California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 9, 2009
2. Supply –
Centriforce Files Patent on New Water Desalination System
Reuters
Rain water collection being studied
Ukiah Daily Journal
Van Nuys residents, businesses without water after water-main breaks
L.A. Daily News
2 accused of open hydrants in Blanco, Johnson City
Alameda-Times Star
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Centriforce Files Patent on New Water Desalination System
Reuters-7/8/09
Centriforce Technology Corp. announced today that it has filed the patent application for its new desalination technology.
The Patent covers the unique processes used by CNFO to desalinate sea water and brackish water into fresh water using its single vessel multistage
flashing technology.
The CNFO patent covers a method of creating fresh water from salt water (or other impure water source) in a single vessel under a balanced vacuum.
The system uses custom eductors to inject raw water into a triple layered vacuum and to remove exhaust air from the end stream in order to maintain vacuum.
The system is less complex mechanically than the reverse osmosis systems widely used in large installations worldwide.
Even more importantly, it operates at lessthan one-half the average energy consumption of competing systems.
By reducing capital cost and reducing the energy footprint, the Company expects to rapidly see this new technology adopted for large-scale desalination
applications.
The company expects to build water plants in areas where water shortages occur and sell the water to municipalities, states or governments
where it is needed on a long-term contract basis.
"Filing our first Patent on this new technology is an important step toward protecting the high value of what we have developed over the last several
months," noted Matthew Schulman, President.
"In addition to taking this technology to market now that it is finished, we will continue to operate our R&D department in order to stay ahead of competitors in this industry," he concluded.#
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS85036+08-Jul-2009+BW20090708
Rain water collection being studied
Ukiah Daily Journal-7/9/09
By Zack Cinek
Metal water tanks for collecting rain water built at two locations in Willits will serve to demonstrate the possibilities of gathering rain water.
At the Willits Integrated Services Center and also at Brookside Elementary School, Australian-influenced rain collecting tanks are set up to fill from water piped from roof tops.
Both tank sites are near community gardens. At the services center is a dirt embankment that when finished makes a vegetative swail and a rain garden, John Sherman, water conservation coordinator for the city of Willits said.
"The idea there is to keep water on site as long as possible," Sherman said.
The tank at the school holds 14,000 gallons. The tank behind the services center is slightly smaller and holds 9,900 gallons of water, Sherman said.
Roland Sanford is manager of the Mendocino County Water Agency which helps to coordinate water affairs and advise the County Board of Supervisors.
A meeting later this month will take a look at how to harvest rain water and promoting it, Sanford said. Rain water collection is expensive on a dollar for acre foot, but looks good under certain conditions, Sanford said.
Regulations on rain water collected in this manner are not fully developed at this time and no permit is needed from the state.
"The water you put on a garden does not need to be potable water," Sanford said.
If rainfall in Mendocino County averages 36 inches per year, three feet of rain would put a small dent in overall
runoff. Rain water collected on a large scale could raise different questions, like is it any different than diverting water from a stream?
Conservation measures in Willits have mentioned cutting back use in home gardens as a means of controlling the water supply. "The whole thing is to try and encourage people to use these things on their own property," Sherman said.
Each of the tanks based on designs from drought-ridden Australia were paid for by grant money and are near community gardens and will supply water to those gardens.
Calculations have the tank's water lasting as long as August or September when combined with drip-irrigation techniques, Sherman stated.
The tanks cost about $12,000 each. Money for the project was obtained by local grant writers from the Sustainable Communities Grant and Loan Program as part of the Sacramento-based California Pollution Control Financial Authority.
Sherman said that having a similar system at a home can provide water security in a drought. "You still have this as your own garden supply," said Sherman.#
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_12791647
Van Nuys residents, businesses without water after water-main breaks
L.A. Daily News-7/8/09
A water-main rupture in Van Nuys left some residents and businesses without water early today.
The pipeline broke on Woodley Avenue near Hartland Street about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, creating a sinkhole roughly 16 feet wide along Woodley Avenue, an On Scene Video camera crew reported.
Department of Water and Power crews continued to work on the damaged line overnight.
Several apartments and business along Woodley Avenue were left without water, and crews shut down all southbound lanes on Woodley while repairs were being made.#
http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_12775678?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
2 accused of open hydrants in Blanco, Johnson City
Alameda Times-Star-7/9/09
The Associated Press
Opened fire hydrants in Blanco and Johnson City (Texas) led to a loss of nearly 600,000 gallons of water during drought conditions.
Blanco Mayor Christine Gourley called the release "disgusting" in a period of extreme drought.
Two teens, including a now-former volunteer firefighter, face felony criminal mischief charges over Saturday's vandalism.
Johnson City had about 150,000 gallons of water go down the drain. Blanco lost 420,000 gallons.
Gourley says the July 4 prank will cost her city more than $3 million in water costs, plus overtime to law officers and emergency personnel who helped clean up the mess.#
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