Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 2, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Owner's up the creek without a paddle-wheeler
Images of Water Art Competition
DWR Releases Compliance Document for AB 1420 Grants and Schedules Public Workshops
DWR News Release
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Owner's up the creek without a paddle-wheeler
By Bob Shallit
Lots of folks have seen their investments go under water.
Bill Barker has, too. Literally.
He's the owner of a storied, three-deck paddle-wheeler that starred in a 1956 John Wayne movie, later carried tourists along the Delta – and now sits partially submerged on the Yolo side of the Sacramento River.
Barker, a
He repaired the hull and fixed some fire damage that took it out of service as a Spirit of Sacramento tourist boat. But Barker ran out of money and for the last decade has left the boat moored in the river near the Sacramento Yacht Club.
Two years ago, it took on water and nearly sank before Barker arrived with pumps and brought it back to the surface.
It started sinking again in April and now sits on the river bottom – its top deck emerging from the water at a 45-degree angle – just south of the
Barker tells us he's planning to get the vessel afloat – again – this week. But he doesn't have any immediate plans to fix up the one-time beauty.
"I don't have the money ... right now," he says. And, given the economy, Barker adds: "I probably wouldn't spend it (on the boat) if I did."
Where does that leave the 67-year-old stern-wheeler that's been known over the years as the Putah, the Mansion Belle, the Spirit of Sacramento and – most recently – the Grand Romance?
Dead in the water.#
http://www.sacbee.com/shallit/story/1910295.html
By Jane Kay
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On a foggy day in
Any moment, a fish lunch was due. The youngsters, who all had been separated from their mothers at an early age, seemed excited over the prospect of food.
Here was lunch: a pail of dead fish. The babies greeted the herring with "maaaah maaaah."
The 53 patients were malnourished harbor seal pups, among the first animals to receive treatment in the
After four years of raising money and designing and constructing a green building perched above Rodeo Beach, with views of Bird Island and the Pacific Ocean, the internationally known nonprofit that has rescued 14,000 marine mammals since it opened in 1975 is opening its doors to the public June 15.
The modern complex, run by a team of veterinarians and 800 volunteers, will be a mecca for other rescue and rehabilitation institutions figuring out how to combine animal care and public education.
"We want to make sure that we provide the best patient care possible while allowing people to visit and experience the hospital and exhibits," said Dr. Jeff Boehm, executive director. Boehm himself was a center volunteer when he was a student at the
Boehm, the staff and the volunteers have seen the center grow on the same 125,000-square-foot site from a crowded yet effective cluster of chicken wire, pools and shipping containers to a spacious, modern green building.
Some of the features are skylights, radiant-floor heating, sustainably certified wood, natural materials, recycled steel supports and 22 kilowatt-producing solar panels - equal to the consumption of seven houses and cutting the center's PG&E electricity bill by 10 percent.
This is the time of year for pups - the hungry, weak ones that didn't have an easy transition from a nursing baby to an independent fisher at home in the ocean. Bay Area residents have learned to not to touch an orphaned pup but instead to call the Marine Mammal Cener.
The 53 harbor seal pups at the center now weigh on average about 30 pounds and are 3 feet long. When they reach 45 pounds, they will be put back in the ocean.
Other animals in residence, first fed with feeding tubes and then with small fish, are 55
Three of the
In the new complex of three separate buildings, there is an open window to the pathology and other labs, and visitors can watch the scientists do their work. In Boehm's mind, this is a way to demystify what scientists do and give young people choosing a vocation a look at what research and clinical work entail.
At another window, visitors can see volunteers blending herring into a nutritious food different for each species.
The center uses 80,000 pounds a year of fish to support needy wildlife, and much of the donation money goes to pay the bill.
In the chart room, Amy Miles, a Greenbrae resident and volunteer for 12 years, said people are drawn to the work at the center whether it's hosing down mats, feeding fish to the young or doing book work.
"We're able to see those little pups. It does do something for you, shows you that nature is right there," Miles said.
In a way, Miles misses the intimacy of the old place. When she worked, she could hear the cackles of the elephant seals and the other animal calls.
But she knows that the new separation of quarters is better for helping the
From a spacious viewing platform, visitors can look down on the veterinarians conducting physicals on the animals - taking blood, listening to lungs, measuring length and assessing wounds and body condition.
The
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/02/BAP417UTNU.DTL
Images of Water Art Competition
The Times-Standard-5/29/09
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_12475924?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com#top
DWR Releases Compliance Document for AB 1420 Grants and Schedules Public Workshops
DWR News Release 6/01/09
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the Compliance document detailing AB 1420 Eligibility Requirements for Urban Water Suppliers who may request water management project loan or grant funds.
Effective January 1, 2009, AB 1420 amended the Urban Water Management Planning Act. It requires that water management grants or loans made to Urban Water Suppliers and awarded or administered by DWR, the State Water Resources Control Board, or California Bay-Delta Authority or its successor agency be conditioned on implementation of the water Demand Management Measures (DMMs).
The DMMs correspond to the 14 Best Management Practices (BMPs) listed and described in the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). DWR has consulted with the CUWCC and appropriate funding agencies and will equate the DMMs with the BMPs described in the CUWCC MOU for loan and grant funding eligibility purposes.
Water management grants and loans include programs and projects for surface water or groundwater storage, recycling, desalination, water conservation, water supply reliability and water supply augmentation. This funding includes, but is not limited to, funds made available pursuant to Public Resources Code section 75026 (Integrated Regional Water Management Program).
The Compliance with AB 1420 Requirements & other Information is available online at: http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/finance/index.cfm.
DWR will conduct three public workshops to present information on the AB 1420 Compliance & eligibility process.
June 17, 2009
10 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Training Room 550
Cal/EPA Building
1001 I Street
Participants may join this workshop and ask questions by conference call. Call 1-877-468-2139, then enter the participant code, 953557, when prompted.
For directions to the Cal/EPA Building call (916) 323-2514
June 22, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Inland Empire Water Agency
For directions call (909) 993-1600
June 23, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Library Conference Room
For directions call (858) 522-6568
Who should attend? Urban Water Suppliers (including agricultural water suppliers that provide water for urban uses) are subject to provisions of AB 1420.
All other potential applicants for loan and grant funds such as cities, counties, joint power authorities, public water districts, tribes, non-profit organizations (including watershed management groups), other political subdivisions of the State, regulated investor-owned utilities, incorporated mutual water companies, universities and colleges, and State and federal agencies are encouraged to attend.#
http://www.water.ca.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/060109urbanwaterworkshop.doc
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DWR’s California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader’s services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
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