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Wednesday, July 12, 2006 Quote of the Day: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." Henry David Thoreau Born on this Day: Henry David Thoreau, Oscar Hammerstein, Milton Berle, Otis Davis, Bill Cosby, Christine McVie, Richard Simmons, Cheryl Ladd, Sandi Patti, Mel Harris, Ray Gillen, Lisa Nicole Carson, Kristi Yamaguchi, Traci Spencer, and Topher Grace. On this Day in 1982: "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" broke all box-office records by surpassing the $100-million mark of ticket sales in the first 31 days of its opening. Pic of the Week   Honolulu's Beachwalk Wastewater Emergency Bypass Temporary floating 42-inch HDPE pipe   "The Beachwalk Wastewater Emergency Bypass is being constructed to provide a backup force main to the one that fractured in March. Repair to the permanent force main necessitated the diversion of 48-million gallons of wastewater into the Ala Wai Canal in Waikiki. Workers fuse together and float five 50-foot lengths a day into the canal. The 5,000-foot emergency bypass pipe eventually will be sunk and hooked up to existing sewer lines." Thanks to David Nagamine with the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii. Do you have a photo you'd like to submit? Send us an e-mail. 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 Riverside: WW Operations Superintendent Orange County Sanitation District: Operator-in-Training or Plant Operator United Water: Industrial Source Reduction and Control Program Manager CA Urban Water Conservation Council: Technical Advisor San Diego County Water Authority: Senior Water Resources Specialist (Environmental) Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Feds may let salty farmland go fallow (Associated Press, 7/12) "Drainage problems on the land stretching along a 90-mile stretch from Los Banos to Kettleman City are caused by a natural layer of clay beneath the surface that keeps water from draining through. The small amounts of salt in the water builds up over time, leaving the fields unsuitable for crops." Water, mismanagement both abound in California (Scripps News, 7/12) "The governor of California stood atop a levee Tuesday and warned that the state is threatened by disastrous flooding, a day after his own water agency framed the potentially severe effects of global warming on water supplies."  Palmdale District may OK additional filtration (Los Angeles Daily News, 7/12) "Palmdale Water District officials are expected tonight to approve spending $34.3 million to modify the Palmdale water treatment plant to reduce a treatment byproduct linked to cancer and miscarriages." Kelseyville water system needs repairs (Lake County Record-Bee, 7/12) "The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday addressed the Kelseyville County Waterworks District No. 3's proposal to increase sewer rates to repair and upgrade the community water system." Orange County tries new approach to desal (Sacramento Bee, 7/11) COLUMN. "The Municipal Water District of Orange County, an umbrella agency that plans and manages the county's water supply, is researching the possibility of building a $140 million desalination plant that would take its water not directly from the ocean but from the groundwater table below." MWD board endorses water propositions (MWD, 7/11) NEWS RELEASE. "Joining a growing list of water, environmental, business and elected leaders throughout the state in support of two water-related bonds on the November 2006 ballot, Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors today endorsed Propositions 1E and 84." Dry spell lingers in much of state (Salt Lake Tribune, 7/11) "As things stand, the west Colorado River Basin stands at drier than normal, while the Bear River Basin is still considered to be in a drought. The rest of the state's water supply is rated normal." Is Nevada pressing Utah for a water accord? (Deseret News, 7/11) "Nevada politics may be playing a role in an effort to reach an agreement between Utah and Nevada concerning groundwater that would be pumped from a valley running along both states." —  Levees and Dams Crucial Sacramento River levee repairs under way (Sacramento Bee, 7/12) "With a large tractor, a pile of rocks and hard-hat-wearing construction workers carefully positioned in the background, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a bipartisan group of local representatives stood Tuesday along the Sacramento River in Yolo County to tout emergency levee repairs that began this month."  Dam repairs shouldn't disrupt water activities (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 7/11) "Repair of the Russian River's inflatable, but steadily leaking dam at Wohler Bridge will require assembling a temporary structure to divert water, deflating the huge tube and using giant cranes to hoist the defective section from the river." —  Security ORAC continues security debate (ENN.com, 7/11) "Security concerns around Lake Oroville and the project recreation areas continue to get attention from the Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee (ORAC). " —  Surface Water Agua Hedionda free of invasive seaweed (SD Union Tribune, 7/12) "Six years after an invasive seaweed threatened to take over Agua Hedionda Lagoon and spread to the ocean, the team that battled the species has declared victory." Feds will look again at delta pumping (Modesto Bee, 7/12) "In a move that could affect farmers and thirsty California cities, the federal government plans to re-examine the effects of pumping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta."  Smelt still at record lows (Stockton Record, 7/12) "The Delta smelt are hanging on, but just barely. The endangered fish that are used to gauge the overall condition of the Delta remain at record lows, according to the latest survey. Meanwhile, scientists studying the decline are being asked increasingly how to reverse the trend."  Day Creek probe expands (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 7/12) "The region's water board has completed lab work on water samples taken near a rock and gravel company accused of fouling up a channel on the northern outskirts of the city." Diamond Valley Lake still a little-known gem (NC Times, 7/11) "At four miles long and two miles wide, Diamond Valley Lake is the largest manmade reservoir in the state." Gravel deposits trouble Butte Creek ranchers (Paradise Post, 7/11) "Butte Creek is creating a stir in Butte County as every year more gravel deposits appear on its banks, leaving cities further downstream more vulnerable to flooding." —  Wastewater State upholds $6.6 million Los Osos fine (SLO Tribune, 7/11) "State water quality officials have denied a request by Los Osos to overturn a $6.6 million fine handed down in January." —  Global Warming Warming seen wiping out Calif. wine industry (MSNBC, 7/12) "Climate warming could spell disaster for much of the multibillion-dollar U.S. wine industry. Areas suitable for growing premium wine grapes could be reduced by 50 percent — and possibly as much as 81 percent — by the end of this century, according to a study Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." —  Meetings WEF: 2006 Water Policy & Law Briefing (Water Education Foundation, 7/11) July 20-21. "The world of California water is one of perpetual change. Find out what the latest developments are and hear the perspective of key policy makers and water experts at the Water Education Foundation’s 13th annual Water Policy & Law Briefing July 20-21 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove." AWWA conference for water plant pros (AWWA, 7/11) September 17-20. "The American Water Works Association (AWWA) DSS Conference and Exposition will be held September 17-20, in Phoenix, AZ, according to an AWWA press release." —  Local/Agency News MMWD wins grant for Mt. Tam trail restoration (Marin Independent-Journal, 7/11) "The Marin Municipal Water District has been awarded a $158,000 grant from the California Resources Agency for trail restoration work on the Mount Tamalpais Watershed." DWP drips cash (LA Times, 7/11) EDITORIAL. "You had better show some gratitude. Your Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners went to bat for you when the municipally owned utility wanted to start charging more for water and electricity." —  Everything Else AWWA and AWWRF new report: Assessment of Auxiliary Backwash Method for Rapid Sand Filters (AWWA, 7/11) "The primary objective of this project was to determine differences in filter effluent water quality and media cleanliness between sand filters employing air scour and those employing surface wash. Discussed in detail are the findings that scour and surface wash systems performed similarly relative to filter effluent quality and filter cleanliness."   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