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Monday, May 1, 2006 Quote of the Day: Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. Isaac Asimov Born on this Day: Kate Smith, Jack Paar, Harry Belafonte, Judy Collins, Bobbie Ann Mason, Rita Coolidge, Ray Parker Jr., Wayne Hancock, Charlie Schlatter, Tim McGraw, D'Arcy Wreztky, and Darius McCrary. On this Day in 1931: The Empire State Building in New York was dedicated and opened. It was 102 stories tall and was the tallest building in the world at the time. NOTE: The Greater Los Angeles County Region IRWMP website is up and running. We have added it to the Agency Links page. 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: East Bay Municipal Utility District: Materials Testing Technician II City of Anaheim: Contracts Specialist Vista Irrigation District: Operations Manager Marina Coast Water District: Project Engineer San Elijo Joint Powers Authority: Associate Engineer Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply Suit says Nipomo water plan is too risky (SLO Tribune, 5/1) "It’s too risky to approve more building in Nipomo based on the assumption that the town will get water from Santa Maria, according to a local environmentalist who is suing the town’s services district to redo its long-term water plans." SFPUC plans for water emergency (The Examiner, 5/1) "The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is preparing to drill more wells between Daly City and San Bruno to provide additional water during a drought or emergency." Water shortage could dry up East Bay industries (Contra Costa Times, 4/30) "Fears of an East Bay water shortage may seem at odds with months of record rain, but the regional water system now totters on a precipice." Contra Costa Canal project gets under way (Contra Costa Times, 4/30) "The Contra Costa Water District and the beginnings of its canal mark a 70th anniversary this year. The canal was born during the Great Depression and became part of California's Central Valley Project. Its purpose was to take care of the salinity problem that was damaging the water for townspeople, industries and agriculture in east and central Contra Costa County." Reservoirs can endure snow melt, state says (Associated Press, 4/29) "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." Desal project goes before Planning Commission (NC Times, 4/30) "After years of delays, a proposal for a seaside desalination plant capable of producing 50 million gallons of drinking water a day will go before Carlsbad's Planning Commission this week." Desalination debate (SD Union Tribune, 4/29) "The city's Planning Commission will weigh in next week on one of the major environmental challenges facing the state: turning ocean water into drinking water." Extensive Santa Rosa water re-use plan approved (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 4/29) "Just 29 months after completing its $205 million Geysers wastewater project, Santa Rosa officials gave the go-ahead Thursday to pursue the next major disposal project, a $119 million irrigation network." Judge backs Nipomo CSD on water (SLO Tribune, 4/29) "In 2003, Homer Fox paid the Nipomo Community Services District about $8,000 to secure water for a mixed-use building he wanted to construct on Tefft Street. The project was still years away, but district staff told him then to pay the fees to avoid an impending rate increase." Conservation plan critical for Petaluma (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 4/29) EDITORIAL. "The 16-mile umbilical cord that attaches Petaluma to its water supply is increasingly fragile - and too small to support new life." —  Water Quality EPA: Drinking water regulations to be finalized (WaterWeek, 5/1) "USEPA plans to finalize several drinking water regulations this year, including the Ground Water Rule (GWR) in August and the second Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR2) in November, according to the agency's newest regulatory agenda." Report: Fewer pollution sites for San Mateo (The Examiner, 5/1) "The number of underground storage tanks leaking pollutants into the county’s groundwater and soil has been slashed by half over the last decade, according to a report released last month." Santa Clarita water report review on tap (LA Daily News, 5/1) "The public hearing for a planned industrial park in Newhall that has been sidelined by lawsuits lodged by environmental groups will begin Tuesday." Encinitas to see increased clean water costs (NC Times, 4/30) "The city can pay its bills in fiscal 2006-07 with money to spare, but is far short of the savings it needs for capital projects, according to a budget made public last week." Balance needed on water-protection board (Mercury News, 4/29) OPINION. "Clean water is the currency of California's environment and economy, and we are running increasingly short. Water made toxic by contaminated runoff helped trigger the crash of the vast delta ecosystem, which provides drinking water for two-thirds of Californians. Water." —  Dams Fixing the dam problem (Monterey County Weekly, 4/29) "Late last week, a draft environmental impact report on the seismic safety project for the dam was released by the state Department of Water Resources and the US Army Corps of Engineers." —  Flooding and Runoff Yuba flood map update will shift insurance (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 4/29) "Sections of southern Yuba and Sutter counties will have new proposed flood maps by this summer, according to state and local officials." Proposed college area in Lodi too waterlogged (San Jose Mercury, 4/30) "At least 70 acres of land on the proposed site of a new college campus are now under water after a privately owned levee along the Mokelumne River failed."  Agency ponders fine for JMC Homes (Sacramento Business Journal, 4/28) "A state water regulator has proposed fining JMC Homes $500,000 for alleged violations of a construction storm water permit in Roseville." —  Surface Water High salinity may be cause of Delta woes (EPA News Release, 4/30) EDITORIAL. "We have found the problem, and it is us. That bit of paraphrased wisdom from Walt Kelly's 'Pogo' may well apply to the deteriorating Delta ecosystem." McLeod Lake water warning ignored (Stockton Record, 4/30) "People rode paddle boats at the Stockton Asparagus Festival even after the city found McLeod Lake so full of fecal bacteria that nobody should touch the water." Erosion lifts buried debris on Del Monte Beach (Monterey Herald, 4/30) "Visitors to Del Monte Beach may want to stay as close to the water as possible, at least until the city finds a way to deal with broken plates, rusted pipes, glass and other debris once buried in the dunes that has resurfaced in recent years." —  Wastewater Sewage leak restricts Orange County beaches (OC Register, 4/30) "A five-mile stretch of coast from Beach Boulevard at Huntington State Beach to the Newport Beach Pier has been closed to swimming and surfing through Monday afternoon due to a leak Saturday in an offshore sanitation pipeline." Wastewater options sought by Lake County (Vacaville Reporter, 4/29) "The city of Lakeport is asking Lake County's Board of Supervisors to ask for support in exploring ways to dispose of the city's wastewater." Thaw releases more toxins from China spill (Associated Press, 4/29) "Thawing river ice months after a Chinese toxic spill has released a 'second wave' of pollution into waterways near a major Russian Far Eastern city, experts said Sunday." —  Toxic Waste Keeping toxic waste at bay (Bakersfield Californian, 4/30) "California Communities Against Toxics was born out of statewide alliances formed in the 1980s. Williams' mother, Norma 'Stormy' Williams, launched a campaign to identify toxins causing a brain cancer cluster among children in Rosamond." —  Los Osos Sewer Saga Los Osos raises a ruckus at septic hearing (SLO Tribune, 4/29)v "Water officials were considering whether 45 randomly selected homes should receive cease-and-desist orders for using their septic systems and said they planned to expand the blame for groundwater pollution to the rest of the town's septic tank owners by the end of the year." Los Osos meeting continued to May 11 and 12 (SLO Tribune, 4/29) "A hearing to determine whether Los Osos residents and their septic systems should be held individually accountable for polluting the town’s groundwater will continue May 11 and 12." —  Local/Agency News Local professor weighs in on water world (NC Times, 4/30) "Using Roman Polanski's 1974 movie "Chinatown" as a backdrop, a UC San Diego professor has written a new book lauding Southern California's main water supplier, the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District, and sharply criticizing San Diego County water leaders." Artwork selected for Lodi water tower (Lodi Sentinel, 4/29) "Lodi City Council members will be asked Tuesday to approve a local graphic designer's artwork that will grace the city's 120-foot-tall water tower." Jack Krauss appointed to Olivenhain board (Olivenhain Municipal Water District, 4/29) NEWS RELEASE. "At the April 26, 2006 6:00 p.m. Olivenhain Municipal Water District (District) Board of Directors meeting interviews were held to fill the open seat for the Division 3 Director position.  The District received four applications and four potential candidates were interviewed."   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