The News Review:

- Worst drought ever expected after mild January
- Water Plan Came After Much Study By Utility
- ne Step Closer to Cleaner Water
- Water: California’s New Gold Rush
- Power’s return could take weeks in Ky. Ark.
- Mexico City braces for water rationing
- Judge’s decision pending in litigation over assured water supply …

Worst drought ever expected after mild January
San Francisco Chronicle  USA 
tmpl –> January usually douses California with about 20 percent of the state’s annual precipitation but instead it delivered a string of dry sunny days this year almost certainly pushing the state into a third year of drought. The arid weather is occurring as the state’s water system is under pressure from a growing population an aging infrastructure and court-ordered reductions in water pumped through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – problems that didn’t exist or were less severe during similar dry spells in the late 1970s and late 1980s. “We’re definitely in really bad shape” said Elissa Lynn chief meteorologist with the state Department of Water Resources. “People can expect to pay higher prices for produce. and more agencies may be rationing.
Related from Talloonne: National drought council tours Tasmania

Water Plan Came After Much Study By Utility
Washington Post United States 
Under the proposal which needs approval from regulators the agency eventually would store 8 billion gallons of water in four quarries after Luck Stone the company that owns them is finished mining them. The first quarry would be converted in 2017 after construction of a water treatment plant nearby said utility officials who did not have an estimate of when the others would become available. Loudoun Water serves about 55000 customers in eastern Loudoun. As early as 2001 officials at the agency discussed "water banking" or storing water for use during times of scarcity said Loudoun Water spokeswoman Samantha Villegas adding that the drought of 2007 provided additional impetus to look into storage options. The utility can purchase up to 50 million gallons of water a day from Fairfax County and up to 7 million a day from Fairfax City under agreements with those jurisdictions. But based on Loudoun’s projected growth the utility estimates it will need to supply 40 million more gallons a day by 2035.

ne Step Closer to Cleaner Water
WRGB NY 
we’re literally ready for the development to begin in our community here” says resident Peter Smith. As for other down river towns such as Stillwater Halfmoon and Waterford concerned about their water supply GE has agreed to ammend the initial consent decree and pay for their water supply which will come from Troy. That provision will go into affect at any time when the PCB’s exceed 500 parts per trillion and when there is not enough time to notify residents of the higher than expected levels. There is talk these towns are threatening legal action to stop the dredging process. Public comment on the amendment to the consent decree will be taken until February 25 2009. Residents will also be able to view a copy of the Community Health and Safety Plan for phase one of the dredging process very soon.

Water: California’s New Gold Rush
The Sacramento Union CA 
California’s sweeping Central Valley grows most of the country’s fruits and vegetables in normal years but this winter thousands of acres are turning to dust as the state hurtles into the worst drought in nearly two decades. “Taking water from a farmer is like taking a pipe from a plumber” said Giacone a fourth-generation farmer in the tiny community of Mendota. “How do you conduct business?”. This year officials in Fresno County predict farmers will only grow about 6000 acres of lettuce roughly half the acreage devoted to greens in 2005.

Power’s return could take weeks in Ky. Ark.
The Associated Press 
Already the situation was becoming dire for some communities in Kentucky where the power outages crippled pumping stations and cut off access to water. Tracie and Jeff Augustinovich drove 15 miles from their home in the western Kentucky town of Rock Castle to buy groceries. Their home had very little running water and though they stocked up before the storm they weren’t sure their supplies will last. “We’re buying up anything that we can eat cold” Tracie Augustinovich said. In Paducah Amber Fiers and her neighbor Miranda Brittan tried a half-dozen filling stations before finding one where they could buy kerosene. The two were in a line that swelled to 50 or more at the 13th Street Station which began pumping kerosene after its owner set up a generator. “We got food but I’m just worried about staying warm” said Brittan who lives in Mayfield adding she was frustrated by the search for supplies.

Mexico City braces for water rationing
Los Angeles Times CA 
‘We are running out of water’ an official said. By Tracy Wilkinson January 30 2009Reporting from Mexico City — Already-scarce water gets even scarcer this weekend for millions of Mexicans. ne of the world’s largest cities is launching a rationing plan in a drastic — and some say overdue — effort to conserve water after rampant development mismanagement and reduced rainfall caused supplies to drop to dangerously low levels.

Judge’s decision pending in litigation over assured water supply …
Sun Shopper AZ 
Attorney Mark McGinnis representing SRP kicked off Thursday’s arguments by maintaining that the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ earlier decision to exclude his client and other objectors from the appeal proceedings was unfair and arbitrary for a number of reasons. For instance he pointed out that while ADWR excluded SRP from the proceedings because it was not a resident of the Prescott Active Management Area the state department did allow participation by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club – neither of which McGinnis said were Prescott area residents. But ADWR attorney Janet Ronald said the state statute was clear on the issue that objectors to the assured water supply decision must be residents of the Active Management Area. She added that both the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club have members who live in the Prescott area.