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Thursday, July 27, 2006 Quote of the Day: "Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." Carl Jung (Thanks to Maggi Brooks for this one.) Born on this Day: Alexandre Dumas, George Foster, Peabody Norman Lear, Jerry Van Dyke, John Pleshette, Bobbie Gentry, Betty Thomas, Peggy Fleming, Maureen McGovern, Juliana Hatfield, Stacy Dean Campbell, Julian McMahon, Maya Rudolph, Peter Yorn, and John Rhys Meyers. On this Day in 1909: Orville Wright set a record for the longest airplane flight. He was testing the first Army airplane and kept it in the air for 1 hour 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Sent to more than 25,000 readers nationwide... and thousands more via our lineup of online ads like the one above that appears on watertechonline.com Latest postings: Contra Costa Water District: Associate Engineer City of Port Hueneme: Administrative Specialist II City of Corvallis: Water Utilities Systems Specialist Encina Wastewater Authority: Junior Chemist City of Pleasanton: Lead Utilities Systems Operator City of Garden Grove: Construction Inspector City of Palo Alto: Electrician City of Riverside Public Utilities: Utilities Water System Operations Manager Ventura County Watershed Protection District: Supervising Hydrographer Rancho California Water District: Water Quality Technician I/II/Senior Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Supply Proposal calls for recycled water for San Diego (NC Times, 7/27) "Treated sewage would be used to augment reservoirs used to supply drinking water to San Diego's increasingly growing population in a plan presented to a City Council committee today." Desal project draws environmental challenge (Stockton Record, 7/27) "A coalition of environmental groups has filed a lawsuit to stop a proposed Carlsbad seawater desalination plant, arguing that its environmental study doesn't do enough to show the harm the project could cause."   Hearings for water plan next week (Stockton Record, 7/27) "The federal government plans to consider the environmental effects of connecting California's two primary water canals and wants public input."   Cal Am to pay fine, get desal support (Monterey Herald, 7/26) Thanks to Jim Graham for this one: "To avoid as much as $330 million in fines, California American Water has agreed to pay more than $10 million to compensate for damage to steelhead habitat on the Carmel River." Outdoor watering banned in Calaveras County (Stockton Record, 7/25) "The Calaveras County Water District placed a ban Monday on outdoor watering in Versendaal's neighborhood, a swath of the Rancho Calaveras subdivision near Jenny Lind." Ceres fumes at  water supply sprinkling away (Modesto Bee, 7/25) "Scorching heat is stretching the city's tight water supply despite nine months of preparation aimed at keeping taps flowing through the summer." Report on Nestle plant is ready for comments (Redding Record-Searchlight, 7/26) "An environmental report on a proposed water bottling plant here is open to public comments until August. But some have concerns about the project’s addition of up to 1,090 truck trips a day on local roads, and worry that the bottler will tap too much of McCloud’s water supply." Ceres fumes at tight water supply sprinkling away (Modesto Bee, 7/25) "Scorching heat is stretching the city's tight water supply despite nine months of preparation aimed at keeping taps flowing through the summer."  San Diego should flush “toilet to tap” plan (SD Union Tribune, 7/24)  EDITORIAL: "Your golden retriever may drink out of the toilet with no ill effects. But that doesn't mean humans should do the same." Power plans could change desalination (SD Union Tribune, 7/24) "As developers forge ahead with plans to build a seawater desalination plant, the stream of water they expected to tap could be drying up." Central Basin approves conservation plan (Central Basin Municipal Water District, 7/24) NEWS RELEASE. "A hot Monday afternoon was the ideal backdrop to set in motion the highly anticipated Conservation Master Plan as the Central Basin Board of Directors gave a thumbs up to the five-year action plan. Beginning this summer, the plan will serve as a road map to expanding the District’s long-term water-saving efforts by introducing new, regionally-tailored programs that will drive the future of water conservation." Darfur peace must address water crisis (ENN, 7/20) Thanks to Michael Campana for this one: "There is no chance of peace in Darfur unless the region's dire water shortages are tackled as part of a settlement between rebels and the Sudanese government, a top international economist said on Monday. " Report: Water Needs and Strategies (Western States Water Council, 6/24) "Population growth is continuing at an unprecedented rate in the West with ramifications not only for cities but rural communities and agricultural areas. At the same time, public support continues to grow for in stream uses, which include bays and estuaries, for such purposes as fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and water quality protection, placing additional demands on a limited resource." —  Water Quality Polluted water in Bradley Park not landfill's (SD Union Tribune, 7/26) "A recent study by the city concludes that the contaminated water found in a drainage ditch near Bradley Park came from an underground pipe and not from the old landfill beneath the park." Water board still plans pumping of septic tanks (SLO Tribune, 7/25) "Water quality regulators say they will still try to force Los Osos residents to pump their septic tanks even if the beleaguered Los Osos Community Services District, $40 million in debt, declares bankruptcy." Osos septic tanks pollute, state says (SLO Tribune, 7/25) "A new water quality analysis has found small amounts of anti-seizure and antibiotic medications in Los Osos’ groundwater, which state regulators say is proof that pollution in the area comes from residents’ septic tanks." Seeping toxins (Riverside PE, 7/24) EDITORIAL: "Containing the pollutants now seeping into water in the San Gorgonio Pass will require septic-tank restrictions and new sewer lines. And public agencies need to act soon, because the cost of cleaning up the contaminants only increases with delay." —  Levees and Dams Army engineers criticize levees (Associated Press, 7/26) "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has withdrawn its endorsement of levees protecting parts of Sacramento, reversing a 1998 evaluation that has facilitated a construction boom in the Natomas area." Loose fitting may be cause of dam leak (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 7/25) "Engineers looking for the cause of a leak in an inflatable Russian River dam at Forestville's Wohler Bridge think they've found the problem to be a loose fitting that could be quickly repaired." Prepped for a deluge? (Sacramento Bee, 7/24) EDITORIAL: "When most of Sacramento was dropped from FEMA's official 100-year flood plain last year, authorities feared that thousands of property owners would cancel their flood insurance policies, which had been mandatory up to that point. " Levees need regional effort, chamber told (Sacramento Bee, 7/23) "Some river levees are getting fixed this summer, but Sacramento remains the nation's most flood-vulnerable large city and needs the support of the entire six-county region to deal with it, a top state water official told members of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce on Friday." —  Hetch Hetchy Undo Hetch Hetchy's dam shame (LA Times, 7/27) OPINION. "San Franciscans have long castigated Los Angeles for sneaking into the Owens Valley a century ago and 'stealing' its water. But Bay Area folks become apoplectic when anyone suggests tampering with their water supply, the source of which is a far greater infamy than the Owens Valley dust-up."   Tearing down dam a bomb in Capitol (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/23) "If advocates of tearing down San Francisco's dam at Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park were hoping for even a single word of support from the Bay Area's congressional delegation, they haven't gotten it. " Editorial: Truly impossible dream (Stockton Record, 7/24) EDITORIAL: "California environmentalists sometimes seem like they're living in an alternate universe. Look no further than their stubborn, against-all-odds effort to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its natural state." Dam foes plan their next move (Sonora Union Democrat, 7/23) "Leaders of Restore Hetch Hetchy, the Sonora-based group wanting to tear down O'Shaughnessy Dam and restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley, are planning their next moves based on a new state study of the restoration." —  Surface Water The return of the Napa River study (Napa Valley Register, 7/25) "This Wednesday may be one of the public's last chances to comment on a plan designed to reduce sediment in the Napa River." Killer algae: One invader successfully repelled (NC Times, 7/24) EDITORIAL: "Eradication of Carlsbad's 'killer algae' a big victory in defense of California's coast. It came without warning, likely in the dead of night. It crowded out the natives, depriving them of what they needed to survive." Interior officials, Yuroks sign Klamath pact (Eureka Times-Standard, 7/26) "High-level U.S. Interior Department officials came to Klamath on Tuesday to sign an agreement with the Yurok Tribe to cooperatively manage one of the West's most troubled rivers." Pollution cuts may restore Lake Tahoe clarity (LA Times, 7/25) "The renowned water clarity in Lake Tahoe can be returned to its historic 100 feet of visibility by cutting pollution by about 35% from runoff, chimney soot, dust and emissions from cars and trucks, according to UC Davis researchers who are conducting a study for state water officials." Salton Sea's catch is found safe to consume (Desert Sun, 7/25) "A fishing trip to the Salton Sea might be more than a way to kill time on a lazy afternoon. It could be a chance to score dinner. Researchers studying the beleaguered sea say its fish may be safer to eat than previously thought." —  Wastewater Hearing held on Kings Beach sewage spill (Tahoe Daily Tribune, 7/25) "Water quality regulators will likely decide Wednesday whether to fine two lakefront homeowners and their contractor $325,000 for their alleged role in a sewage spill that closed North Shore beaches for several weeks last summer." Auburn sewer rates remain unchanged (Auburn Journal, 7/25) "City sewer fees remain the same for now, but fees may be on the rise for next year." Sewer spill to cost Ross Valley agency $78,000 (Marin Independent-Journal, 7/23) "Regional water regulators have slapped the Ross Valley Sanitary District with a $78,000 fine for spilling 472,600 gallons of untreated waste during the Dec. 31 flood." —  Meetings Proposed CAFO Rule public meeting (EPA, 7/24) August 3. "US EPA is convening six public meetings around the country on the Proposed CAFO Rule published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2006. The revised NPDES permitting requirements for CAFOs respond to the February, 2005 Second Circuit Court of Appeals Waterkeeper Decision. The purpose of these meetings is to enhance public understanding of the proposed rule. On August 3, US EPA will hold it's California meeting in Sacramento see attached announcement." —  Local/Agency News Lucerne residents take a bath (Lake County Record-Bee, 7/26) "The long-awaited, overdue decision to determine water rates in Lucerne has finally been handed down by a judge, but the final rates, which the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will decide on, are yet to be determined." Eight days of Cal Am hearings (Monterey Herald, 7/24) "Eight days of hearings have been scheduled in San Francisco to hear evidence whether California American Water should proceed with its Coastal Water Project, a plan to build a regional seawater desalination plant at Moss Landing." Hydro plant to loom large in water board election (NC Times, 7/24) "In what promises to be an intense run-up to this November's water district elections, the hottest issue likely facing the candidates will be a massive hydroelectric power plant and a high-voltage transmission line proposed for the hills southwest of Lake Elsinore." IID: Local entity changes must be made (IV Press, 7/23) EDITORIAL. "As the San Diego County Water Authority sits back and watches, the Imperial Irrigation District Board and Local Entity have floundered in a sea of dysfunction on the issue of the water transfer." West Basin honors student for poster contest (West Basin Municipal Water District, 7/22) NEWS RELEASE. "Sixth-grade student Hannah Son from Jefferson School in the City of Redondo Beach was honored by the West Basin Municipal Water District Board of Directors Friday, July 21, for submitting the winning entry to the District’s “Water is Life” poster contest." —  Everything Else EPA pans plan for power plant (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 7/26) "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found major flaws with a plan to build a hydroelectric power plant in the Inland region that would flood one of two canyons in the Cleveland National Forest." Drought shrinks Brazil's famous Iguacu Falls (ENN, 7/26) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one: "An unusual dry spell has shrunk Brazil's postcard-famous Iguacu Falls to less than one-fifth its normal size, a near-record low, local media said Tuesday." Global warming puts U.S. parks at risk (ENN, 7/26) "Global warming puts 12 of the most famous U.S. national parks at risk, environmentalists said Tuesday, conjuring up visions of Glacier National Park without glaciers and Yellowstone Park without grizzly bears."   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