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Friday, Sept. 1, 2006 Quote of the Day:  "I worry that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else." Lily Tomlin Born on this Day:  Englebert Humperdinck, Edgar Burroughs, Rocky Marciano, Conway Twitty, Lily Tomlin, Barry Gibb, Dr. Phil, and Gloria Estefan. On this Day in 1972:  Bobby Fischer beat Russian world champion Boris Spassky inReykjavik to become the first American world chess champion. 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: MWD: Maintenance Mechanic I Rainbow Municipal Water District: Crew Leader Carmichael WD: Field Superintendent Carmichael WD: Financial Services Supervisor IRWD: Wetlands Specialist IRWD: Principal Engineer/Project Manager Want more? See all postings. Today's News —  Water Consortium presents plan for desal on ships (Monterey Herald, 9/1) "Forget land-based seawater desalination plants. A consortium of companies is proposing building ships carrying equipment to turn salt water into fresh and bringing it to shore." Upper District gets grant for water recycling (USGVMWD, 8/31) NEWS RELEASE. "The California State Water Resources Control Board approved a $1.6 million grant to the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (Upper District) for the current phase of the San Gabriel Valley Water Recycling Program." O.C. water pipeline project reaches milestone (OCWD, 8/31) NEWS RELEASE. "Orange County Water District (OCWD) completed the second of three segments of a 13-mile pipeline that will connect a new state-of-the-art water purification facility in Fountain Valley to an existing percolation pond in Anaheim." —  Contaminated Water 14 sickened after playing in San Jose fountain (Mercury News, 8/31) "San Jose has shut down the fountain at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez because health officials suspect as many as 14 people became sick after playing in the water there. —  Surface Water Settlement offer over Antioch creek expected (Contra Costa Times, 9/1) "State water-quality officials are expecting a settlement proposal from Antioch and a developer next week in response to a $300,000 fine that was levied against both entities in July for failing to clean up an old dump that is polluting a local creek." Concerns remain over Squaw Creek water (Lake Tahoe Tribune 8/31) "Some Squaw Valley residents and water district board members are concerned with the impact of water pumping on Squaw Creek." —  Dams Auburn dam study misses deadline (Auburn Journal, 8/31) "The due date for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to complete an updated cost-benefit study on the Auburn dam came and went Wednesday." —  Flood Control/Levees Flood bill killed in Assembly (Sacramento Bee, 9/1) "The California Legislature's last-gasp attempt to pass a package of flood-control proposals designed to lessen disaster risk and increase public safety died Thursday night in an Assembly committee." DWR co-sponsors FMA Conference (DWR, 8/31) NEWS RELEASE. "The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will again co-sponsor the Floodplain Management Association (FMA) Annual Conference, scheduled for September 5-8, at the Coronado Marriott in Coronado, California." Extended work hours will speed levee repairs (Sacramento Bee, 8/31) "To speed repair of levee erosion sites, the Sacramento District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is lifting restrictions on when contractors can work." Bill cuts governor's clout on levee standards (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/31) "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger probably will face a difficult decision when the Legislature asks him to sign a bill that will reduce his influence over the Reclamation Board, the agency in charge of the state's flood-control system." Lawmakers may gain oversight over board (Stockton Record, 8/31) "State lawmakers would gain oversight over a governor-appointed state board that has the power to influence housing developments in flood plains under a bill the Legislature sent to the governor Wednesday." Yuba moves road fees to fund levees (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 8/31) "Yuba County officials will temporarily borrow $10 million in road impact fees to the levee repair project to cover any shortfalls until state funds come in." —  Ocean News Project surveys undersea realm of the robofish (Monterey Herald, 8/31) "Below the surface of Monterey Bay, schools of robot 'fish' swim in circles, foraging for data that will allow scientists to map the ocean in three dimensions and reveal its secrets." —  Local/Agency News DeltaKeeper boss leaves after 9 months (Stockton Record, 9/1) "DeltaKeeper is fishing for yet another captain. Director Carrie McNeil, 31, is leaving the environmental advocacy group this week after nine months at its helm." Time for Cal-Am to give up game (Valley Press, 8/31) EDITORIAL. Thanks to Jim Graham for this one. "The saying goes that all good things  must come to an end. Whether one  thinks the ongoing saga between  California-American Water and Felton  Friends of Locally Owned Water is a  good thing, a bad thing or just plain ugly,  the time is clearly coming to put this  impasse out of its misery." Where is FLOW now? (Valley Post, 8/30) "By now, property owners in Felton have received two property tax bills reflecting the cost of the first $1 million in bonds from Measure W. The $11 million bond measure was overwhelmingly approved by voters in July of 2005 amid a frenzy of public debate. Measure W 'authorized' and funded San Lorenzo Valley water district's proposed purchase of Felton's privately owned water system." —  Safety Pipeline bill offers protection (Contra Costa Times, 9/1) "Nearly two years after five laborers died when a petroleum pipeline exploded at a Walnut Creek excavation site, legislation requiring training and certification for workers marking locations of dangerous underground utilities has reached the governor's desk." —  Meetings WateReuse Symposium Golf Outing 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."   Stars of the Future: Reuse and Desal Sept. 10-13. "21st Annual WateReuse Symposium to Focus on Water Reuse and Desalination. The latest information on water reuse and desalination applications, technologies, health and safety, funding, and legislative and regulatory activities will be on display September 10-13, 2006 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel during the 21st Annual WateReuse Symposium."   AWWA conference for water plant pros Sept. 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."   CASQA conference Sept. 25-27."The CASQA 2006 conference in Sacramento offers a full program of training workshops, presentations and exhibits for holders of municipal, industrial and construction NPDES stormwater permits.   —  Everything Else Aguirre takes aim at global warming (SD Union Tribune, 9/1) "San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre yesterday issued a 36-page report that said the city should do more to reduce global warming and prepare for its effects." U.S. science agency funds study center (Associated Press, 8/31) Thanks to Mark Moss for this one. "The National Science Foundation is giving $19 million to Oregon Health & Sciences University to create a national center for river-coastal research."   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