Tuesday’s top of the scroll: Senator Lois Wolk of Solano wins Delta appointment
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:56 amFrom the Vacaville Reporter:
“Senator Lois Wolk, D-Solano, whose district includes four of the five counties in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, was appointed recently to the state conservancy tasked with implementing ecosystem restoration and advancing environmental protection and economic well being in the Delta.
“I take this responsibility very seriously, and look forward to working to advance restoration of this unique and vital resource while promoting the Delta as a place,” Wolk said in a press release announcing the appointment. She was named by the Senate’s Rules Committee to serve on The Delta Conservancy. … “
Continue reading from the Vacaville Reporter by clicking here.
Seeking clues to quagga quandary
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:54 am
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
“A promising solution to the quagga-mussel invasion that threatens water supplies in San Diego and other parts of the West could soon be tested in open waters for the first time in the U.S., a leading quagga expert said Monday.
That news and other developments in the fight against the invasive species will be shared this week at a San Diego conference about aquatic invaders.
Quagga mussels and their close relatives, zebra mussels, have been particularly challenging to researchers in recent years because they reproduce at alarming rates and clog water supply systems. The critters have been a costly nuisance for water suppliers and harmful to the ecosystem. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
In solar power lies path to reducing water use for energy
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:52 am
From Circle of Blue Water News:
“California’s Mojave Desert, which drivers cross on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, encompasses 20 million acres of land and three national parks, hosts 2,500 species of plants and animals, is shadowed by mountain ridges that rise to nearly 12,000 feet, and has the largest collection of solar thermal power plants in the world.
Between 1984 and 1991, Luz International Ltd., a Los Angeles—based engineering company, developed and built nine solar electricity generating stations in the Mojave that produce a total of 354 megawatts, about the same amount as a small coal-fired utility.
Six years ago Arnold Goldman, the founder of Luz, formed BrightSource Energy, moved the company to Oakland, and got busy modernizing the design and preparing for the biggest dash for cash ever seen in the solar thermal industry. … “
Continue reading from the Circle of Blue Water News by clicking here.
Photo of solar panels by flickr photographer divwerf.
Inside a toxic hellhole, Iron Mountain Mine
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:44 am
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
“A strange chemical smell lingered in the stifling heat as a group of environmental scientists groped in the darkness through one of the most polluted places on Earth.
The Iron Mountain Mine, outside of Redding, is a hellish pit where acid water sloshes against your boots, greenish bacterial slime gurgles out of the walls, and stalactites and stalagmites of acid salt, copper and iron jut out like rusty daggers.
“You don’t want to splash this stuff,” said Rick Sugarek, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s project manager for the Iron Mountain Superfund site. “This is the concentrated stuff.” … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Photo of Iron Mountain Mine debris basin courtesy of the NOAA.
Fresno Bee News Blog on river restoration lawsuit: No, this is not a Westlands lawsuit
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:43 amFrom the Fresno Bee News Blog:
“Over the weekend, someone asked me if the lawsuit against the effects of the San Joaquin River restoration was filed by Westlands Water District farmers.
No.
The Wolfsen family in the Los Banos area filed the claim for damage from flooding and seepage. They are definitely west siders, but they are not in Westlands. … “
Mark Grossi clarifies more details in this post at the Fresno Bee News blog – click here.
On the Public Record: On separating the State Water Project from DWR, & more
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:38 amOn the Public Record blog sits down to actually read the Little Hoover Commission report, and begins a likely series on the report (beginning overview post here) and then in a second post, delves in to the question of separation of the SWP & DWR::
“The LHC report on a new water governance structure proposes to make the State Water Project (the actual reservoirs, plumbing, water rights and operations) its own deal, separate from DWR who runs it now. The LHC mentions a whole host of problems with using the state civil service to staff the water project operations; I have no firsthand knowledge about the severity of these problems. I can vouch that getting hired with the state is profoundly screwy. Maybe it does cause problems over at the projects.
Then the report goes on to say that the State Water Project (state) and the Central Valley Project (feds) should get married and live together forever in the State Water Project’s new home, which I have no problem with, because I’m totally openminded like that (pg 65).
Now for the aspects of separating the State Water Project from DWR that I do have opinions about … “
Continue reading from the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
On the Public Record blog also reacts to yesterday’s Hanford Sentinel story on the Dudley Ridge transfer:
” … the thing that always strikes me about Dudley Ridge is that unlike anywhere else I know of, there is no District identity. The “District” can’t disagree with anyone, because there is nothing that would ordinarily make up a “District.” No one lives in Dudley Ridge, unless maybe there are some laborer camps. So there is no “public” to go to district board meetings, issue comment and run for the Board if they don’t like the direction the district is going. … “
Continue reading this post from On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Once-in-a-century salmon run hits Canada’s West Coast
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:29 amFrom Scientific American:
“Every year Vancouver resident Stephen Ottridge takes hamburgers or steak to his street’s annual summer block party.
This year, against the backdrop of what looks to be the biggest sockeye salmon run in almost a century in the nearby Fraser River, he arrived with a salmon large enough to fill the whole barbecue.
“There is a cornucopia of salmon this year, so we decided to treat the block to some,” Ottridge said from the city on Canada’s Pacific Coast, where marine experts are both puzzled and delighted by the unexpected glut of the bright-red, succulent fish. … “
Continue reading from Scientific American by clicking here.
Watering deserts
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:28 amFrom Clean Technica:
“The increasing desertification of the planet due to climate change is a serious threat to future humans, so technology that can create water in deserts is arguably one of the more critical technologies that we need to master.
Wacky ideas that purport to solve serious climate issues are a dime a dozen, but ones that have actually proven themselves – by actually working in the real world – are welcome news.
At two years into successful operation on the largely arid Arabian peninsula, the “fog catcher” is such a concept. … “
Continue reading from Clean Technica by clicking here.
Siskiyou County: Fairgrounds overflows with water rights activists
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:22 amFrom the Siskiyou Daily News:
“More than 500 people filled Winema Hall on the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds Saturday evening to show support for Protect Our Water – Scott Valley’s efforts to combat what its membership believes to be an unconstitutional attempt to control water in the valley, use of which has traditionally been a legally adjudicated right of property owners.
A number of attendees were seen wearing a copy of the U.S. Constituion in their otherwise empty holsters; organizers claim the offcially unsanctioned action was meant as a symbol that concerned citizens were ready to protect their constitutional rights, which they believe are being violated in this issue. … “
Continue reading from the Siskiyou Daily News by clicking here.
Tribes join Humboldt County’s bid for Trinity water; meeting with feds in September may prove critical to securing region’s share
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:18 am
From the Eureka Times-Standard:
“Fifty-five years after Congress pledged billions of gallons of water to Humboldt County as part of the effort to dam the Trinity River, the region may be the closest it’s been to actually getting it.
In the most recent push to see the water released into the river, Humboldt County has taken up offers of assistance from the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes, both long-engaged in river battles themselves. The group is scheduled to meet with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Conner on Sept. 16, and is hopeful that a decision will be made on the matter. … “
Continue reading from the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
Photo of Trinity River by flickr photographers Vlad & Marina Butsky.
Presidio Parkway could revive a wetland buried by asphalt
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:12 amFrom the Bay Citizen:
“It may look like a forgotten military landscape, decaying beneath an elevated freeway and overgrown with weeds, but hidden below the abandoned buildings and broken pavement, Presidio planners see the potential to regenerate a wetland.
Quartermaster Reach is currently so neglected, most people don’t even know it exists. Floating between Lucasfilm’s Letterman complex and the Presidio Post Office, some sections have been abandoned for decades. A disused power plant sits at one end, and piles of dirt and construction debris mark the northern edge. Once home to Yelamu Ohlone, Mexican settlers commandeered the area’s flow of fresh water in the 1700s, the military established a shooting range on the site in the 1800s and paving for Doyle Drive erased the site’s history by the 1930s. … “
Continue reading from the Bay Citizen by clicking here.
Water district run by SID, Dixon should stand on its own
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:09 amFrom the Woodland Daily Democrat:
“After months of deliberation, an agreement to reshape the water system that serves some 2,600 mostly residential customers in Dixon could soon become a reality. Despite some bumps, it appears to be headed in the right direction.
One of those bumps came 10 days ago, when not enough members of the Solano Irrigation District showed up for a joint meeting with the Dixon City Council to make a decision about the fate of the Dixon Solano Municipal Water Service.
Since 1984, the water service has been operated as a partnership between the two agencies, under terms spelled out in a joint exercise of powers agreement. Earlier this year, the boards agreed to change that to a joint powers authority. … “
Continue reading from the Woodland Daily Democrat by clicking here.
Leaders not worried enough about Asian clam threat to Lake Tahoe, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 8:07 am
From Sierra Sun, this commentary:
“The image conjured by Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s observation at the recent Lake Tahoe Summit that “If you organized all the Asian clams currently in the lake end to end, it would stretch 3.5 miles long,” was both humorous and foreboding, and it raised the questions of just how much of a threat Asian clams are to the lake and how effective current and planned control efforts will be.
A single-file, three and a half mile long column of clams would assuredly be an amusing sight, but since the nickel-sized clams would only cover a total area less than half of that of a tennis court they would not present an imposing sight. And this may explain the misbegotten belief that they will be easy to eliminate or to control — after all how hard can it be to eliminate 1,500 square feet of clams? … “
Continue reading from the Sierra Sun by clicking here.
Salmon law rankles gold seekers
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:59 amFrom the Union Democrat:
“One year after a state-imposed moratorium on suction dredging, the prospectors at the Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association camp on Italian Bar Road are digging for other things to do.
Some are using other methods to prospect, like panning and sluice boxing, while others are exploring the surrounding area.
“They’ll go hike up to the Old Watch Tower, things like that. They’d been coming up here for years but they were singularly focused,” said Gary Rhinevault, caretaker at the association’s camp. The LDMA began in 1976 with the Italian Bar camp and has since expanded to 16 deeded, patented properties across eight states, available to its membership of recreational prospecting enthusiasts. … “
Continue reading from the Union Democrat by clicking here.
Bishop rancher presses for answers on water
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:57 amFrom Sierra Wave:
“The Inyo-LA Standing Committee, minus any decision-makers from LA, met in Independence Friday. They opened the meeting at the boardroom and then promptly took off for a field trip near Black Rock.
Later in the day, tribal members strongly protested the plan to turn on a well that had been off for twelve years due to risk of environmental damage. Inyo and LA want to turn it on for a re-greening project in Big Pine. … “
Continue reading from Sierra Wave by clicking here.
Watsonville misses state deadline for fluoride answer but committee recommends going ahead with contract to pay for fluoridation
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:52 amFrom the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
“A City Council committee is recommending Watsonville move forward with a contract to pay for fluoridation of the public water supply.
The 2-1 decision by the committee came Monday, a day after a deadline set by the state Department of Public Health for the city to commit to fluoridating its water.
The contract with the California Dental Association Foundation won’t come before the City Council until Sept. 28, meaning Watsonville also will miss a second deadline in September to supply state public health officials with a timetable for implementation. … “
Continue reading from the Santa Cruz Sentinel by clicking here.
Kerry Cavanaugh: LA utility bills are explained
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:48 amFrom the Los Angeles Daily News:
“Every two months, the green monster arrives in the mail. Ugly, confusing and almost always bigger than expected, it’s the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power bill.
Nobody enjoys receiving a utility bill, but the DWP’s version is notorious for being particularly complicated and obscure. The information is jumbled and presented in 1980s-era typeface. There are multiple totals and subtotals. I’ve been getting six bills a year for eight years, but I still have to search for the total amount due each time.
I’m not alone. About 40 percent of calls to DWP are about customer bills, and many of those are simple questions that shouldn’t require a call, such as “When is my bill due?” … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Daily News by clicking here.
Orange County sewage spills plummet over past decade
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:46 amFrom the O. C. Register:
“Sewage spills and ocean-swimming closures hit new lows in Orange County over the past decade and longer, with one small but important gap: budget cuts forced the county to scrap beach testing in November and December last year.
A new report from the county Health Care Agency also shows downward trends in the posting of warning signs because of bacterial contamination along beaches during the state-mandated monitoring period, Apr. 1 to Oct. 31. … “
Continue reading from the O. C. Register by clicking here.
Oceanside sewer rate hike a phony sob story, says resident commentary
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:43 amFrom the North County Times. this commentary:
“Oceanside has had four utility rate increases in the past four years.
Each time, the ratepayers are told that water rates need to go up because the Metropolitan Water District is raising the cost of water and passing along that cost to the city. Each time, a sewer rate increase is piggybacked on the water rate increase.
With each sewer rate increase proposal comes a sob story about old and worn-out sewer infrastructure needing replacement to avoid sewage spills that could lead to massive fines. … “
Continue reading this commentary from the North County Times by clicking here.
State Sen. Denise Ducheny’s attempt to create Salton Sea Restoration Council conflicts with regional coalition
Posted by: Maven on August 31, 2010 at 7:36 am
From MyDesert.com:
“A bill to create a governing body for Salton Sea restoration is putting at odds one of the sea’s longtime legislative champions and the leading local advocacy group for California’s largest lake.
Senate Bill 51, authored by state Sen. Denise Ducheny, would create the Salton Sea Restoration Council, a governing body of state and local officials and citizen representatives that would oversee restoration efforts at the dying sea.
The State Assembly was expected to vote on the bill Monday, and if passed it was to return to the state Senate for a vote today — the last day that such a bill can be passed for the year. … “
Continue reading from MyDesert.com by clicking here.
Monday’s top of the scroll: Icky algae’s spread stumps scientists
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:54 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“On a sunny stretch of the Bear River near Colfax, the cool water carries a nasty surprise for swimmers and fishermen.
Look closely at the water flowing by. It carries clots of a feathery substance that looks like shredded toilet paper. Step into the gravelly shallows. Your feet will scream at you to get out of the sewage spill.
But this isn’t sewage. About 10 miles of the Bear River below Rollins Reservoir is infested with a strange algae called “didymo,” short for its scientific name, Didymosphenia geminata. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
5 years after Katrina: Sacramento levees in disrepair
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:50 amA few years ago, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about Sacramento’s flood risk, calling it “The Most Flood Proned City Not Named New Orleans”. Have things changed for our state capitol? From News 10:
“Five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region, Sacramento area levees remain vulnerable.
U.C. Davis Geologist Jeffrey Mount has sounded the alarm for years about crumbling levees. “I think from a Katrina style disaster, right behind in Sacramento.” … “
Continue reading from News 10 by clicking here.
Assemblyman Cameron Smyth to present bill to limit water boards’ ability to levy fines
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:44 amFrom the Santa Clarita Signal:
“Santa Clarita Valley Assemblyman Cameron Smyth wants the regional water boards that issue “devastating fines” against small towns to be more accountable to the public and is calling on an oversight body to see that it happens.
“My concern is that when you have this sort of bureaucracy, and state agencies that really aren’t accountable to the public, issuing fines that are more or less arbitrary, fines that can be devastating to a community, then we need to have more oversight,” he said Friday.
“If nothing else but to give the public a better idea of what these agencies are doing,” he said. … “
Continue reading from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.
Solar thermal plant approved for Mojave desert
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:36 am
From the California Independent Voter Network, this commentary about a recent thermal solar plant approved for the Mojave desert, twelve more are seeking approval, with as many as 34 currently being planned:
” … Solar thermal uses rows of parabolic trough mirrors to focus heat on liquid-filled tubes to create steam to run turbines, thus generating electricity. The liquid in the pipes can be water as well as other fluids. Some solar thermal plants store excess heat in molten salt to be used to create power when the sun isn’t shining. The Beacon Project appears to not store excess heat and does not use water in its pipes. It will however use a startling amount of water, over 500 million gallons a year, for cooling. Yikes. Initially the water was going to be pumped out of freshwater wells. However opposition to this environmentally noxious scheme forced a change and now the water will be reclaimed sewage water piped in from nearby towns. However, it’s not clear what happens to the water after beacon uses it. Will it be piped back to the towns, into aquifers, or something else? … “
Continue reading from the California Independent Voter Network by clicking here.
Photo of solar panel by flickr photographer Divwerf.
Health testing way down at California beaches
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:29 am
From the Los Angeles Times:
“Health testing of California’s beaches has slumped to its lowest level since ocean monitoring became law more than a decade ago, putting swimmers, surfers and divers at greater risk of exposure to contaminated water, a Times investigation has found.
Beaches from San Diego to the Bay Area are being tested less often and in fewer locations; some are going untested for months at a time. Statewide, the number of annual tests for bacteria has dropped by nearly half since 2005, according to a Times analysis of state records. … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Antibacterial agents may be raising greenhouse gas levels
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:14 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Smelly feet may be the price we have to pay for saving the planet. A new study reported by New Scientist has discovered that nanoparticles commonly found in antibacterial socks may be inadvertently raising levels of greenhouse gases.
Researchers are concerned that silver nanoparticles – antibacterial agents used in a range of products, including odor-free socks – have been escaping into the water system and killing friendly bacteria often used to treat wastewater. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Commentary: Pacific Power sees the light by nurturing Klamath River
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:12 amFrom Redding’s Record-Searchlight, this commentary by local resident and fisherman John Spencer:
“Here I am sitting under the cooler while outside it is around 98 degrees. It is very warm here on the Klamath River. Pacific Power raised the river flow a few days ago from 850 cubic feet per second to 900. The Pacific Power Co. releases the water from about 70 feet down. I took a temperature of the water, which indicated 62 degrees. Perfect for resident fish and wildlife to flourish.
Pacific Power, a subsidiary of Scottish Power, has taken a positive position of being a partner in protecting fish and wildlife by keeping the temperatures of the Klamath cool. … “
Continue reading John Spencer’s commentary by clicking here.
Butte County Water Commission meets Wednesday in Oroville
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:11 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“The Butte County Water Commission will meet at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the county Administration Building, 25 County Center Drive in Oroville.
Discussions will include an update by Agricultural Commissioner Richard Price on the Irrigated Lands Program, which includes water monitoring. … “
Find out what else is on the agenda from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
Water district responds to grand jury report regarding Dudley Ridge water transfer; South Kings water district affirms some aspects of report, takes issue with other recommendations
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:07 amFrom the Hanford Sentinel:
“The Dudley Ridge Water District was hardly a household name until last September.
All it took was a little headline-grabbing controversy – the $73 million sale of water rights from the south Kings County water agency to Southern California. The result was an investigation by the Kings County grand jury, whose findings were released in June.
Officials with the southern Kings County water agency were satisfied with the finding that the sale was completely legal, but took issue with recommendations that there be “more forceful oversight” to discourage permanent water transfers like the one done by Dudley Ridge. … “
Continue reading from the Hanford Sentinel by clicking here.
Commentary: Clarifying increase for Cal Am Water
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:05 amFrom the Monterey County Herald, this commentary by Jack Hawks, executive director of the California Water Association:
“In its Aug. 20 editorial, “Cal Am customers get it coming and going,” The Herald criticized California American Water for requesting “too many” rate increases.
As executive director of the California Water Association, I am well-acquainted with the rate-making process for utilities regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission and welcome the opportunity to clarify some facts for your readers.
While Cal Am’s customers are justifiably concerned about the rate increases, it’s important to understand that they stem almost exclusively from the extraordinarily high costs of supplying water for the region and complying with government regulations. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Cow power not cutting it
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 8:00 amFrom KQED News:
“Three years ago, KQED’s QUEST visited a Central Valley dairy that was taking an innovative approach to its waste problem. Instead of collecting thousands of pounds of cow manure in open holding ponds, Joseph Gallo Farms uses it in a renewable energy technology known as a methane digester.
Methane gas is a natural byproduct of cow digestion. It’s produced as bacteria inside their stomaches break down food. That process continues on the back end (so to speak) as cow manure decomposes. … “
Continue reading from KQED News by clicking here.
Crescenta Valley Water Water district has some explaining to do, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 7:55 amFrom the Glendale News Press, this editorial:
“Despite already having among the highest water rates in the region, Crescenta Valley Water District officials are poised to bump them up even higher. But so far, no one seems to care.
The story of rising rates is shared among neighboring utilities, which have struggled to reconcile the decreased revenue that comes with greater water conservation with the fixed, or even rising, costs of doing business. But the Crescenta Valley Water District hasn’t done a good job of explaining why its water rates are more expensive, instead persistently invoking the need to keep up with the rising costs of importing water from the Foothill Municipal Water District. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Glendale News Press by clicking here.
Colorado River forum to discuss local projects
Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2010 at 7:53 amFrom the Yuma Sun:
“Updates on an environmental program and the Yuma Desalting Plant pilot run are on the agenda for the Colorado River Citizens Forum.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Yuma Community Food Bank, 2404 E. 24th St. … “
Sunday’s top of the scroll: Legislature expected to approve SB 346, which aims to reduce copper in brake pads to protect water, fish
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:26 am
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
“A ground-breaking compromise to greatly reduce the amount of copper used in vehicle brake pads has been reached — a welcome relief to San Diego regional water-quality officials staring at the threat of heavy fines for having elevated levels of the toxic material washing into watersheds and bays.
Every time motorists apply their brakes trace amounts of copper dust settle on roads and parking lots. Rain then carries the particles into waterways, threatening drinking water and marine life.
The Legislature in the next few days is expected to approve the complex deal, detailed in a bill carried by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position, but manufacturers, environmental groups and water-quality officials behind the compromise are lobbying for his signature. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
Plastic bag ban forges ahead in California
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:22 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“As Bay Area governments lead the charge on banning plastic carry-out bags, a bill reaching the final stages of the legislative process could make cloth bags a necessity for all California shoppers.
It’s been three years since a landmark San Francisco law began reducing plastic bag pollution, which environmentalists say continues to sully the sea, strangle wildlife and clog storm drains. Since then, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County and other local governments have passed similar laws — a pressure buildup pushing the state to act.
A sweeping ban San Jose officials have considered for three years is headed for a fall approval. Although it would apply to more stores and charge shoppers more for recycled paper bags than what the Legislature is considering, San Jose’s effort could be halted by passage of the state law. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Dan Bacher: Schwarzenegger signs bill to delay water bond
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:20 amFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 10 signed Assembly Bill 1265 (Caballero and Jeffries), a measure that would delay the controversial $11.14 billion water bond until November 2012.
Schwarzenegger signed the bill to delay Proposition 18 the day after it passed through the Assembly on a 54-22 vote – the bare minimum required for a two-thirds vote. The Senate approved the measure on a 27-7 vote earlier that day.
In contrast with usual plethora of press releases, photos and video clips that the Governor’s Office sends to media outlets whenever he signs a bill, the bill signing was only indicated by a terse announcement from his office that AB 1265 and a companion measure, AB 1260 (Fuller) had been signed. AB 1260 specifies that the newly-appointed members of the California Water Commission, the panel charged with allocating funding for surface storage projects if the bond is approved by voters, are to serve a four-year term expiring in May 2014. … “
Continue reading from Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Smart and fast, marine mammals are guarding our military bases
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:15 am
Reporters from the Seattle Times recently visited a Navy Base in San Diego where the Navy is training dolphins to protect a naval submarine base from terrorist attacks:
” … We’d come to this military outpost in San Diego because this is where the U.S. Navy trains marine mammals to stop invaders. Here, every day, beneath the California sun, dolphins named Bunsen, Slooper, Shasta, Maddie, Crockett, Bugs and Bertha learn to sweep for hidden mines or bump and tag divers pretending to be underwater guerrillas. Fat-whiskered sea lions practice cuffing intruding swimmers with giant leg traps.
Some time this year — the Navy won’t say when — up to 20 of these creatures will make their debut in Puget Sound. They’ll patrol the waters of Hood Canal, on the lookout for agents of al-Qaida or any other enemy who might try infiltrating the Trident Submarine Base at Bangor.
We wanted to understand how it is in 2010 that Flipper still plays so significant a role in the art of war. … “
Continue reading from the Seattle Times by clicking here.
Study find little contamination from dairy antibiotics
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:07 am
From Sierra 2 the Sea:
“In the first large study to track the fate of a wide range of antibiotics given to dairy cows, UC Davis scientists found that the drugs routinely end up on the ground and in manure lagoons, but are mostly broken down before they reach groundwater.
The findings should help alleviate longstanding fears that dairy farms, and the fields fertilized with their waste, might lead to large-scale groundwater contamination.
“What we found is that antibiotics can frequently be found at the manure-affected surfaces of the dairy operation (such as corrals and manure flush lanes) but generally degrade in the top 12 inches of soil,” said Thomas Harter, an expert on the effects of agriculture on groundwater quality and the Robert M. Hagan Chair for Water Management and Policy at UC Davis. … “
Continue reading from Sierra 2 the Sea by clicking here.
Klamath Basin’s water worries extend to wells
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:04 amFrom Oregon Live:
“During the last big drought crisis in the Klamath Basin, in 2001, Carleton Farms filed for bankruptcy. Nine summers later, amid drought crisis No. 2, heavy pumping of wells that Jim Carleton and his neighbors installed since 2001 is saving his bacon, or, more precisely, his alfalfa, potatoes, wheat, cattle and 12 employees who work his 2,000 acres.
As a Merrill councilman who oversees public works, Carleton also experienced the downside of this year’s unprecedented well use. In June, after Merrill’s wells ran dry, the town trucked in water for days and spent upward of $25,000 lowering its wellhead. … “
Continue reading from Oregon Live by clicking here.
Where do we get water? Sonoma County owes its supply to a complex system of wells, pumps and reservoirs
Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2010 at 8:02 amFrom the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“Six wells plunging up to 60 feet into deep gravel beds beneath the Russian River near Forestville draw out water that supplies 600,000 residents in Sonoma and Marin counties.
Massive pumps with a combined 14,750-horsepower rating pull water from the gravel aquifer and propel it into a distribution system that serves six cities and three water districts from Windsor to Sausalito.
Technically, it is all Russian River water. But it comes to the pumps from a system that stretches nearly 100 miles to the north and collects rainfall from 235 square miles of watershed in hilly, rural reaches of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. … “
Continue reading from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.
Aquafornia's Information Desk
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | |||
Click here for full-sized calendar
Aquafornia's Photos on Flickr
Aquafornia's Mission
Aquafornia's mission is to educate readers about the complex and often controversial issues surrounding water in California.
Aquafornia is affiliated with the Water Education Foundation, an impartial, nonprofit organization, whose mission is to create a better understanding of water resources and foster public understanding and resolution of water resource issues through facilitation, education and outreach.
E-mail Newsletter
To receive email announcements from the Water Education Foundation, sign up here.
Web Resources
Agriculture
Climate Change & Water
Conservation
Current Conditions
Delta & SF Bay Resources
- Bay Delta Developments
- Bay Institute
- Bay-Delta Conservation Plan
- Delta Atlas
- Delta Protection Commission
- Delta Stewardship Council
- Delta Vision Foundation
- Delta WaterMaster
- Discover the Delta Foundation
- Restore the Delta
- San Francisco Bay and Delta (Access USGS)
- San Francisco Baykeeper
- San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science website
- San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Employment & Water
Environmental Organizations
Fishing Blogs/Organizations
Investing & Water
Landscaping
Legal Blogs
Legislative Committees - State & Federal
- California State Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife
- California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Water
- House Natural Resource Committee, Water & Power Subcommittee
- New State Water Legislation Mandates (KMTG)
- Senate Commitee on Environment & Public Works, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee
- The California Channel
Los Angeles River
Maven's Other Websites
News
Public Policy Organizations
Regional Water Associations
Salton Sea
Stormwater & Flood Control
Water Agencies
- ACWA – Association of California Water Agencies
- Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency
- Contra Costa Water District
- East Bay Municipal Utility District
- Imperial Irrigation District
- Kern County Water Agency
- Long Beach Water Department
- Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
- Metropolitan Water District
- Municipal Water District of Orange County
- San Diego County Water Authority
- Santa Clara Valley Water District
- Sonoma County Water Agencies
- South San Joaquin Irrigation District
- State Water Contractors
- West Basin Municipal Water District
- Westlands Water District
Water Agencies - State & Federal
Water Blogs
- ACWA's Voices in Water blog
- Aguanomics
- Alex Breitler's Blog
- American Water Resources Assn. Blog
- Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard
- Bay Delta Blog
- California Water Blog
- California Water Wars blog
- Chance of Rain
- Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood
- Delta National Park Blog
- EDF's On The Waterfront
- Greed, Green & Grains
- Green Roots Blog (PCL)
- GrokSurf's San Diego blog
- Inkstain – jfleck
- Klam Blog
- L. A. Creek Freak
- On the Public Record
- Peter Gleick’s City Brights blog
- Restore the Delta's blog
- Southern California Water Committee Blog
- Spouting Off – Mark Gold of Heal the Bay
- State of the Planet Blog
- The California Spigot
- Thirsty in Suburbia
- Tom Philp's Blog
- Valley Economy Blog
- Water Cooler Blog
- Water Librarian's Blog
- Water SISWEB
- Waterblogged (Shawn McKinnon)
- Watering the Desert
- WaterWired
Water Information
News Article Archives
- Agriculture
- Aquafornia News & Exclusives
- Central Valley Project
- Climate change & water supply
- Conservation
- Delta Issues
- Desalination
- Development & Population
- Drinking Water & Bottled Water
- Drought Tolerant Landscaping
- Drought, Weather & Snowpack
- Energy & Water
- Events
- Flood Control/Stormwater
- General Water Issues
- Groundwater
- History
- Indian Water Rights
- Infrastructure
- Innovative Ideas
- International Water Issues
- Invasive Plants & Species
- Investing in water
- Legislation – State & Federal
- Levees
- National water news
- Oceans & Beaches
- People in the News
- Politics of Water
- Recycled Water
- Regional Water Issues
- San Joaquin River Restoration
- State Water Project (DWR)
- Storage and supply
- Transfers
- Uncategorized
- Water Agency News
- Water Banking
- Water Quality
- Water Rights
- Weird & Wacky Water News
- Wildlife & Endangered Species