About Brown and Caldwell

Specialty Pages Asset Management Infrastructure Funding Water Resources SWRCB New Collection System Regulatory Program BC News Exclusives

Staff Ken Harlow, Crusty Editor Jennifer Finley, Managing Editor (E-mail Jennifer)

Recent News 7/21/2006 7/27/2006 7/28/2006 7/31/2006 8/1/2006 Archives About this newsletter Reader kudos Reader FAQs

Resources Meetings Agency links Other links Blogs: Hill Water Issues Los Osos Sewer ScienceBlog.com Tothelastdrop Water Conservation Water and Wastewater

Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Quote of the Day: "The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it." Laurence J. Peter Born on this Day: Myrna Loy, James Baldwin, Carroll O'Connor, Peter O'Toole, Wes Craven, Max Wright, Joanna Cassidy, Andrew Gold, Mojo Nixon, Victoria Jackson, Mary-Louise Parker, Edward Furlong, and Helen Kelley. On this Day in 1939: Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Roosevelt urging the U.S. to have an atomic weapons research program. 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: WVWD: Customer Service Supervisor City of Glendale: Water Facilities Operator City of Ontario: Assistant Utilities Director/Operations Carmichael Water District: Field Superintendent Carmichael Water District: Financial Services Sup. Suburban Water Systems: Engineering Manager Sacramento Suburban Water District: Distribution Operator I/II Want more? See all postings. Pics of the Week Seven Oaks Dam (Photos: Sheri Markley) "To protect both upper and lower Mainstem project communities, Seven Oaks Dam, a 550-foot-high and 2,980-foot long rockfill dam with a gross capacity of 145,600 acre feet, was constructed in the upper Santa Ana Canyon." From the County of Orange. Thanks to Ward Simmons with Best Best & Krieger for sending these photos. Do you have a photo you'd like to submit? Send us an e-mail. Today's News —  Water Pollution in Rialto wells rises (San Bernardino Sun, 8/2) "Perchlorate contamination in local groundwater has spiked, claims a study released today." Decision postponed on Central Valley's water (SLO Tribune, 8/2) "The federal Bureau of Reclamation has indefinitely postponed issuing its decision of how it will dispose of selenium-tainted farm water from the Central Valley." San Marcos says leakage at park not from landfill (NC Times, 8/2) "The Regional Water Quality Control Board is expected to decide this week what the city should do about a water leak discovered in March near the old Linda Vista Landfill, which lies under Bradley Park." Desalination must remain on tap (NC Times, 8/2) EDITORIAL. "New questions swimming around project after county water authority's interest dries up. The effort to transform ocean water into drinking water along the North County coast took a major step last week, but whether it was a step forward or back isn't immediately clear." Santa Barbara seeks regional water plan (Lompoc Record, 8/1) "Santa Barbara County officials are asking water districts and the eight cities in the county to support an “integrated regional water management plan” that would make the jurisdictions eligible for an estimated $350 million in statewide funding." Clear Creek to stop water chlorination (Lassen County News, 8/1) "The state mandate to chlorinate the Clear Creek residential water supply was lifted July 18 after water samples taken from the spring tested normal, reported Annie Hill, maintenance manager for the Clear Creek Community Services District." —  Hetch Hetchy At $10 billion, Hetch Hetchy is a costly dream (Redding Record-Searchlight, 8/1) EDITORIAL. "Almost since it was built, environmentalists have dreamed of draining the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park to restore a valley that was called a 'mountain temple.'" —  Altered Oceans A primeval tide of toxins (Part One) (LA Times, 7/30) "Runoff from modern life is feeding an explosion of primitive organisms. This 'rise of slime,' as one scientist calls it, is killing larger species and sickening people." Sentinels under attack (Part Two) (LA Times, 7/31)  "Toxic algae that poison the brain have caused strandings and mass die-offs of marine mammals — barometers of the sea's health." Dark tides, Ill winds (Part Three) (LA Times, 8/1) "With sickening regularity, toxic algae blooms are invading coastal waters. They kill sea life and send poisons ashore on the breeze, forcing residents to flee." Plague of plastic chokes the seas (Part Four) (LA Times, 8/1) "On Midway Atoll, 40% of albatross chicks die, their bellies full of trash. Swirling masses of drifting debris pollute remote beaches and snare wildlife." —  Surface Water Celebrating the Los Cerritos Wetlands (Long Beach Press-Telegram, 8/1) "A small army of environmental activists joined City Hall and state officials Tuesday to salute everyone's efforts at securing the purchase of 66 acres of degraded wetlands, vowing to continue the push to purchase and restore all of the sprawling Los Cerritos Wetlands." Mokelumne closes again due to currents, debris (Lodi News-Sentinel, 8/2) "Citing recent emergency rescues and fast-moving water, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors closed parts of the Mokelumne River today to all boating and rafting." Fish cleanup effort begins today (Lake County Record-Bee, 8/1) "Biologists are searching for clues to determine what has killed scores of fish in Clear Lake." San Luis Drainage feature re-evaluated (Bureau of Reclamation, 8/1) NEWS RELEASE. "The Bureau of Reclamation and the parties involved in a lawsuit to provide drainage to the San Luis Unit have agreed to reschedule completion of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the San Luis Drainage Feature Re-evaluation Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)."   Oceans teem with bacteria, study shows (Reuters, 8/1) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one. "The oceans are teeming with 10 to 100 more types of bacteria than previously believed, many of them unknown, according to a study released on Monday that has jolted scientists' understanding of evolution in the seas."  —  Wastewater Issues plague EMWD sewer work (Riverside P/E, 8/2) "A troubled sewer-construction project has left Eastern Municipal Water District scrambling, at least one San Jacinto City Council member upset, six housing developers behind schedule and an unknown number of home buyers potentially in the lurch." Sewage leak shuts down San Clemente shoreline (CBS, 8/2) "Authorities declared about 600 feet of North Beach shoreline in San Clemente as off limits Tuesday because a blockage in a private collection system sent sewage into the ocean." Residents fight off tripled sewer rates (San Mateo Daily Journal, 8/2) "Residents of the Crystal Springs Sewer District successfully held off a proposal to triple rates in the next five years by gathering written protests from a majority of homeowners." Stop shifting sewer blame in Los Osos (SLO Tribune, 8/1) OPINION. "In his effort to justify the Los Osos Community Service District board’s behavior over the past 10 months, Chuck Cesena has omitted a few facts:" Ferndale plant revision could save millions (Eureka Times Standard, 8/1) "The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has agreed to the city's suggestion that it continue to use chlorine for disinfection at the yet-to-be-built wastewater treatment plant -- on a trial basis." —  Flood Control Judge rules for Colonies, blasts county (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 8/1) "Accusing county officials of deceit, coercion and jeopardizing public safety, a Superior Court judge ruled Monday that San Bernardino County is responsible for flood-control facilities at a major Upland development." —  Local/Agency News Escondido sets sights on merging with district (LA Times, 8/1) "Arguing that it would make more sense for customers ---- and possibly reduce utility rates ---- some city officials have set their sights on folding the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District into Escondido's own water department." Obit: Environmental advocate Tim McKay dies (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 8/1) "North Coast environmentalists and political leaders Monday mourned the sudden death of Tim McKay, the longtime executive director of the Northcoast Environmental Center in Arcata." Auburn water board due for major cleanup (Auburn Journal, 8/1) OPINION. "Although nothing yet has been officially scheduled, sooner rather than later, the Auburn City Council will gather to conduct a workshop. The main focus of this open-meeting think tank will be sewage."  —  Everything Else Studies find the toxic tide of Martian dust storms (Space.com, 8/2) "Dust storms raging across the surface of Mars may wield toxic chemicals that could poison any forms of life as we know it on the planet's surface, according to two NASA-sponsored studies." Environment suffers during Mideast crisis (Associated Press, 8/2) "Endangered turtles die shortly after hatching from their eggs. Fish float dead off the coast. Flaming oil sends waves of black smoke toward the city. " —  Publications WateReuse Foundation report: Investigation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine Fate and Transport. (WateReuse Foundation, 8/1) NEWS RELEASE. "The WateReuse Foundation announces the release of a new research report entitled Investigation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) Fate and Transport. Prior to this project, little was known about the potential for loss of NDMA and NDMA precursors under conditions experienced in water reuse programs. Results from this study indicate that NDMA and NDMA precursors in wastewater effluent may be removed during landscape irrigation or groundwater recharge under certain conditions." AWWA: 2006 AWWA Conference Proceedings (AWWA, 8/2) "Proceedings of the 2006 AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition held June 2006 in San Antonio, TX. CD-ROM provides current information on all aspects of drinking water. Topics include water quality, water resources and conservation, water utility security, water utility vulnerability assessments, conventional and advanced water treatment, desalination, water reclamation and reuse, water transmission and distribution, system infrastructure, water utility management, water plant operations, privatization and competition, automation, regulations, benchmarking." 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