflow is mine's last (Record-Courier, 4/17) "The federal official overseeing cleanup of Leviathan Mine said he hopes the recent overflow of acid mine drainage into a tributary of the Carson River is the last at the toxic site west of Topaz Lake." Plan eases rule on toxic disclosures (Riverside P/E, 4/17) "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to relax a 20-year-old disclosure law that forces industries to make public what toxic chemicals they handle and how much escapes into the air, water or soil." —  Wastewater Judge tosses out Los Osos sewer initiative (SLO Tribune, 4/18) "A judge has thrown out a controversial voter-approved initiative that blocked Los Osos from building a sewer on a midtown plot." Sewer fees in Twain Harte rising? (Union Democrat, 4/17) "Twain Harte Community Services District directors will hear a report tomorrow on the potential cost of proposed new state sewage discharge and inspection requirements." —  Global Warming Humans must act now to slow climate change (AZ Star, 4/17) Opinion. Thanks to Sue Shimer for this one: "Humans are re-engineering our planet, with jet streams shifting, storm tracks moving, temperatures rising and glaciers melting. There are gains and losses for people, but rapid climate change is disastrous overall." —  Publications Inventory of Public & Private Water Purveyors In Ventura County (Ventura County Watershed Protection District, 4/17) "The Groundwater Section of the Ventura County Watershed Protection District is pleased to announce the release of a new publication called the Inventory of Public & Private Water Purveyors In Ventura County." To download the order form, click here. AWWA announces the availability of new proceedings: 2006 Inorganics Contaminants Workshop Proceedings (AWWA News Release, 4/17) "This CD contains Proceedings from the drinking water industry's only event focused on inorganic contaminants, held January, 2006 in August TX." —  Local/Agency News Contra Costa Water District turns 70 (Contra Costa Times, 4/17) "Next month, the Contra Costa Water District marks its 70th anniversary. It wasn't an easy birth. It took years to conceive, and once born, it took years to deliver its first gallon of water." Appeals court sets date for Pajaro Valley case (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 4/17) "The Sixth District of the Court of Appeals will make a rare appearance in Santa Cruz County Superior Court in early May to hear oral arguments in a case involving the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency." Shasta County supervisors may support weed war (Redding Record Searchlight, 4/17) "Shasta County supervisors may support legislation that would provide $2.5 million a year to fight noxious weeds that can damage or destroy farmland."   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