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Wednesday, July 19, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Make your life a mission - not an intermission." Arnold Glasgow Born on this Day: Edgar Degas, A. J. Cronin, Charles Teagarden, George McGovern, Sue Thompson, Philip Agee, Vikki Carr, Dennis Cole, Bernie Leadon, Beverly Arche, Peter Barton, Campbell Scott, and Anthony Edwards. On this Day in 1985: Christa McAuliffe of New Hampshire was chosen to be the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the space shuttle. She died with six others when the Challenger exploded the following year. 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: Helix Water District: Safety Technician I/II WBMWD: Education Coordinator MWD of Orange County: Financial Analyst City of Fresno: Professional Engineer City of Long Beach: Laboratory Analyst Want more? See all postings. Pics of the Week Smoke rises behind Gateway Reservoir     Water is pumped from hydrant into tank     Tanker sprays water around helicopter dip area   "Smoke from the Sawtooth Complex fire creates a dramatic backdrop as Mission Springs Water District workers strive to provide any support requested by firefighters who are battling the blazes. Tests are run at the Gateway Reservoir to ensure that sufficient water pressure is available. Water from a hydrant is pumped into a tank where it is mixed with powdered flame retardant. A water tanker sprays water around the helicopter dip area in efforts to keep the dust and sand at bay when the helicopters refill their tanks from reservoirs filled with flame retardant. Click here to see the video clip of a firefighting helicopter. (Click on the fire image at the right of the page.)" Many thanks to Meilani MacDonald, Public Information Associate, MSWD. Do you have a photo you'd like to submit? Send us an e-mail. Today's News —  Water Supply San Jerardo water plan, contract approved (Monterey Herald, 7/19) "County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to install a water filtration system in San Jerardo, a small farmworker cooperative south of Salinas that has been plagued by contaminated water for years." Outage hits San Geronimo water plant (Marin Independent-Journal, 7/19) "Marin reservoirs are brimming with water, but emergency conservation was the order of the day Tuesday as a power failure blacked out a wide area - including the San Geronimo water plant." Heat is no excuse to waste water (EMWD, 7/18) NEWS RELEASE. "So, how hot was it? Last month’s temperatures nationwide were the second highest on record for June. In fact, the entire first half of this year was the warmest of any first six months since 1895." Clark County district doing its job, very quietly (Las Vegas Business Press, 7/18) "It's the other Water District, the one nobody talks about. But make no mistake, the Clark County Water Reclamation District plays a vital role in the valley's growth. It's also responsible for half of Southern Nevada's return-flow credits to the Colorado River." —  Desalination Across The Globe Beattie commits $80 million to Coast desal plant (Queensland Business Review, 7/19) "Premier Peter Beattie today announced a further $80 million to help south-east Queensland in the fight against drought and climate change, with the funding to help bring forward 'early works' on the proposed new desalination plant at Tugun on the Gold Coast."   Jordan desal plant to open (AME Info, 7/18) "A water treatment and desalination plant with a potential capacity of 40m cubic metres of water annually will open in Jordan by August 2006, according to the Jordan Times."   Australia's Prime Minister enters desal debate (Border Mail, 7/18) "The Prime Minister believes nothing less will haul Australia out of its water crisis and he will urge the states to recycle and trade with each other while ignoring desalination."   Supplier may cut off water for Lapu-Lapu (Sun Star, 7/18) "Vital installations and establishments like the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Mactan Economic Zones (MEZ) 1 and 2, and Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan, however, won't be affected as they have their respective desalination plants."   Middle East centre to tackle desalination research (SciDev.net, 7/17) "The Oman-based Middle East Desalination Research Center is preparing to conduct research for the first time since it was set up in late 1996." —  Surface Water Awe-inspiring price tag to drain Hetch Hetchy (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/19) "It would cost anywhere from $3 billion to $10 billion to fulfill one of California environmentalists' fondest dreams -- draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and restoring a valley in Yosemite National Park that John Muir called 'one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples.'" Chemical plant helps restore wetlands (Contra Costa Times, 7/19) "Peyton Slough is all new, courtesy of a Martinez chemical plant. Local chemical plant Rhodia Inc. has completed its restoration of the slough -- a one-time toxic hot spot -- stretching more than a mile long, with curved banks and more than a half-mile of associated tributaries expected to attract shore birds to the wetlands now covering more than 200 acres." Long Beach's beach water is fine (Long Beach Press-Telegram, 7/18) "As many as 1.5 million people are sickened by bacterial pollution on Southern California beaches each year, resulting in millions of dollars in public health care costs, a new study has found." —  Levees Yuba County levee stability in doubt (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 7/19) "Rex Archer, an unsuccessful candidate for Yuba County supervisor, questioned the stability of a levee that protects the Linda area." —  Wastewater Tracy updates wastewater treatment plant (Inside Bay Area, 7/18) "The new City Hall building is expected to be opened early in the year and soon after that, the Grand Theatre Complex for the Arts should have its, well, grand opening. About the same time, the first phase of improvements at the Tracy wastewater treatment plant are expected to come online." Officials explore Fresno's sewer future (Fresno Bee, 7/18) "There it was, hanging on the edge of an immense, 12-foot-deep concrete vat of barely treated sewage at the waste-water treatment plant in west Fresno — a life ring." Q&A on Los Osos sewer to be replayed (SLO Tribune, 7/18) "A question-and-answer meeting with the engineering firm that is analyzing a new Los Osos sewer project will be replayed Thursday on public access Channel 20 at 4 p.m." —  Solid Waste Group fancies closed landfill in Hemet (Riverside P/E, 7/18) "A local group wants to acquire a 90-acre closed landfill in Hemet and turn it into a theme park with an 'American Gladiators' theme, complete with arenas where people can compete in events that showcase their strength and agility." —  Toxic Cleanups China to invest $175 billion in clean-up (Reuters, 7/18) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "China plans to invest 1.4 trillion yuan ($175 billion) in environmental protection in the next five years, state media said on Tuesday, to curb water and air pollution so severe it causes riots and health problems." —  Local/Agency News Residents say no to Cal Am plan (Monterey Herald, 7/19) "Monterey Peninsula residents, faced with the prospect of their water bills more than doubling in the next two and a half years, told a representative of the state Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday night that they don't want to front the money for California American Water's Coastal Water Project." City, Elsinore Valley district named in lawsuit (LA Times, 7/18) "A Hemet man is suing the city and the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, accusing the two agencies of negligence and not warning users of the possible dangers that exist on the lake."  Meeting planned on San Luis Rey issues (NC Times, 7/18) "A meeting planned for Wednesday will give the public another chance to comment on how the environment could be affected if the San Luis Rey Municipal Water District becomes a full-service retail water and sewer provider." Whoever fills OID vacancy faces key choices (Modesto Bee, 7/18) OPINION. "The Oakdale Irrigation District's board of directors is facing substantial challenges in the next year. It's no time for the board to be short-handed."  MWD offers students free 'smart' controller (MWD, 7/18) NEWS RELEASE. "Southland residents who enroll in a one-day class at Cerritos College on California FriendlyTM landscaping may be eligible to receive a free 'smart' controller for their sprinkler systems through a unique program created to introduce the latest in water-saving technology." —  Everything Else Water is all wet: Stock prices look too high (MarketWatch, 7/19) "Dow Jones' and S&P's water indexes are way off their highs from March, trading at year-ago levels. The Dow Jones U.S. Water Index peaked near 830 four months ago but is now sitting near 600." Rebuilding a better, greener New Orleans (MSNBC, 7/18) "To help encourage environmentally-friendly building, Brad Pitt, along with Global Green, announced a sustainable design architectural competition for the areas of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina. " 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