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Friday, May 12, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment." Barry LePatner Born on this Day: Florence Nightingale, Katherine Hepburn, Mary Kay Ash, Yogi Berra, Burt Bacharach, Tom Snyder, George Carlin, Ron Ziegler, Linda Dano, Steve Winwood, Billy Squier, Gabriel Byrne, Lou Whitaker, Emilio Estevez, Stephen Baldwin, Kim Fields, and Mackenzie Astin. On this Day in 2002: Former U.S. President Carter arrived in Cuba for a visit with Fidel Castro. It was the first time a U.S. head of state, in or out of office, had gone  to the island since Castro's 1959 revolution. 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 Oceanside: Water/Wastewater Project Manager City of Redlands: Senior Water Treatment Operator West Basin Municipal Water District: Communications Manager Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District: Office Services Supervisor Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District: Water Production Operator III Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply Study: Quake would put drinking water at risk (Contra Costa Times, 5/12) "Even a moderate earthquake could cause California's aging levee system to collapse, flooding 400,000 houses and sending brine into the drinking water of homes across Northern California." Tunneling forward (Riverside PE, 5/11) EDITORIAL: "A tunnel under the Santa Ana Mountains might not be the answer to the traffic gridlock between Riverside and Orange counties. But it would be foolish to discount the idea before studying the tunnel's engineering feasibility." West Basin envisions its future water supply (West Basin Municipal Water District, 5/11) NEW RELEASE. "Assembly Member Ted Lieu and several local City Council Members visited the West Basin Water Recycling Facility to learn about water issues facing the region and the proactive approach West Basin has taken to ensure a safe and reliable water supply for the future. West Basin’s service area includes much of the South Bay, which makes up a large portion of Assembly Member Lieu’s District." Earth’s dwindling water supply (The Real Truth, 5/11) "It has been estimated that around 90% of disasters—hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, etc.—are water-related. Could the world be headed for a major water crisis? Is any part of the earth immune to water supply problems?" Alarm sounded on Colorado water (Rocky Mountain News, 5/11) "Gov. Bill Owens declared a state of emergency for northeastern Colorado farmers Wednesday, as the state moved to shut down hundreds of irrigation wells along the South Platte River." —  Dams House committee advances revival of Auburn dam (Contra Costa Times, 5/12) "A key House committee set the course for the possible revival of an Auburn dam Thursday, voting to include $3 million on a feasibility study for the huge public works project as part of a spending bill that generally accelerates flood control work across the Sacramento area." Valley plans for dam rise again (Fresno Bee, 5/12) "Blocked in their push to get dam money in the $37 billion bond package, 10 Central Valley lawmakers are trying again." —  Surface Water California takes lead in fish farm regulations (Associated Press, 5/12) "Under the bill, fish farms would be banned without a lease from the state Fish and Game Commission, which would be required to adopt regulations governing the farms." Risky Lodi waters (Lodi Sentinel, 5/12) "The rapid water flowing out of Lake Camanche has made the Mokelumne River a very dangerous place for recreation." Kings County closes river access (Fresno Bee, 5/11) "Kings County officials announced Wednesday their portion of the Kings River will be closed for up to 60 days because of high water levels." —  San Joaquin Delta Help is on the way (Stockton Record, 5/11) EDITORIAL: "The San Joaquin Delta's endangered levee system finally is receiving some vital attention." But a lot more is needed (Stockton Record, 5/11) EDITORIAL: "Like the lumbering bureaucracies they are, the California and U.S. governments finally have started moving toward making much-needed levee repairs west of Sacramento and, to a lesser extent, in the San Joaquin Delta." —  Runoff Source of pollution near Bradley Park in dispute (SD Union Tribune, 5/12) "Contaminated water and trash have been reported in a storm-water channel next to Bradley Park, which was built on top of an old landfill." Farmers charged in pollutant-monitoring program? (Stockton Record, 5/12) "Farmers charged with monitoring pollutants that spill off their crops so they can avoid hefty waste-discharge fees may have to pay more anyway." —  Wastewater Outsiders step in, tackle Contra Costa sewer issues (Contra Costa Times, 5/12) "The Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission, a state-empowered group of area officials, is stepping in to help the tiny town of Byron fix its sewer problems." A wise way for Los Osos to repay itself (SLO Tribune, 5/12) EDITORIAL. "The Los Osos Community Services District, caught in an increasingly complex tangle of financial woes, is running out of ways to fund a sewer project." Dixon officials OK sewer improvements (Vallejo Times-Herald, 5/11) "Dixon property owners will pay more for sewer service as a result of the City Council's vote Tuesday to increase rates in order to pay for improvements to the city's wastewater treatment system." —  Spills Penalty for Tahoe spill could shrink (Reno Gazette Journal, 5/12) "After six hours of testimony Thursday, California water quality officials conceded they must reduce the largest environmental penalty ever imposed for pollution at Lake Tahoe." Crews finish cleanup of sulfuric acid spill (Ventura County Star, 5/12) "Environmental cleanup crews descended into narrow underground pipes in Ventura on Thursday to flush out remnants of one of the largest local spills of sulfuric acid in years."   Dozens of penguins die, smothered in oil (MSNBC, 5/12) "About 100 oil-coated Magellanic penguins have turned up dead in recent weeks off the coast of Argentina, most in a nature reserve near the frigid southernmost tip of Patagonia." —  Meetings AWA Of Ventura County 14th Annual Water Symposium (AWA Ventura County, 5/11) "Presented In Partnership with Calleguas Municipal Water District and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California 'Lessons from the Past... Vision for the Future.' Join us as we look back on the historical perspective of California's water infrastructure and explore future planning options." —  Local/Agency News Felton water group loses appeal in PUC decision (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 5/12) "Nearly 25 members of Felton's Friends of Locally Owned Water, which has been pushing to buy that area's water system from corporate owner California American Water Co., were unsuccessful in their appeal Thursday to the California Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco to reconsider a denial of FLOW's request for almost $50,000 in legal fees for San Francisco attorney Edward O'Neill." Hearing to raise Padre Dam water rates moved (SD Union Tribune, 5/12) "A public hearing on a proposed rate increase for the Padre Dam Municipal Water District has been rescheduled for May 23." Casitas board redraws district (Ventura County Star, 5/11) "The Casitas Municipal Water District voted unanimously on Monday to redraw the boundary lines of its board members, in part because a member wants to move out of his district and keep his seat on the board." 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