The News Review:

- Nuclear plan a drain on water supply
- Sydney’s water cleared of fire threat
- State urged to adopt tougher perchlorate standard in water
- Canal plan spells trouble for Mexican crops

Nuclear plan a drain on water supply
The Australian – Oct 30, 2006
Mr Howard established a review headed by former Telstra chief Ziggy Switkowski in June to investigate the future use of nuclear power. Mr Beattie said a nuclear power station would need to have a strong connection to the electricity grid to address safety concerns with reliable transmission. The water supply would also have to be guaranteed. "To meet these requirements, a nuclear power plant would have to be located close to the eastern seaboard," he said. "Where is Mr Howard planning to put it? Is it Townsville or Mackay or perhaps further down along the coastline on the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast? "We need to be smarter about the way we use our available resources. We need to be looking at less energy-dependent resources such as clean coal technology, geothermal energy and coal seam gas.

Sydney’s water cleared of fire threat
The Age – Oct 30, 2006
The fire, which has burnt almost 5,000 hectares of remotebushland west of Sydney, has come within five kilometres of LakeBurragorang, part of the Warragamba Dam Catchment, RFS CommissionerPhil Koperberg said. “The fire is not a threat to the water supply,” Mr Koperbergtold AAP. “We’re trying to create a buffer zone between the burnt countryand the dam to prevent ash running into the water supply but evenif it does reach the water it will not be a problem because thereis so much water to dilute it. “The concern is for the filtration system and that it’s able tocope. It has been widely reported that the water supply was threatenedby fire, but Mr Koperberg said it had never been under threat. He said a more severe fire had burnt through the same area in1997 and posed no threat to drinking water…
“We’re trying to create a buffer zone between the burnt countryand the dam to prevent ash running into the water supply but evenif it does reach the water it will not be a problem because thereis so much water to dilute it. “The concern is for the filtration system and that it’s able tocope. It has been widely reported that the water supply was threatenedby fire, but Mr Koperberg said it had never been under threat. He said a more severe fire had burnt through the same area in1997 and posed no threat to drinking water. “We’d prefer to keep the fire from the water’s edge but, if wecan’t, it won’t make much difference,” he said. “Yesterday, we aerially ignited the ridge within a 10,000hectare perimeter to try and take some of the heat out of the mainrunning fires. The blaze started from a lightning strike last Wednesday and isexpected to burn out of control over the next few days.

State urged to adopt tougher perchlorate standard in water
San Diego Union Tribune – Oct 30, 2006
At the heart of the debate is a proposed perchlorate regulation that would require clean up if the chemical is found in water supplies at 6 parts per billion or higher – a much more stringent level than suggested by the federal government but weaker than the 2 parts per billion standard imposed this summer by Massachusetts. Supporters of a tougher limit said California should allow no more than 1 part per billion. A component of rocket fuel and pyrotechnics, perchlorate has been detected in milk, vegetables, fruit, grains and drinking water supplies in as many as 40 states. Much of the contamination stems from military bases and aerospace plants. In California, more than 450 wells and other water sources operated by more than 100 water agencies – primarily in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Sacramento counties – have been contaminated by perchlorate, according to the state health department.

Canal plan spells trouble for Mexican crops
San Diego Union Tribune – Oct 30, 2006
For proponents of lining the All-American Canal, the issue is clear-cut: The water carried by the canal belongs to California, part of its 4. 4 million acre-foot annual allotment authorized in the Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928. The savings, they say, are key to San Diego County's future water supply, enough for 134,000 households annually. “It's pretty straightforward and simple,” said Dan Hentschke, the chief attorney for the San Diego County Water Authority. “This is legitimately San Diego's water. ”The All-American Canal, which runs through 82 miles of California desert, has carried Colorado River water to the Imperial Valley since 1940. To prevent large amounts of water from seeping through the canal's porous earthen surface, a plan to line it was hatched in the mid-1970s…
Conservation questionSmith and other critics say Southern California coastal regions must learn to conserve more, or look to desalination rather than importing an additional supply from the Colorado River. But proponents of the projects say the lining itself is a conservation measure. “This is not growth water, this is core supply water, and they're claiming ownership of what's really ours,” said Hentschke of the San Diego County Water Authority. Supporters of the lining say Mexico needs to learn to live within its allocation of the Colorado River– 1. 5 million acre-feet annually. “Mexico can do similar activities that California has, go into districts, and conserve water where it can be conserved,” said Gerald Zimmerman, executive director of the Colorado River Board of California. “I believe California agencies would work with them.