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Monday, May 8, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: 'Mankind.' Basically, it's made up of two separate words - 'mank' and 'ind.' What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind." John Handy Born on this Day: Oscar Hammerstein, Harry S. Truman, Don Rickles, Rick Nelson, Toni Tennille, Phillip Bailey, Billy Burnette, David Keith, Stephen Furst, Alex Van Halen, Ronnie Lott, Melissa Gilbert, and Dave Rowntree. On this Day in 1794: The United States Post Office was established. 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: City of Fresno: Assistant Chief of Wastewater Treatment Operations City of Roseville: Preventive Maintenance Coordinator Golden State Water Company: Water Quality Engineer Golden State Water Company: Water Treatment Plant Operator II Orange County Water District: Operations & Maintenance Training Coordinator Orange County Water District: Communications Specialist Orange County Water District: Environmental Specialist Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Northern Calif. regional water planning discussed (Mercury-Register, 5/8) "A discussion about the move to regionalism in water will take place Thursday with a lineup of some of the state's top water leaders planned to appear." El Dorado water plant concerns aired (Sacramento Bee, 5/7) "A water treatment plant expansion proposed to keep pace with growth in the El Dorado Hills area drew concerns about aesthetics, traffic, noise and air pollution from people living near the once-rural site." Carlsbad water supply gets a boost (North County Times, 5/6) Editorial. "On Wednesday night, Carlsbad's planning commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Poseidon project, which could someday pump 50 million gallons of drinking water a day ---- or 8 percent of the county's water demand ---- out of the Pacific Ocean." Alameda supervisors halt waterway construction (Inside Bay Area, 5/6) "Building along waterways in unincorporated Alameda County will be banned for at least 45 days, county supervisors decided Thursday. The decision could lead to a two-year moratorium on waterway construction." Yolo County water agency to prioritize policies (Daily Democrat, 5/6) "The Water Resources Association of Yolo County will host the second of three workshops to seek public input regarding important Yolo County water issues on Monday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Heidrick Ag History Center, 1962 Hays Lane, Woodland." —  Water Quality Mariposa district ordered to remove chemicals (EPA News Release, 5/5) "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently ordered the Mariposa Public Utility District to reduce the disinfection byproducts levels of total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids from treated drinking water it provides to customers." —  CWSRF House wants EPA water budget cuts (WaterTech Online, 5/5) "A 2007 budget proposal by a House appropriations subcommittee would cut funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF), from $887 million to $688 million, according to a May 4 press release from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA)." —  Levees Santa Maria may get crack at levee repair bond (Santa Maria Times, 5/7) "A bond measure that state lawmakers approved for November's ballot could bring funds to help repair the Santa Maria River levee, according to Sen. Abel Maldonado." DWR: Emergency Levee Erosion Repair Project (DWR News Release, 5/5) "The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has scheduled a contractor outreach workshop at 9 a.m. Monday, May 8 to provide an overview of the Emergency Levee Erosion Repair Project and explain the process for applying for construction contracts to prospective contractors." —  Dams San Gabriel Dam water level to be lowered (Long Beach Press-Telegram, 5/6) "For four more days water will cascade from the San Gabriel Dam as county workers lower the water level to make dry land for a dredging project." Hearing planned on San Clemente Dam's fate (Monterey Herald, 5/6) "A hearing to discuss earthquake safety at the San Clemente Dam is scheduled later this month in Carmel Valley by representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Water Resources." —  Floodwater Dutch experts offer flood advice (Tracy Press, 5/8) "A pair of massive gates, each the size of the Eiffel tower laid on its side, could protect the Delta from a Hurricane Katrina-style disaster." Roiling San Joaquin River poses danger (Stockton Record, 5/7) "Colder, faster, messier and menacing. Weeks after nearly bursting its levees, the San Joaquin River threatens to remain a danger well into summer as snow melt, strong currents and floating debris turn the waterway into deadly playground." Column brings flood of responses (Stockton Record, 5/7) Opinion. "Denouncing the disgusting state of the polluted San Joaquin River - as well as toothless regulators and strangely passive city officials - brought a wave of comment." —  Streams EPA unveils assessment of U.S. wadeable streams (EPA News Release, 5/5) "What's the state of the union's streams? EPA set out to answer that question in a just-completed, multiyear study of wadeable streams across the country." —  Wastewater Fine for Tahoe spill sought (Monterey Herald, 5/8) "California regulators this week will consider a $700,000 fine for a massive sewage spill at Lake Tahoe last summer." For sewer funds, Osos looks to itself (SLO Tribune, 5/8) "Because a judge has blocked about $3 million of state money for a new Los Osos sewer, the town’s beleaguered services district will borrow $630,000 from its own water department and trash fees to finance research into the project." Santa Clarita Valley wastewater rates up (Santa Clarita Signal, 5/5) "Annual rates local residents pay for the treatment of their wastewater could increase by more than $50 over the next three years." —  Local/Agency News Fort Ord projects focus of meeting (Monterey Herald, 5/8) "Water and sewer projects and services for Fort Ord will be discussed at Wednesday's meeting of the Marina Coast Water District." EVMWD launches solar energy project (Valley News Network, 5/7) "Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) celebrated its successful response to an industry-wide call for alternate energy sources last week, with the opening of its new solar power system." American Canyon OKs water connection fee hike (Vallejo Times-Herald, 5/6) "The American Canyon City Council OK'd a 35 percent water connection fee hike for developers. At the same time, the council delayed a hotly debated increase that would have raised traffic impact fees by a stunning 175 percent." Rainbow board finds little to cut in budget (NC Times, 5/6) "The Rainbow Municipal Water District directors spent roughly four hours Friday poring over the district's proposed $28.8 million operating budget for the next fiscal year, then decided to trim it by $30,250." —  Everything Else Celebrate Annual Watershed Awareness month (Calif. Watershed Network, 5/6) "This year, the month of May will be celebrated again as Watershed Awareness Month to encourage Californians to learn more about their local watersheds and participate in activities to enhance their natural surroundings and communities." Scientists probe Atlantic, find new species of life (Reuters, 5/5) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "Scientists have found about 10-20 new species of tiny creatures in the depths of the Atlantic in a survey that will gauge whether global warming may harm life in the oceans, an international report said on Thursday."   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