The News Review:

- California resurrects canal proposal to reroute water supplies
- Plan to cut water supply duration
- KARACHI: Karachi gets Rs3.9bn for development projects
- … 20-percent cut in water use sought: TRI-VALLEY: Water provid…

California resurrects canal proposal to reroute water supplies
San Diego Union Tribune – Jun 16, 2007
Efforts to protect a threatened fish, the delta smelt, have created a sense of urgency and refocused the debate on building a canal that would route California’s freshwater around the delta and its many trouble spots. Earlier this spring, state and federal courts ruled separately that pumping operations are killing the fish. After a record low count of the smelt’s population, the state Department of Water Resources temporarily shut down its main pumping plant for more than a week, forcing some cities and rural water districts to cut back on water use. Last September, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order starting a comprehensive review of the delta’s water, roads, utility lines and ecosystem. During a recent talk to farmers in Bakersfield, he strongly advocated building new reservoirs and a canal, saying the state needs them to ensure adequate water supplies in the decades ahead. “We need to build more storage and we have to build conveyance, the canal, all of those kinds of things, even though its politically risky again…
Relying on the fragile estuary to hold the water supply for two-thirds of the state is risky in myriad ways. An earthquake or Sierra flood waters could destroy large sections of the aging levee system, allowing fresh water to flood vast tracts of farm land or subdivisions. Besides the billions of dollars in damage that would cause, it also would cut off about a third of the state’s water supply until the levees could be repaired – a period that could last months. Moreover, global climate change is expected to increase sea levels and send more salty water from San Francisco Bay into the delta. That also has the potential to contaminate the fresh water collected at the pumping stations, making it useless for use by farmers and more expensive for cities to treat.

Plan to cut water supply duration
Hindu – Jun 16, 2007
As per rules, water line is normally disconnected for this offence. We will view such an offence very seriously this time,” the Mayor said. “Anyone found using the motor will have to remain without water supply connection for six months,” he said. Extra vigil would be maintained if water were to be supplied at night. The chances of using motors during night were more, the Mayor said.

KARACHI: Karachi gets Rs3.9bn for development projects
Pakistan Dawn – Jun 16, 2007
1 and the other end of the truck stand; Rs50 million for improvement of Road-4300 and construction of storm water drain from Road-5200 to Lyari River; Rs100m for construction and improvement of rural areas of the city district government Karachi (different district councils). WATER SCHEMES: The amount earmarked for undertaking different water and sewerage-related schemes includes Rs100 million for providing water supply to Baba and Bhit Islands and Salehabad of Manora, Rs19. 5 million for construction of water supply scheme for the Quaid-i-Azam Public School link road, Rs300 million for providing and laying of water supply line from Hub Reservoir to Hawkesbay Scheme No. 42 and Baldia Town; Rs45 million for laying a 54-inch dia pre-stressed new Pipri main and 54-inch dia RCC Haleji conduit along the proposed Mehran highway (from Cattle Colony to PQA road network), Rs140 million for laying and joining of 24-inch-dia MS pipeline from Hub reservoir to German pumping station, Orangi Town; Rs70 million for improvement of sewerage system by laying different sized pipelines in union councils No.

… 20-percent cut in water use sought: TRI-VALLEY: Water provid…
Free with registration – Contra Costa Times – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jun 16, 2007
–> COPYRIGHT 2007 Contra Costa Times Byline: Sam Richards Jun. 16–The Livermore-Amador Valley’s wholesale water provider, along with four retail suppliers of that water, are seeking a voluntary 20-percent reduction in water use by residential and business users at least through the weekend into next week. The voluntary cutbacks would have remained in force longer — and perhaps been made mandatory at some point — had the state Department of Water Resources not announced Friday the resumption of higher levels of water pumping through.