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Monday, August 7, 2006 Quote of the Day: "There's only so much you can do, but if somebody doesn't give you a chance there is nothing you can do." Charlize Theron Born on this Day: Mata Hari, Warren Covington, Stan Freberg, Ron Holden, B.J. Thomas, Lana Cantrell, John Glover, David Rasche, Caroline Aaron, Wayne Knight, Alberto Salazar, David Duchovny, DeLane Matthews, Marcus Roberts, Charlotte Lewis, Sydney Penny, and Charlize Theron. On this Day in 1782: George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart. 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: City of Oceanside: Wastewater Plant Operator I/II Spokane County: Wastewater Reclamation Manager MCWD: Assistant Engineer City of Long Beach: Capital Projects Coordinator VVWD: GIS Operator Want more? See all postings. BC EXCLUSIVE                            Super-Mollusk The unstoppable zebra mussel creeps West  "Spreading faster than a river runs, more powerful than a native mollusk, and able to leap onto the hull of any wandering ship. Look! … It's a shellfish. It's a freshwater mollusk. It's a zebra mussel. And this super-nuisance is coming to a waterway near you."   Today's News —  Water Supply Nipomo's conservation conundrum (SLO Tribune, 8/6) "The Nipomo Community Services District's first conservation specialist has come up with ways to get residents to conserve water, but district leaders recently disagreed with her suggestion over how much they should cut back." Not enough water in the Lake Powell (LA Daily News, 8/6) "Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border continues to suffer from a multiyear drought, and the effects of low water are everywhere from 'bathtub rings' on canyon walls to the loss of Hite Marina, left high and dry and shut down in 2003." Writer tells of effects of water grab (Columbia Daily Tribune, 8/6) "Karen Piper, who grew up on the fringes of the dried-up lake bed of Owens Lake in California, has authored 'Left in the Dust,' an account of the troubling effects left over from the massive diversion of water for Los Angeles." —  Water Quality Mayor lifts tap water warning for north S.D. (SD Union-Tribune, 8/7) "The city spigots are back on, and the threat of a tainted water supply has passed as mysteriously as it occurred this weekend."   Boil-water order lifted in north San Diego (NC Times, 8/7) "A boil-water order for several north San Diego communities that affected thousands of residents and forced the 24-hour shutdown of dozens of restaurants was lifted Sunday afternoon after tests showed no harmful levels of bacteria in the water supply, city officials said." LCR guidance on faucet aerators in the works (WaterWeek, 8/7) "USEPA is expected to issue guidance in the next month advising utilities not to ask homeowners who collect tap-water samples for Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) compliance purposes to remove faucet aerators prior to doing so." Award cut for Modesto dry cleaning pollution (Associated Press, 8/5) "A California judge has slashed a $175 million jury award to $13 million in a water contamination case brought by the city of Modesto against several companies, including Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials Co., a clerk said." Excrement in drinking water (Aftenposten, 8/5) Thanks to John Kabot for this one: "Nearly ten percent of Norway's 1234 waterworks facilities -representing 200,000 customers - failed to pass the E. coli test in the sampling taken by the Waterworks Register." —  Dams Doolittle makes case for Auburn dam (Auburn Journal, 8/5) "U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, delivered a buoyant pep talk Friday to the Auburn Dam Council on the latest prospects in Washington, D.C. for a multipurpose dam on the American River at Auburn." —  Hetch Hetchy Battle on to restore Hetch Hetchy (Monterey Herald, 8/6) "For years, environmentalists have advocated draining the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and returning the valley to its original splendor, while opponents say that would cost a bundle at a time when California needs all the water and electricity it can get." —  Beaches EPA sued over pollution at beaches (MSNBC, 8/5) "An environmental group has sued federal regulators, charging that they failed to protect beaches and the Great Lakes from pollution and that negligence by the Bush administration exposed swimmers and surfers to potential illnesses." Healthcare for the Oceans (LA Times, 8/5) OPINION. "Most of us surf, swim and fish without concern for the health of our oceans. But as the Los Angeles Times series 'Altered Oceans' made clear, all of that is at risk. The oceans are now afflicted with chronic problems caused by human activities. Like our own bodies, the seas suffer when we put too much into them and expect too much out of them." See the L.A. Times series 'Altered Oceans.' —  Salton Sea Sea's messy fish die-off cleaned up (Desert Sun, 8/6) "Officials wrapped up a several-day cleanup of dead fish at California's largest lake Saturday. Crews finished removing some 3 million dead fish that were floating around the Salton Sea Recreation Area's Varner Harbor by about noon Saturday."  Thousands of dead fish (LA Times, 8/5) "Driving along the northeastern shore of the Salton Sea early last week, Doug Barnum noticed the water was a bright lime green. It was a signal of something invisible going on in the lake's depths that would soon have an all-too-visible effect."  Big fish die-off at Salton Sea assaults senses (Riverside P/E, 8/5) "The fish die-off, stretching along more than 14 miles of shoreline, was accompanied by a sort of green tide caused by gypsum crystals that form in the lake during hot, windy weather, Bier said." See the related video. —  Flood Control County should seek settlement with Colonies (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 8/6) "Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Warner ruled against the county last week on just about every point in the case to determine whether land easements from the 1930s apply to recent flood-control improvements at the Colonies residential project in north Upland." —  Wastewater New  Los Osos sewer plan put at $100 million (SLO Tribune, 8/6) "As part of a sewer project proposed by an engineering firm hired by the Los Osos services district, the majority of the community's septic tanks would have to be replaced, but residents would pay $79 million less for a sewer, compared with an earlier, scrapped project." Wastewater issue salt in Tracy's wounds (Stockton Record, 8/5) "Upgrading the treatment plant on Holly Drive to enable that amount of desalinization could cost $100 million. But if Tracy fails to reduce the salt content, it could face fines of $32,500 per day." There's more to Arcata's marsh story (Eureka Times Standard, 8/5) OPINION. "The city of Arcata alleges that its effluent does not have an adverse impact on the receiving waters of Humboldt Bay. In fact, the city does not monitor the receiving waters of Humboldt Bay for impacts." Options for Willits treatment plant (Willits News, 8/7) "City staff and officials continue to identify a wetland-based treatment system and wildlife sanctuary as the "preferred alternative" for cleaning wastewater." —  Toxic Cleanups City of Riverside receives brownfields grant (EPA, 8/5) NEWS RELEASE. "Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $200,000 Brownfields grant to the City of Riverside, Calif. to investigate a downtown area for possible petroleum contamination." —  Meetings Sonoma Valley water management meeting (SCWA, 8/5) Aug. 14. "The Sonoma County Water Agency (Agency) welcomes members of the media and public to attend the first meeting of the Basin Advisory Panel on Sonoma Valley groundwater management planning. " WateReuse Symposium Golf Outing (WateReuse, 8/5) Sept. 10."The WateReuse Second Annual Golf Outing offers attendees of the 2006 WateReuse Annual Symposium the opportunity to mingle with water professionals, enjoy fresh air at the historic Brookside Golf Club and support Water for People, a charitable organization."   —  Local/Agency News Obit: Stuart Pyle, Water manager built future (Bakersfield Californian, 8/6) "Stuart Pyle, the man who made sure water flowed from Sacramento to Kern County fields and faucets for 17 years, died Tuesday at age 81 at his home in Bakersfield." —  Warming Scientists say warming triggers dead zone (Associated Press , 8/7) "Bottom fish and crabs washing up dead on Oregon beaches are being killed by a recurring "dead zone" of low-oxygen water that is larger than in previous years and may be triggered by global warming, scientists said." —  Everything Else Delta is at the core of safeguard strategy plan (SD Union Tribune, 8/5) "For the first time, California has started to map an all-in-one strategy to safeguard an economically vital network of highways, railroads and energy supply lines crisscrossing the heart of the state."   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