The News Review:

- Metropolitan to Hold Last Public Forum on Southern California’s …
- Gas and the Water Supply
- Fitch Rates New York City Municipal Water Finance Auth’s $200MM …
- Emergency fix to keep drinking water flowing

Metropolitan to Hold Last Public Forum on Southern California’s …
MarketWatch 
Through the forums, Metropolitan and its 26 member public agencies
are looking to engage and seek input from local water agencies,
government, business and environmental communities and other
stakeholders. The input will help Metropolitan determine the right
mix of imported deliveries and continued investment in water
conservation, recycling, groundwater cleanup and ocean water
desalination to meet future demands. This will lead to fundamental
changes in the way water supply and reliability are met. WHEN: Wednesday, Oct.
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Gas and the Water Supply
New York Times, United States 
Regulatory oversight is extensive. The fluids — mostly water — that are forced into a well to create pressure to fracture rock are pushed back out by the oil and gas flowing upward for safe processing. Protecting our water supplies is important, as are reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through use of clean-burning natural gas. Banning hydraulic fracturing would be unwarranted and shortsighted, preventing production of large amounts of natural gas that could directly benefit New York consumers for decades and create thousands of good jobs. Red Cavaney
President and Chief Executive
American Petroleum Institute
Washington, Oct. 15, 2008•To the Editor:I agree with your call to ban shale gas drilling near water supplies. Such a ban would necessarily include not only the areas surrounding the city’s reservoirs but also the entire Delaware River Basin, a watershed that supplies drinking water to 15 million people.

Fitch Rates New York City Municipal Water Finance Auth’s $200MM …
MarketWatch 
The
Rating Outlook is Stable. The underlying ‘AA’ rating on NYW’s FGR and SGR water and sewer system
revenue bonds reflects unique structural protections for bondholders,
NYW’s sound financial operations, adequate water supply, and moderate
rates. The rating also considers the enormous capital improvement
program (CIP) needed to address the water, wastewater treatment, and
infrastructure replacement needs of New York City’s water and sewer
system. 5% rate increase adopted by the New York Water
Board (the board) for fiscal 2009 marks the second consecutive year that
rates have experienced a double-digit increase, and financial
projections through fiscal 2011 show rate hikes of a similar size. Concern remains regarding the continuation of below-average collection
rates and the subsequent need for sizeable annual rate increases, though
Fitch believes rates should remain in line with other large urban
systems and affordable for the broad customer base and its above-average
income levels. Fitch believes NYW bondholders benefit from strong legal protections
that outstrip most U.

Emergency fix to keep drinking water flowing
Indianapolis Star, United States 
Veolia Water Indianapolis contractors are pounding sheet metal pilings into a narrow slice of the canal wall that separates it from the river at 44th Street, said Paul Whitmore, a spokesman for Veolia. “There is an immediate danger that could open up a hole that leaks right back into the river,” Whitmore said today.
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