Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 9, 2009
4. Water Quality –
Tugboat company manager accused of polluting Delta
Oakland Tribune
High bacteria levels found in water off four beaches in south SLO County
San Luis Obispo Tribune
Wells will meet arsenic standard by December
Hanford Sentinel
State board approves Redwood Landfill water plan
Marin Independent Journal
New Mexico issues boil water alert
Alameda Times-Star
Indian communities get water funding
Oakland Tribune
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Tugboat company manager accused of polluting Delta
Oakland Tribune-7/8/09
A tugboat company manager has been indicted in federal court in San Francisco on charges of polluting the Delta by dumping dredged materials into waters near Pittsburg.
Mark Guinn, 41, of Elk Grove, the general manager of Northern California operations of Brusco Tug & Barge Inc., was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on four counts of violating the U.S. Clean Water Act.
He is accused of dumping or causing other company workers to dump dredged materials directly into Delta waters surrounding Winter Island, northeast of Pittsburg, three times in 2003 and once in 2007.
Brusco, based in Longview, Wash., has a fleet of tugs and barges used for towing and disposing of dredged material generated during various dredging projects.
Winter Island, the site of an unsuccessful utopian community in the 1890s, is a privately owned 453-acre Delta island now used for wetland habitat and a duck hunting club.
Brusco had a contract to dispose of dredged material on the island, for a fee, for use in levee maintenance, but had no permit to dump the material in the water, according to the indictment.
Each count carries a possible maximum sentence of three years in prison, but the actual penalty, if Guinn is convicted, would be determined by a judge after consideration of federal sentencing guidelines.
U.S. attorney's office spokesman Jack Gillund said no date has been set yet for Guinn to appear in court.
The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan Illston.#
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_12790041
High bacteria levels found in water off four beaches in south SLO County
San Luis Obispo Tribune-7/8/09
County environmental health officials have posted health advisories at four South County beaches after tests showed high levels of bacteria in the water.
Warning signs were posted at Silver Shoals Drive in Shell Beach, at two locations south of the pier in Pismo Beach and in Oceano, 350 yards north of Pier Avenue.
The signs warn beach-goers to avoid contact with the water at those locations.
New water samples were taken at those locations when the warning signs were posted. The signs will stay in place as long as testing shows high bacteria levels.
Twenty popular beaches near creeks are tested weekly for bacteria levels.#
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/breaking_news/story/777210.html
Wells will meet arsenic standard by December
Hanford Sentinel-7/8/09
By Eiji Yamashita
An annual water-quality report put out by the city of Hanford last month indicates half of city wells still fail to meet the federal arsenic standard, but officials say the information is old.
As of today, 13 of 21 wells are in compliance, according to Hanford Public Works Director Lou Camara.
By the end of the year, all of them should come into full compliance as new wells replace old ones, Camara said.
“Even though (the residents) get a report that identifies nine wells that may not be in full compliance. Many of those wells that are listed in the report are going to be abandoned,” Camara said Tuesday, clarifying the information.
The 2009 Consumer Confidence Report issued in June show nine of the city wells tested between 7.9 to 66 parts per billion of arsenic with an average of 30.6 …#8221; three times above the federal arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion. Those wells do meet drinking water standards for all other contaminants.
As the Dec. 31 deadline given by the federal government draws near, the city’s effort to rehabilitate wells and drill deeper wells to replace shallow ones was put into high gear this year.
The city has recently put two new wells online, bringing a total of 13 wells into compliance. Two more wells …#8221; one south of Freedom Park and another in Encore Park …#8221; are being drilled to eventually replace all bad wells, Camara said.
Once the peak summer season for water usage is over, the city will retire six non-compliant wells and will put two on standby for emergency use, Camara said. These wells will be replaced by the two new wells that came on line this year and the two more that are expected to come on line by December.
With the move, the city will end up with a total of 15 wells, all of which should meet the arsenic standard, he said.
The federal government lowered the maximum contamination level for the cancer-causing mineral from 50 to 10 parts per billion beginning in January 2006, forcing many municipalities in the Valley, including Hanford, to spend millions of dollars to improve the water infrastructure.
Hanford spent more than $8 million over the last three years on its arsenic-reduction project, although officials say that installing a filtration system, as opposed to well rehabilitation and replacements, would have cost the city more than $20 million.#
http://hanfordsentinel.com/articles/2009/07/09/news/doc4a54d993a1f7e974655281.txt
State board approves Redwood Landfill water plan
Marin Independent Journal-7/8/09
By Mark Prado
The Redwood Landfill on Wednesday received approval from the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board to update its groundwater monitoring program.
In December, the state Integrated Waste Management Board approved a plan by Houston-based Waste Management to boost capacity at the landfill by 6 million cubic yards to a total capacity of 25 million cubic yards and to continue operating the landfill for another 16 years.
Although that permit addressed land issues, it did not address water-related impacts of the landfill, which is about three miles north of Novato adjacent to San Antonio Creek. It sits below sea level in a tidal estuary and a flood plain.
After a two-hour hearing in Oakland, the Regional Water Quality Control Board voted 5-1 to approve new waste discharge requirements as it relates to surface water.
Local environmental groups hoped to the water board would require independent water testing, but the order allows Waste Management to self-monitor.
"Our main concern is that the leachate collection recovery system is an unproven technology and it needs to be monitored," said Bruce Baum, a coordinator with the Marin Green Coalition. "But the board went with the self-monitoring program."
Leachate is liquid that drains from a landfill.
Jessica Jones, manager of the Redwood Landfill, said the testing standards imposed by the water board are strict.
"To test water quality we hire a third party, and their reports are stamped and signed and face the threat of perjury before the board if they are not accurate," she said. "We don't do the testing; we pay consultant to do the testing. We have every motivation to stay in compliance if we want to maintain our business. It's an absolute necessity."
Several environmental groups have sued the county of Marin and Waste Management in an effort to block a permit that allows expansion of the landfill, contending county officials violated the California Environmental Quality Act by certifying an environmental impact report done in connection with the permit application.
In part, the suit alleges the EIR fails to adequately analyze the effect on groundwater of the polluted leachate water that drains from the site.#
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_12788117?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
New Mexico issues boil water alert
Alameda Times-Star-07/8/09
A boil water alert has been issued for customers of the Morningstar Water Users Association in San Juan County (New Mexico).
The New Mexico Environment Department’s Drinking Water Bureau issued the advisory after levels exceeded the maximum contaminant level for E. coli.
The bacteria was discovered in the system's drinking water.
The presence of E. coli indicates the water may have been in contact with sewage or animal wastes, and could contain disease-causing organisms.
Contamination was found in the Anasazi Estates Subdivision based on water samples from that location.
All consumers of the Morningstar Water Users Association system are advised to boil water for five minutes before drinking, cooking and dishwashing or use bottled water.#
Indian communities get water funding
Oakland Tribune-7/9/09
Nearly $5 million in federal stimulus funding will be shared by six American Indian communities in New Mexico for water system improvements.
U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall announced the funding Wednesday, saying it will create jobs in the short term and provide long-term quality of life improvements for the communities.
The Mescalero Apache Tribe in southern New Mexico will receive more than $991,000 for drinking water improvements. Picuris Pueblo will receive $15,600 for water line replacements and nearly $990,000 for wastewater treatment improvements.
The pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, Zia and Nambe will also receive funding.#
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