Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 11, 2009
4. Water Quality –
USDA makes water quality funds available to California growers
The Packer
Sewage spill closes beach near pier
North County Times
So where does the water come from?
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
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USDA makes water quality funds available to California growers
The Packer-8/10/09
By Dawn Withers
Salinas-area growers can receive funding from $1.8 million in the farm bill to help conserve water supplies.
The money is available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service offices in California's Central Coast, according to a news release.
The money will be spent on the Central Coast Irrigation and Nutrient Management Initiative, according to the news release, which was one of 63 projects chosen nationwide this year by the NRCS. The goal of the project is to improve water quality and protect marine resources like the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Morro Bay National Estuary, according to the news release.
The project area covers the Pajaro River, Salinas River, Santa Maria River, and Coastal San Luis watersheds, according to the news release, and will go directly to eligible growers for conservation planning, technical design and financial assistance for irrigation and nutrient management conservation practices.
Applications will be accepted starting Aug. 10 and will be competitively ranked according to conservation benefits, the agency said in the news release.#
Sewage spill closes beach near pier
North County Times-8/10/09
Swimming is prohibited around the Oceanside Pier after approximately 3,120 gallons of sewage spilled into the ocean, county officials said Monday.
Contamination signs are posted 500 feet north and south of the pier and will remain in place until tests show the water is safe for swimming, officials said.
The sewage flow from a broken pipe underneath Ruby's Restaurant is believed to have started 1 p.m. Thursday and continued until midnight Sunday, when Oceanside utility crews fixed the pipe, according to a county news release.#
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/oceanside/article_17acd4ea-f8d4-56c6-9190-5c6a4936c175.html
So where does the water come from?
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-8/8/09
By Clark Mason
Officials at Crystal Geyser Water Co. in Calistoga acknowledge they no longer use on-site water sources for their bottled sparkling water.
But they are tight-lipped about the sources for the water they sell. Some of it comes from wells in Rohnert Park and Livermore, according to tanker drivers who spoke this week to a reporter.
Richard Weklych, vice-president for manufacturing at Crystal Geyser, said he would neither confirm nor deny what they said.
“For security reasons we don’t give it out,” he said of the water sources. “We used licensed sources, licensed by the state. We don’t give out where they’re at.”
Dave Shaw, the owner of a plumbing business near the Crystal Geyser plant who watches the steady stream of tanker trucks bringing in water, would like to know the origin.
“It’s been a mystery to me. As many times as I’ve asked, no one wants to answer that question,” said
There have been problems with the underground water at the company’s Calistoga property. which once was the source for the bottled water.
In 1999, Crystal Geyser halted production of sparkling mineral water at its plant at the end of Washington Street because of contamination. The shutdown occurred after technicians found hydrocarbons in wells used to monitor water quality.
County officials said at the time they did not believe any health risk existed. Engineers said the problem originated at an adjacent property owned by the city that contained underground fuel storage tanks and pump islands used by the Public Works Department.
Weklych said this week he could not comment on why Crystal Geyser no longer uses wells at its Calistoga site, or whether it stems from lingering contamination or supply issues.
“We decided not to use it for reasons I can’t comment on,” he said.
Meanwhile, a different mineral water company in town, Calistoga Beverage Co., has been bottling water for 85 years from a capped geyser.
According to the company’s Web site, founder Giuseppe Musanta, the owner of a soda fountain and candy store, was drilling a well in 1920, but tapped into a hot water geyser. It blew him off his scaffold and burned him so badly he had to be hospitalized.
He sold the mineral water from the geyser as well as a number of soft drinks, before setting up a bottling line in 1924 and selling Calistoga Sparkling Mineral Water.
Because it comes heated before being cooled for bottling, Calistoga Beverage Company said the geothermal source safeguards quality.#
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