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Friday, April 28, 2006 Quote of the Week: "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamott Born on this Day: James Monroe, Lionel Barrymore, Harper Lee, Saddam Hussein, Ann-Margret, Jay Leno, Mary McDonnell, Barry Larkin, Chris Young, Penelope Cruz, Nate Richert, and Jessica Alba. On this Day in 1818: U.S. President James Monroe proclaimed naval disarmament on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. Sent to more than 24,000 readers nationwide... and thousands more via our lineup of online ads like the one above that appears on watertechonline.com Latest postings: Marina Coast Water District: Project Engineer Central Coast Water Authority: Water Treatment Plant Maintenance Technician San Elijo Joint Powers Authority: Associate Engineer Contra Costa Water District: Associate Water Resources Specialist City of Fountain Valley: Water Quality Technician Marina Coast Water District: District Engineer Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply S.D. officials OK spending more to line canals (NC Times, 4/28) "Saying the water it would bring to San Diego County over the next century was too cheap to pass up, regional water leaders voted Thursday to spend an additional $38.3 million on a long-discussed project to line a canal in Imperial Valley." Sierra Nevada levels at 180 percent of normal (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/28) "Sierra Nevada snow levels are far above normal as warm temperatures hit California and flood-wary residents wait for the spring runoff, but officials predicted Thursday that reservoirs would be able to handle the extra water." Sierra Club challenges desalination study (NC Times, 4/28) "A Sierra Club official said Thursday that a project to turn millions of gallons of seawater a day in Carlsbad into drinking water would hurt the ocean, even though a voluminous draft environmental study says otherwise." Carlsbad's desalination plant is perking along (San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/27) EDITORIAL: "A desalination plant in Carlsbad to significantly augment North County's water supply is moving closer to reality. The project will go before the Carlsbad Planning Commission next week. It merits the panel's approval." —  Here Comes The Judge Lawsuit: Solana Beach pollution fee a hidden tax (SD Union Tribune, 4/28) "Riding the wave of a successful lawsuit against Encinitas that thwarted a pollution-control fee, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is suing Solana Beach for the same purpose." San Bernardino basin issues raised in case (San Bernardino Sun, 4/28) "County officials have said in the last year they were unaware of the design plan used in the construction of the main basin that collects water flowing from the 20th Street and 19th Street storm drains. The basin is used for water storage as well as to control storm water runoff, limiting discharge into nearby Cucamonga Creek Channel." V.P. testifies boss wanted DWP overbilling (LA Daily News, 4/27) "A key prosecution witness testified Thursday that Doug Dowie, the former head of Fleishman-Hillard's Los Angeles office, never specifically ordered him to pad city DWP bills, but that he believed Dowie wanted him to do so." Judge awards CAP suit lawyers $1.38 million (Arizona Daily Star, 4/27) "Ending a decade old-class action lawsuit against the city of Tucson over Central Arizona Project water, a judge ordered Tucson to pay $1.38 million in attorney's fees in a ruling released Wednesday." —  Levees and Floodwater Legislators carry industry's water (SF Chronicle, 4/28)  EDITORIAL: "One of the most important flood protection bills in years died in the Legislature on Monday." LaMalfa levee bills die (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 4/27) "Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa said Wednesday he was outraged but not surprised when an Assembly committee killed his flood control bills." Democrats' flood failure (Sacramento Bee, 4/27) EDITORIAL: "Democrats in the Assembly had a chance this week to distinguish themselves from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his half-baked efforts to protect the Central Valley from a deadly and costly flood." —  Surface Water and Wetlands DWR: Developing a Delta Vision Conference, (DWR News Release, 4/27) June 6 & 7 "At this two-day conference in the Long Theatre at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, learn what is being pursued by local and state officials, Delta residents, environmentalists, water agencies and others to craft a vision to sustain the Delta." Bill to make salmon industry focus of relief bill (Monterey Herald , 4/27) "U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have introduced legislation to provide financial relief to salmon fishers, tribes and related industries, and support recovery efforts for wild salmon populations in the Klamath River." A mess beneath Morro Bay’s pristine surface (SLO Tribune, 4/26) OPINION. "Morro Bay’s magnificent beauty obscures an uncomfortable truth. Our coastal waters contain partly treated sewage that poses an unacceptable risk to all who swim in them, including the threatened and iconic California sea otter." —  Dams Study of Auburn Dam backed by board (Sacramento Bee, 4/27) "The El Dorado Irrigation District board voted unanimously Monday to contribute $5,000 toward a study to determine the feasibility of an Auburn Dam." —  Spills State regulators cite cities for spills (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 4/27) "As many as 11 million gallons of treated sewage in Marysville spilled into the Feather River during heavy New Year's storms, according to a violation notice state regulators issued to the city this month."  —  Toxic Cleanups Emergency clean up underway at Anaconda Mine (EPA, 4/27) NEWS RELEASE: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting soil capping work at the Anaconda Mine site to prevent contaminated dust from blowing offsite." —  Books Book on ex-water czar warns of looming crisis (Marin Independent-Journal, 4/27) "'The Man Who Made It Rain,' a book debuting this week, is a trip down memory lane for Dietrich Stroeh, general manager of the Marin Municipal Water District during the historic California drought of 1975-77." —  Local/Agency News Obit: David Todd - pioneered study of groundwater (SF Chronicle, 4/28) "David Keith Todd, a retired UC Berkeley professor and author of a landmark book on groundwater hydrology, spent most of his life teaching students about the ways of water and advising clients on how to find clean supplies." Tracy's new PW director starts at crucial time (Stockton Record, 4/28) "Pat Wiemiller may worry about gutters during the day; at night, he does all he can to avoid them." Los Osos was hornswoggled by the new board (San Luis Obispo Tribune, 4/27) OPINION. "Now the district is on the brink of bankruptcy and will soon be unable to deliver even the basic services for which the district was formed. Even if we were to replace this board, Los Osos' credit-ability and credibility have been destroyed, and it would take 10 years for a future board to dig its way out of this quagmire." —  Everything Else Lake Elsinore concerned about hydro plant on lake (North County Times, 4/27) "A hydroelectric power plant planned for the hills southwest of the city could have detrimental effects on the lake and the local economy, as well as the environment and recreation in the area, city officials said Wednesday." AWWA announces the availability of new proceedings : 2006 IMTech and Customer Service Combined Conference Proceedings (AWWA, 4/27) "Customer service and technology represent increasingly related and interdependent topics of focus in the water industry, and hence the 2006 conferences will be jointly held in March in Portland OR. The International Management & Technology aspect will focus on Topics include: AM/FM/GIS, administrative systems, automated meter reading, benchmarking, CADD and CAE, CIS, distribution systems and planning modeling, and more."   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